Siskel & Ebert (TV Series)

Star Trek: Insurrection/Jack Frost/Shakespeare in Love/Psycho/The General (1998)

Gene Siskel: Self - Host

Quotes 

• Gene Siskel - Host : The snowman, who is a creature of the Jim Henson Puppet Workshop, holds our interest for a few minutes, but then "Jack Frost" goes flat, because nothing much happens before its predictable conclusion. There's little conflict in the story, other than the obvious threat of a December heatwave.

  [Roger chuckles] 

  Gene Siskel - Host : And the attempts at humor also fall flat. So ultimately, watching "Jack Frost" is like spending ninety minutes with the Pillsbury Doughboy. And Roger, can you imagine parents' nights at school? "Please, pick up that, wipe up that puddle." I mean, there should've been some HUMOR in this.

  Roger Ebert - Host : I'll tell ya, Gene, I agree with all the criticisms you made of the movie, and I'll add one more: I could not STAND the snowman. The snowman was creepy!

  Gene Siskel - Host : Yes.

  Roger Ebert - Host : I, I had the "fingernails on the blackboard" effect as I was looking at this... unattractive, uncharismatic, uh... weird creation. It's... I didn't like the way its mouth moved...

  Gene Siskel - Host : Oh, the sticks.

  Roger Ebert - Host : ...And its little, its anorexic little twigs for hands.

  [Gene chuckles] 

  Roger Ebert - Host : And then all I could think was: Get me out of here before I have to look at this creature one more second.

  Gene Siskel - Host : Exactly.

  Roger Ebert - Host : Y'know, theory, there's theory about... uh, special effects creatures. Like, Spielberg made a great study about what E.T. should look like.

  Gene Siskel - Host : You need the eyes.

  Roger Ebert - Host : You gotta have the eyes. And so... two little lumps of coal just...

  Gene Siskel - Host : Don't make it.

  Roger Ebert - Host : ...They don't do it. They just don't do it.

  Gene Siskel - Host : And there's no humor in the film, that's what surprised me.

  Roger Ebert - Host : It's a REAL bad film.