The Wagging Finger of Shame...

While tending to an tired child recovering today I had time to review a new episode of "Ebert & Roeper" which yeilded another exciting option for films that are released onto unknowing audiences.

Everyone has known for a long time, that movies that are released without a pre-release to critics are one of those things that just doesn't smell right. For those of you that somehow doubt this fact, let me add to the discussion the following titles:

"Battlefield: Earth:"
"From Justin to Kelly"

and then this addition from today's show:

"The Amityville Horror"

This film, like the "Barnburners" listed (and especially those that aren't listed above - there have been MANY more) above was not released to critics for review before the regular folk. Finally, Roger Ebert has coined a new category of hand gesture for it:

"The Wagging Finger of Shame!"

A note to all studios: It doesn't make any sense at all to NOT release your films to critics, otherwise they are instantly grouped with the crap that is captured above. Also remember, a lot of people don't agree with critics viewpoints often (hell, while I'm a die-hard watcher of Ebert and Roeper, often times I think they're dead OFF on movies) and that many (my father for one, two friends at work, etc) often hit movies that are DISLIKED because they know that if "this person hates the movie, I'll tend to like it."

Kudos to Ebert and Roeper for this new "Digit-al Designation!"

Be sure to visit their website and listen to the audio clip of it from Roger Ebert now!

(If you don't see it immediately just use the search function for "Amityville" and select the 2005 version)