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2 unusual facts about Gene Siskel


Eleanor Ileen Johnson

She saw the movie three times including at a special screening with movie critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert.

Mr. Payback: An Interactive Movie

Gene Siskel also disliked the film, thus leading to it obtaining two thumbs down on Siskel & Ebert; later on their worst of show for the year of release, he commented that the other option is to play a video game instead, rather than try to mix both of them together (since the latter will not work).


Benji the Hunted

Movie critic Roger Ebert gave Benji the Hunted four stars (out of four) as well as a "Thumbs Up." Gene Siskel gave the film a "Thumbs Down," criticizing Ebert for liking the film more than Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket.

The film is notable for the fact Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert disagreed on the film, with Siskel criticizing Ebert for giving a "thumbs up" rating to this film but not Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket.

Thumbs signal

More recently, these gestures are associated with movie reviews, having been popularized by critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert on their televised review show Siskel & Ebert — the thumb up meaning a positive opinion of a film; the thumb down meaning a negative one.


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