{"id":116043,"date":"2026-04-04T08:00:24","date_gmt":"2026-04-04T12:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/?p=116043"},"modified":"2026-04-03T08:32:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T12:32:10","slug":"in-memory-of-roger-ebert-his-review-of-kwik-stop-2001","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/?p=116043","title":{"rendered":"In Memory of Roger Ebert: Michael, Roger & Me"},"content":{"rendered":"

Roger Ebert died 13 years ago today. <\/p>\n

I wrote about him<\/a> and how he reached out to me a couple of months before he died and how it coincided exactly with the other Great Event in my life in the late winter of 2013. <\/p>\n

One of the early series the Rogerebert.com writers participated in was something called “My Favorite Roger.” Each writer wrote an essay discussing their favorite review written by Roger. I chose his review of Kwik Stop<\/i>, a little-seen never-even-distributed indie movie, directed by Michael Gilio (who also wrote it, and starred in it). Here is Roger’s 3-1\/2 star review of Kwik Stop<\/i><\/a>. <\/p>\n

The reason this matters is not just that Kwik Stop<\/i> is a wonderful movie people should see (it is now – finally – on streaming platforms<\/a>) – but that Michael and I have been friends for forever, basically. And our lives both intersected with Roger’s, independently, on separate tracks. <\/p>\n

Michael was writing the script for Kwik Stop<\/i>, or at least talking about it, the autumn we dated<\/a>. We were a couple of kids, basically. Years after we split up (I moved to New York, I think he was in Los Angeles): boom, somehow the pre-social-media grapevine provided the information that Michael’s film was completed. He did it! <\/p>\n

And then came Roger Ebert’s review. Ebert reviewed the film at a time when you could not even SEE it, even if you wanted to. This was major. There was no online community of critics to spread the word. Roger Ebert was the most famous film critic in the country. And the review was a rave. Chicago friends reported back on the screening at Facets, with QA moderated by Roger (you see how much Roger involved himself in getting the word out. He meant business.) And THIS is why I picked Roger’s review of Kwik Stop<\/i> as “My Favorite Roger.” If you are in a powerful position, like Roger was, it’s meaningful when you use your power for good, when you point your vast audience towards something small, off-the-beaten path, not-mainstream, under the radar. (Steve James has said repeatedly that Roger Ebert basically MADE Hoop Dreams<\/i>. Roger reviewed it in print, he reviewed it on television, he included the film in his Best-of-the-Year roundups. He beat the drum for Hoop Dreams<\/i> for a YEAR. THAT’S using your power.) This is what Roger did for Michael’s film.<\/p>\n

And here’s where it gets cosmic: It all just seems too weird to be a coincidence. Way back in 2001, Roger reached his hand out to Michael to acknowledge Michael’s work … and then over a decade later, in 2013 – two months before he died – Roger did the same thing to me, reaching out to me via email, asking me if I would start writing reviews for him. <\/p>\n

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\nHe had no idea I was connected with Michael. How would he? <\/p>\n

And THEN … to bring it even FURTHER … that I would eventually be in a position to write a tribute to both Roger AND Michael, on Roger’s site<\/em> for the “My Favorite Roger” series … I’m not a New Age woo-woo, but this whole thing gives even me pause. Something cosmic MUST be at work here.<\/p>\n

But there’s still more: In 2002, Roger screened Kwik Stop<\/i> at Ebertfest (which was then known as the Overlooked Film Festival. Kwik Stop<\/i> played in the 2nd year of its existence). 15 years later, in 2017, MY short film, July and Half of August<\/i> played at Ebertfest. I have the Golden Thumb to prove it. <\/p>\n

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\nWhat are the odds of all of these coincidences intersecting three separate people being coincidental? <\/p>\n

Here is what I wrote about Roger Ebert’s review of Kwik Stop<\/i>, my favorite Roger because he wanted people to KNOW about this beautiful film that was being unfairly ignored. <\/p>\n

My Favorite Roger: Kwik Stop<\/i><\/a><\/h1>\n

Here are some screen-grabs from Kwik Stop<\/i>. Hopefully you will be intrigued enough to check out the film. It’s finally streaming!<\/p>\n

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\nUPDATE: Michael wrote Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves<\/i>, released last year. So proud of this guy!<\/p>\n

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\nThank you so much for stopping by. If you like what I do, and if you feel inclined to support my work, here’s a link to my Venmo account<\/a>. And I’ve launched a Substack, Sheila Variations 2.0<\/a>, if you’d like to subscribe.<\/em> <\/small><\/p>\n