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I’m really trying not to overreact to Kevin Smith’s tirade against film critics (not to mention the cancellation of At the Movies), because I’m getting tired, frankly, of hearing myself complain and moan about the death of film criticism, and I’m trying to be positive and optimistic and stay focused on figuring out how to … more…
The other day, Kevin Smith let loose on his Twitter feed about how much he hates the “nasty bloodsport” and “AnimalFarm bullshit” of film criticism in the age of the Internet. All because most of my fellow critics hated Cop Out with a passion. In my case, it’s the kind of passion reserved for those … more…
Take a break from work: watch a trailer… Rich white boy angst! I mean, the Ben Stiller character has gotta be rich if he can afford to do nothing for a while, right? What a luxury! So far, the most interesting this about this movie is the kerfluffle over New York Press critic Armond White, … more…
…when I’m asked by a publicist to hold my review of a film till opening day, and I agree to do so, and then I see that lots of other critics have already posted their reviews. Look for my review of Green Zone at 12:01am on Friday.
I’ve been feeling very, very depressed lately about the prospects of ever making anything like a reasonable living at this film criticism game. And this shocking news did not help: On Monday, Variety, the legendary Hollywood trade publication, laid off its chief film critic, Todd McCarthy. Editor Tim Gray, in a memo to Variety staffers, … more…
Thomas Doherty in The Chronicle of Higher Education Review is lamenting how “serious writers on film feel under siege, underappreciated, and underemployed”… which is something I not only sympathize with, I live it. It’s unbelievably disheartening to be looking for work — as I’ve been — and find only ads for “voluntary” jobs, or ones … more…
Tom Charity, in his review of Valentine’s Day at CNN.com, makes the comparison that everyone is making: it’s an American version of Love Actually. It’s a totally fair criticism, but the way he does it is stupid, lazy, and just plain unfactual: The reality is forgettable, something like a Robert Altman movie without the calories, … more…
Film critic Paul Fischer, a regular contributor to Dark Horizons and Moviehole, has been caught lifting material for his reviews from the Sundance Film Festival directly from the festival guide book, by Chris Parry at the Vancouver Sun: [A]fter Fischer published a series of reviews from the Sundance Film Festival, indie filmmakers began grumbling about … more…
Recently the members of the Online Film Critics Society pondered this question, which was suggested by OFCS member Susan Granger: “Will Mel Gibson’s overt and confessed anti-Semitism affect your review of his upcoming film, Edge of Darkness? Does the fact that the film contains no Jewish themes affect your answer? Ultimately, can a critic can … more…
Item: Vatican Radio has trashed Avatar for its “wink towards the pseudo-doctrines which have made ecology the religion of the millennium” (via the Telegraph). Item: L’Osservatore, the Vatican newspaper, complains that Avatar “gets bogged down by a spiritualism linked to the worship of nature” (via the Associated Press). This is funny because: In 2008, the … more…
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