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Do Movie Critics Matter?
Sunday July 6, 2008
Categories: Commentary, Understanding Media and Pop Culture
Filed Under: critic
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Movie Mom's full archives of more than 1,400 reviews (including her 200 best films for families) and 400 blog posts is now on Beliefnet for searching.
Movie Mom is a registered trademark of Nell Minow.
Copyright 1995-2009 Nell Minow. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright 1995-2009 Nell Minow. All Rights Reserved.
I don't think the business is going away, but I would think from some of the critics now retiring or taking buy out packages (Stephen Hunter, Desson Thompson, etc.), age may be catching up to them. It is nice to see newer critics out there, some people have their own methods of rating movies. Personally, I like the full price, matinee, or rental scale. Matinee can get taken one step further, at least with AMC, since they offer $6 showings Fri/Sat/Sun mornings, which when multiplied by 2 or more people plus food/drink, can save a lot of money. What does bother me is when critics don't put some type of grade (Yes, Washington Post, I am talking to you) because I wouldn't want to read the entire review to potentially be spoiled (trailers do a good enough job of that).
13 years posting online, that is a long time.
We are all critics. Our credibility is based on how accurately our reviews match people's experience of films. So published critics are measured by the same standard. We have a local critic who openly admits they do not like kids films - yet the editor keeps expecting this critic t review them. So I dismiss or simply ignore that critics reviews of kids films. However, the critic is good with "art house" films. So I read those reviews.
I respect Nell's reviews because she is fairly forthright about her orientation and expectations. With that context, her reviews are very appropriate.
There was one reviewer who was chastised for liking everything. He did this so his name - and his paper's name - got in every movie ad. But his credibility was zip. So now he does other critiques - and I dismiss and ignore him as much now as I did then.
One can presume that people who read a movie critic's blog are going to vote in favor of critics! Specifically, Nell's readers are those who seek specific information about what films are appropriate or inappropriate for children, and why. I also enjoy her insights about conversations to have with my kids about the movies.
For sheer reading pleasure, though, there's nothing like a scathing review where the writer dipped his or her pen in vitriol! Even though I don't watch television I often read Tom Shales' column in the Washington Post, for this reason.
P.S. Nell, we did finally watch "National Velvet" and the cranky 13-year-old grudgingly admitted that it was a good movie.
I never met a link I didn't like...
Have you read Crunchy Con's (Ron Dreher) thread on Wall-e & Aristotle? His is an interesting commentary on the film - the kind of thoughtful critique that makes me want to see the film. This is the sort of commentary - whether i agree with him or not - that will ensure some sort of film commentary ("criticism" seems to ornery and negative and "review seems like a book report) will continue for a long while.
If I already think (from the previews) that a movie is going to be dreck, then the critics can influence me not to see it. Otherwise, I prefer reading the critics after I've seen a film, not before. I think I may be a critic at heart myself, so I love reading criticism. At best, I think, critics are teachers who communicate their love of a medium to others.
Thanks, jestrfyl -- I did read it and my response will be up later this week.
I think the rules - and future - of film critics is still playing out across the country. The Internet is changing everything, but I don't think we know exactly how. But, thankfully, there's still a hunger out there for criticism, and the web makes gaining access to it easier every day.
Good points made about 'trusting' critics. It's crucial to form a bond with a particular critic. Some make you mad, others are more funny than accurate, but a trustworthy critic is (I hope) priceless.
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