Critics
Discussion this morning on the CBC's The Current about the (apparently) declining influence of critics, particularly on film and television.
I still pay a fair bit of attention to critics as regards film (I watch very little TV). Can't say I'm systematic about it, but I tend to read enough that by the time I'm up for deciding whether I really want to go to the cinema and plunk down my cash, I've digested several opinions. And it does, very much, make a difference to me at that stage of the game (rentals, not so much, but I get a lot more experimental renting a DVD, since it's a bit less trouble and expense, usually, and turning it off is also less complicated). Spiked watching both Alexander and Lucas' latest on the strength of pans (in the former case) and less-than-convincing positive press (in the latter).
I do find critics very uneven, and find I read them with a high level of suspicion. I rather like some of Kevin Smith's films, but his actually very positive review of the Lucas thing, I'm afraid, cut no mustard with me; he sounded, to me, like he'd been impressed by things that weren't particularly impressive (I mean oh, wow, it's dark. Great. Mebbe I'll just sit in a room with the lights off, for a while. Less trouble, and probably a lot less insulting to my intelligence).
They talked a bit about blogs, informal reviewers, et al. Call me a snob (it ain't like it'd be real original), but honestly (disregarding, for a moment how deliciously appropriate it is that I'm saying this in this particular venue), I find much of what I find on the web pretty hard to take real seriously. I could dine at the Café Henry Burger on the proceeds if someone gave me a dime for every really quite beside-the-point bit of drivel that somehow makes it to the top of the IMDB user comments. I'm thinking, as I write this, of the yutz who nattered that Easy (mentioned a few posts back) was too 'politically correct' for his tastes 'cos gosh, some of the love interests weren't actually white. Yep. Gotta worry 'bout you, chum, that you even particularly noticed, let alone cared. And it's so very relevant to the piece's artistic qualities, in any case (note: use the phrase 'politically correct', and I generally tune you out anyway, right then, but I've ranted elsewhere and at length about that already, so I'll leave it for now). And there are worse examples on the board, I'm afraid.
Anyway. To any critics out there, worrying about your apparently diminished relevance, you've still got one reader, anyway. Make your opinions make sense to me, and you've got my ear.
I still pay a fair bit of attention to critics as regards film (I watch very little TV). Can't say I'm systematic about it, but I tend to read enough that by the time I'm up for deciding whether I really want to go to the cinema and plunk down my cash, I've digested several opinions. And it does, very much, make a difference to me at that stage of the game (rentals, not so much, but I get a lot more experimental renting a DVD, since it's a bit less trouble and expense, usually, and turning it off is also less complicated). Spiked watching both Alexander and Lucas' latest on the strength of pans (in the former case) and less-than-convincing positive press (in the latter).
I do find critics very uneven, and find I read them with a high level of suspicion. I rather like some of Kevin Smith's films, but his actually very positive review of the Lucas thing, I'm afraid, cut no mustard with me; he sounded, to me, like he'd been impressed by things that weren't particularly impressive (I mean oh, wow, it's dark. Great. Mebbe I'll just sit in a room with the lights off, for a while. Less trouble, and probably a lot less insulting to my intelligence).
They talked a bit about blogs, informal reviewers, et al. Call me a snob (it ain't like it'd be real original), but honestly (disregarding, for a moment how deliciously appropriate it is that I'm saying this in this particular venue), I find much of what I find on the web pretty hard to take real seriously. I could dine at the Café Henry Burger on the proceeds if someone gave me a dime for every really quite beside-the-point bit of drivel that somehow makes it to the top of the IMDB user comments. I'm thinking, as I write this, of the yutz who nattered that Easy (mentioned a few posts back) was too 'politically correct' for his tastes 'cos gosh, some of the love interests weren't actually white. Yep. Gotta worry 'bout you, chum, that you even particularly noticed, let alone cared. And it's so very relevant to the piece's artistic qualities, in any case (note: use the phrase 'politically correct', and I generally tune you out anyway, right then, but I've ranted elsewhere and at length about that already, so I'll leave it for now). And there are worse examples on the board, I'm afraid.
Anyway. To any critics out there, worrying about your apparently diminished relevance, you've still got one reader, anyway. Make your opinions make sense to me, and you've got my ear.
posted by AJM at 9:32 a.m. (Permanent Link)
