Good Old Boys

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Panelists at yesterday's American Pavillion discussion about the dismissing, elbowing-aside and evolving dinosaur-ization of venerated dead-tree film critics (l. to r.): The Envelope's Pete Hammond, Hollywood Reporter critic Kirk Honeycutt, Time's Richard Schickel. (Coverage of this discussion will post later today.)

L.A. TImes critic Kenneth Turan (l.); Guardian critic Derek Malcom (r.). Christian Science Monitor critic Peter Rainer also took part in the discussion via Skype video linkup.

Thursday, 5.22, 9:15 am

comment #1

Le Samorai says ...

Old white guys complaining that the world has passed them by. Boo hoo. Nobody cares. They have to adapt to the changing world or get over it. They are not owed a living, especially a living critiquing films.

comment #2

arturobandini says ...

Does schaudenfraude get any more myopic? Critics, good ones at least, spend a good chunk of their careers as champions of underdog filmmaking. When they're all out of jobs, what kinds of movies do you think you'll be seeing?

Back in the '70s, everyone read and discussed film criticism -- and look at the quality of those films! The anti-intellectual malignancy that spread throughout the U.S. afterwards has resulted in suckier movies, braindead pop culture and two terms of an idiot manchild steering the country (if not the world) into oblivion. For a movie buff to cheerlead the death of thoughtful film criticism is a depressing sign; it's like working class voters celebrating Al Gore's loss in 2000.

And no, I'm not a movie critic. But I love them for filtering out the really atrocious stuff. And if not for Glenn Kenny, I might have missed four of the happiest hours this decade had to offer -- DEMONLOVER and MORVERN CALLAR.

comment #3

Le Samorai says ...

I am not doubting their taste, talent or love of cinema, but whenever I read about them bitching and moaning about critics losing their jobs I think of all the OTHER people who lose jobs and don't have the opportunity to cry about how unfair it is. I read film criticism all the time (not a critic-- on line or otherwise-- myself) and I vaule their input, but they can't forget they are held to the same supply and demand rules the rest of us are.

comment #4

nemo says ...

I was in a seminar on the history of American film comedy taught by Richard Schickel when I was in college 30 years ago. He seemed like a grouchy old man smarting from his latest divorce even back then.

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