Critic

 

 

 

There’s been much chatter recently across the movie message boards and blogs about the decline or death of film criticism as we know it. The firings/lay-offs of movie critics at such esteemed print publications as The Village Voice, Newsday, and Newsweek in the last few months have sent waves of panic through the online and offline world. Cutbacks and consolidation are an accepted evil at today’s corporate owned media giants. Why pay a full-time salary and benefits to a critic when reviews can be siphoned out to any number of capable freelancers? That’s the corporate mentality, right or wrong. I personally think it’s disgusting, but my day job is in television news so I’ve witnessed this practice first-hand. It’s only going to get worse.

What does all this mean to movie bloggers like myself? Since I started this site a couple months back and have only tens of readers to satisfy, it means little. I would love to make heaps of money doing this but I’m under no illusions that I’ll ever earn a dime. I do this because I love writing about great films. I studied film theory in college and have been writing reviews for over ten years. My total earnings during this time wouldn’t be enough to purchase a plasma television, mostly because I didn’t pursue publication. However, when I did accept freelance work the best I could hope for was $50 a review. I applied to newspapers and magazines to be a critic but most didn’t employ full-time staff reviewers. Even back in 1995, they preferred to use freelancers and syndicates.

The truth is film criticism has never been a reasonable profession to pursue. The average person doesn’t read reviews, and they certainly don’t care about mis-en-scene or narrative deconstruction. With the exception of King Ebert and a select few, the layman wouldn’t recognize a film critic from a grocery butcher. Most people see movies they want to see. Bad reviews for the upcoming Iron Man won’t dissuade droves from lining up at the nearest multiplex. But I digress — I’m missing my own point.

Critics are necessary because they are only ones capable of championing smaller films into the overcrowded mainstream. Last year’s No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood are two prime examples. The former grossed $156,000,000 worldwide, the latter hauled in $75,000,000. Neither of these films had a fraction of the marketing budget of a Spiderman or Harry Potter. It was the dogged, perceptive praise of film critics that pushed these movies to box-office and Oscar success.

Lesser-known films need critics to help shepherd them out of obscurity. That’s why I started this blog. Too many great movies that go unnoticed deserve a larger audience. Of course, I’m not alone here; numerous other blogs/sites have been doing this much longer than me. They share my passion for undiscovered cinema and labor daily to get their message to the masses. It’s far from easy, and the competition for readers is fierce. My hope is to continue to reach new readers craving to discover the kind of films I enjoy. Would I love to do this for a living? Hell, yes! But I realize those chances are remote. Until then I’ll do what countless others do everyday. Trudge to my banal 9 to 5 job and dream of doing the one thing that will make me happy. See you in the next reel.

The Movie Loner