Critics

[Caribbean Captain]

I'm not sure if this is the right forum, but what are everyone's favorite critics? My reading recently has gotten rather stale and I'm looking for some good ones to follow.

[Tyler Smith]

A few of my favorites are:

Roger Ebert
Mick LaSalle
Nathan Rabin
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Stephanie Zacharek

There are others, but I can't quite recall them right now.

[cucumberboy]

Roger Ebert lost a lot of the respect I had for him when he started writing entire articles on how video games can never be art even though he's never played a single one. No matter how well he can express himself he will still seem like somewhat of a cultural bigot to me. Also, he thought the Star Wars prequels were good.

[Tyler Smith]

I used to agree with him about video games not being art up until he changed his argument to something much more simplistic and condescending.
My opinion in general is starting to change, though.
As David and I have discussed on the show, our view is that art is about an artist (or artists) expressing their interpretation of the world. The audience shouldn't have a say in the matter, otherwise it's just as much about the audience's interpretation as the artist's. As such, the interactivity of video games dilutes the purity of the artist's vision and message. My view was that the only way a video game could approach the traditional definition of art was if the game forced the audience to make a choice within the game that they didn't want to make. Of course, the ability to save, go back, and try it another way is a sort of cheat.
A lot of recent games seem committed to doing this. "Batman: Arkham Asylum," for instance, does such a thorough job of creating an atmosphere and forcing the audience into Batman's shoes- using the interactivity to create in us a paranoia and dread that is almost suffocating- that it is more emotionally and intellectually engaging than the majority of movies released. Truly, it is an artist's vision, in which he allows us to come in and look around, while always reminding us that we aren't really welcome.
Ebert is getting old; that goes without saying. He's had some experiences in the last few years that, in some ways, have given him a more sunny outlook on life and, in others, much dimmer. His poorly-written outright rejection of Kick-Ass (a film I haven't seen and hasn't gotten universally good reviews elsewhere) and his trumpeting of every single thing about Avatar speaks to his rapidly-disappearing literary nuances.
It is sad and a little frustrating. But, lest we get too condescending about him, we should try to take the time to realize that we're not where he is yet. Perhaps in about forty years, I'll be exactly the same way.

[Tyler Smith]

And, of course, just when my frustration with Ebert is at its peak, he cranks out a review like the one for The Human Centipede and reminds me why I love him.

rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100505/REVIEWS/100509982

[dancarin]

Who the fuck does Armond White think he is? My friend's pet squirrel knows more about film than him.

[Caribbean Captain]

blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2010/07/okay_kids_play_on_my_lawn.html

Apparently Ebert has admitted that he shouldn't comment on a medium he's never experienced. Its a long way from a mea culpa, but its something.

[cucumberboy]

Ugh.

"My error in the first place was to think I could make a convincing argument on purely theoretical grounds."

No, Ebert - your error in the first place was to think you had any say in the matter when all you had was theoretical wish-wash. Sorry, dude.

[johnnyunusual]

Despite my disagreement with him, Ebert is probably my favourite critic. To change the subject a little, does anyone here now any artists who might make good (or even better) critics? I like Kevin Murphy from MST3k but after reading "A Year at the Movies" I want him to be a critic. When he is passionate about a film in that book, he makes a great critic. I've heard people say the same thing of Kevin Smith.

Oh, and about Armond White:
www.cracked.com/blog/a-review-of-armond-whites-review-of-toy-story-3/

"Watch movies better"
"Watch better movies" will now be my personal mantra.

[Dr Handsome]

Quentin Tarantino is (pardon me for being one enormous white middle class cliche) one of my biggest influences and not only because I think he's got a great style but because he does such a fantastic job of articulating his love for film. It's really hard not to listen to him and get creatively excited.