Public vs. critics - the great debate continues
In box-office terms, "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" is the biggest movie of 2006, and seems likely to stay that way.
Among critics, "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" was a disappointment to many. It scored a 53 percent on the Web clearinghouse Rotten Tomatoes, which is below the 60 percent threshold for a "fresh" (or positive) rating.
So, once again, the critics are out of touch with mainstream America, right?
No. That line is a crock and always has been. Movie critics, most of them anyway, come from mainstream America, and tend to be as diverse as their audiences. The only difference is that critics are all employed, at least for the moment.
A.O. Scott, in a commentary in today's New York Times, points out that the "out of touch" criticisms "would stick only if the job of the critic were to reflect, predict or influence the public taste. [...] That, however, is the job of the Hollywood studios, in particular of their marketing and publicity departments, and it is the professional duty of critics to be out of touch with — to be independent of — their concerns."
I don't and can't review movies to see whether everyone will like them. I review them to see whether I like them - and you, the reader, compare your tastes with mine and make your moviegoing decisions accordingly. If you usually agree with me, you go see a movie I recommend. If you usually don't agree with me, you go see a movie I told you to avoid. Either way, you get useful information from the exchange.
Do filmmakers care about critics and our opinions? They usually say no, but two recent items show that they do.
One is this funny interview, by the Chicago Tribune's Mark Caro, with "Clerks II" director Kevin Smith. Smith reportedly reads everything written about his movies, and even e-mails back to critics.
The other was evident when I saw "Lady in the Water," M. Night Shyamalan's new fantasy thriller. I won't get into my review of the film (that's coming Friday), but I will note that the only truly dislikeable character in the entire film is an arrogant, self-important, morose, know-it-all movie critic (played by Bob Balaban). You don't need to be Freud to figure out what was on Shyamalan's mind when he wrote that character.
Among critics, "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" was a disappointment to many. It scored a 53 percent on the Web clearinghouse Rotten Tomatoes, which is below the 60 percent threshold for a "fresh" (or positive) rating.
So, once again, the critics are out of touch with mainstream America, right?
No. That line is a crock and always has been. Movie critics, most of them anyway, come from mainstream America, and tend to be as diverse as their audiences. The only difference is that critics are all employed, at least for the moment.
A.O. Scott, in a commentary in today's New York Times, points out that the "out of touch" criticisms "would stick only if the job of the critic were to reflect, predict or influence the public taste. [...] That, however, is the job of the Hollywood studios, in particular of their marketing and publicity departments, and it is the professional duty of critics to be out of touch with — to be independent of — their concerns."
I don't and can't review movies to see whether everyone will like them. I review them to see whether I like them - and you, the reader, compare your tastes with mine and make your moviegoing decisions accordingly. If you usually agree with me, you go see a movie I recommend. If you usually don't agree with me, you go see a movie I told you to avoid. Either way, you get useful information from the exchange.
Do filmmakers care about critics and our opinions? They usually say no, but two recent items show that they do.
One is this funny interview, by the Chicago Tribune's Mark Caro, with "Clerks II" director Kevin Smith. Smith reportedly reads everything written about his movies, and even e-mails back to critics.
The other was evident when I saw "Lady in the Water," M. Night Shyamalan's new fantasy thriller. I won't get into my review of the film (that's coming Friday), but I will note that the only truly dislikeable character in the entire film is an arrogant, self-important, morose, know-it-all movie critic (played by Bob Balaban). You don't need to be Freud to figure out what was on Shyamalan's mind when he wrote that character.
10:35 AM
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