Article: Movie Critics have Lost Credibility

[InformationGeek]

The article is almost a year old, but it sure still gets me.  What are your thoughts on this particular article?

http://www.wickedlocal.com/swampscott/news/lifestyle/columnists/x124609719/DAN-KLINE-COLUMN-Movie-critics-have-lost-all-credibility

[WingedSerpent]

Boy, he sounded bitter in some places.

I've kind of wondered somethings about film critics.  First off, I'm assuming many have seen a lot of art films, maybe som film schooling themselves.  Does this prevent them from enjoying a normal film that the general populace is going to see?

And how do they feel when a film they loved-bombs at the theaters, while panned films become major blockbuster sellers.

[Flick James]

Many critics are failed filmers, so they are bitter by nature.

[The Burgomaster]

I pay attention to critics to a certain extent.  But overall if I REALLY want to see a movie I'll see it regardless of what any critic says.  I pay more attention to the general opinions of several critics than the opinions of just one or two critics.  So, if 8 major critics pan a movie and only 1 gives it a good review, I'll assume the movie isn't great.  But I might see it anyway depending on who directed it, who wrote it, who the stars are, what the subject matter is, etc.  To me, it doesn't really matter what the critics' credentials are.  A critic could have a master's degree in film and have worked in the industry for 20 years, but that doesn't mean his opinion of a movie is always correct (or better than anyone else's opinion).  One interesting note:  years ago when Siskel and Ebert had their SNEAK PREVIEWS show (and the similar shows that followed) I think I agreed with Ebert's opinions much more than I agreed with Siskel's.  I'm not sure what that means, but there it is.

[rebel_1812]

Most of his points apply to the media in general.  They praise and pander to the establishment and don't question things for fear of being disliked by the powers that be. 

[Jim H]

The guy who wrote that makes some valid points, particularly in the way many film reviews are written by critics.  But his hatred of Pixar films is poorly supported (his only real criticism: the film's plot doesn't have enough going on) in his editorial, meaning he's doing exactly the same thing he accuses film critics of doing - describing something, then reviewing it without using proper support.