"Standing in the shadows at the end of my bed."

[greygirlbeast]

I have always had a difficult time with book and film critics. With the fundamental concept. On the one hand, there are reviewers whom I greatly admire. On the other, the idea that the objective worth for any given movie or novel can be determined by any single person, or groups of people, is, quite obviously, absurd. Any such determinations can

Comments

[shanejayell]

I think the NRA are totally disconnected from reality at this point. Which is scary, considering how well armed they are...

[greygirlbeast]

Yup.

[grandmofhelsing]

"...the plebeian voice at a small-town newspaper..."

Plebeian!?

[greygirlbeast]

Yes. By and large, though not exclusively.

[martianmooncrab]

when I used to go to the movies weekly, I would always read the reviews and avoid the highly rated movies and go for the ones that werent, because reviewers dont know squat. We used to get Joe Bob Briggs reviews until the paper dropped them so many years back, but I loved his take on films.

[greygirlbeast]

But see, allowing the critics to influence you not to see a film, reacting consistently negative, on an a priori assumption that critics are always wrong - that's still making the same mistake.

[martianmooncrab]

I look what they rave about, and its normally things I dont care to see in a movie.

If you cant see the zipper on the monster, they didnt do a good job.

[greygirlbeast]

If you cant see the zipper on the monster, they didnt do a good job.

I assume you mean this metaphorically.

[joshrupp]

I think artists are generally antsy around critics, since there's always the potential of attack to their livelihood. I think, though, that there's a difference between a critic and a reviewer. A good critique is often a literary work in itself - take Dorothy Parker or Virginia Woolf, both of whom heavily knocked some of the most popular works of the modern age. I don't think that put them outside of the arts, just outside of the artist.

[greygirlbeast]

A good critique is often a literary work in itself - take Dorothy Parker or Virginia Woolf, both of whom heavily knocked some of the most popular works of the modern age.

And very often, they were horribly wrongheaded. Despite both being brilliant.

[greygirlbeast]

And I should add: Parker didn't write critiques, She wrote gleefully vicious diatribes.

[greygirlbeast]

I always treated reviews for what they're worth, which is giving me a little of an idea of what the film/book might be about

Movie trailers do this. Usually too well, giving away far too much.

because they believe there will be an outright ban on all gun ownership and their toys will be taken away from them.

Yup.