loaded question: what does film criticism mean to you in 2022?
flickfilosopher.substack.com
The death of movies has been announced many times before, as has the death of movie critics. But it’s plain that everything about film (as with so much else in our society) has been going through an enormous paradigm shift in recent years... and not just because of the pandemic we’re all enduring. Indeed, the pandemic likely only accelerated changes that were already in motion. Ever cheaper and more readily accessible technology, including the internet, has been lowing the barriers to both making films and distributing them since the beginning of the new millennium, but the stay-at-home orders of the past two years pushed new releases, and hence audiences, to move to streaming with a speed that likely wouldn’t have happened sans deadly airborne virus.
The internet opened the floodgates of criticism, too, of course, which means there are more film critics than ever, but also easy ways for ordinary movie watchers to register their opinions, such as via comments or likes on streaming services. We are awash with opinions about film.
What does film criticism mean to you in 2022? What are you looking for in film criticism now... and are you finding it? Has any of this changed since the pandemic? Since the rise of Netflix, Prime, etc? Do critics matter as much when crowdsourced algorithms can direct you to films... or are critics even more important resources for navigating the overwhelming number of new releases we are being bombarded with? But how can that work when critics are overwhelmed by all the new movies, too?
I’m very curious to get as much feedback from readers here as possible, because — in my 25th year at this racket — I am struggling to find a footing, struggling to figure out where to go from here. Do you want more reviews of big films, or more reviews of smaller films you might not hear about otherwise? Long, in-depth reviews, or short capsules? Do you find my Weekend Watchlist streaming guides useful in deciding what to stream? Would you like thematic roundups of films, or more coverage of classic movies? (Honestly, I suspect the answer is going to be “Yes, please, all of the above,” and I am going to try to do all of these.) Something else entirely?
I guess it all boils down to this: Do critics still matter, and if so, in what ways?
loaded question: what does film criticism mean to you in 2022?
loaded question: what does film criticism mean to you in 2022?
loaded question: what does film criticism mean to you in 2022?
The death of movies has been announced many times before, as has the death of movie critics. But it’s plain that everything about film (as with so much else in our society) has been going through an enormous paradigm shift in recent years... and not just because of the pandemic we’re all enduring. Indeed, the pandemic likely only accelerated changes that were already in motion. Ever cheaper and more readily accessible technology, including the internet, has been lowing the barriers to both making films and distributing them since the beginning of the new millennium, but the stay-at-home orders of the past two years pushed new releases, and hence audiences, to move to streaming with a speed that likely wouldn’t have happened sans deadly airborne virus.
The internet opened the floodgates of criticism, too, of course, which means there are more film critics than ever, but also easy ways for ordinary movie watchers to register their opinions, such as via comments or likes on streaming services. We are awash with opinions about film.
What does film criticism mean to you in 2022? What are you looking for in film criticism now... and are you finding it? Has any of this changed since the pandemic? Since the rise of Netflix, Prime, etc? Do critics matter as much when crowdsourced algorithms can direct you to films... or are critics even more important resources for navigating the overwhelming number of new releases we are being bombarded with? But how can that work when critics are overwhelmed by all the new movies, too?
I’m very curious to get as much feedback from readers here as possible, because — in my 25th year at this racket — I am struggling to find a footing, struggling to figure out where to go from here. Do you want more reviews of big films, or more reviews of smaller films you might not hear about otherwise? Long, in-depth reviews, or short capsules? Do you find my Weekend Watchlist streaming guides useful in deciding what to stream? Would you like thematic roundups of films, or more coverage of classic movies? (Honestly, I suspect the answer is going to be “Yes, please, all of the above,” and I am going to try to do all of these.) Something else entirely?
I guess it all boils down to this: Do critics still matter, and if so, in what ways?
(You can also discuss this at FlickFilosopher.com, if you prefer.)