Star Trek Into Darkness
Less a classic "Star Trek" adventure than a Star Trek-flavored action flick, shot in the frenzied, handheld, cut-cut-cut style that’s become Hollywood’s norm, director J.J.…
Roger Ebert on the critics of criticism
"It is not enough to like a film. One must like it for the right reasons." -- Pierre Rissient
This is entirely coincidental, so consider it a fortuitous double-bill. Just as I posted the item below ("The sins of the critic"), Roger Ebert posted a blog essay on the subject: "'Critic' is a four-letter word." Here's a taste:
Too many simply absorb. They are depositories for input. They can hardly be expected to be critical of their own tastes, can they? Of course they can. It is not enough simply to be a "Cubs fan," although I confess I am one. It is necessary to feel the philosophy, the history, and even the poetry about the activity called "baseball." It is helpful to step outside a little, and see that sports teams are surrogates for our own desires to conquer, and expressions of our xenophobia. For some, they are even the best way ever invented to drink beer outdoors. If you are only a Cubs fan, you are a willing automaton in a business venture. Join me in being a Cubs fan, but know why you do it. What is my most fundamental reason? I am a fan because they are always the underdogs. That may be why I bought a Studebaker 30 years after the company went out of business.
Read the entire piece here.
Next Article: The sins of the critics Previous Article: "Just look at how far we've come..."
Popular Blog Posts
#168 May 22, 2013
Marie writes: Now this is really neat. It made TIME's top 25 best blogs for 2012 and with good reason. Behold arti...
Cannes: Yacht parties, Faulkner, and cannibal families
If you go to a yacht party, don't expect to be living out your own version of "The Talented Mr. Ripley."
Postcards from Chaz to Roger
When Chaz has gone to Cannes without Roger in the past, she has written about the festival n the form of letters and ...
Love & Money with James Toback
James Toback discusses his new documentary, "Seduced and Abandoned," which traces the life of a failed movie project....