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Information about Film Criticism

Film review redirects here, for the similar sounding Film revue, please visit Revue#Film revues.


Film criticism is the analysis and evaluation of films, individually and collectively. In general, this can be divided into journalistic criticism that appears regularly in newspapers and other popular, mass-media outlets and academic criticism by film scholars that is informed by film theory and published in journals.

Journalistic criticism

Film critics working for newspapers, magazines, broadcast media, and online publications, mainly review new releases. Normally they only see any given film once and have only a day or two to formulate opinions. Despite this, critics have an important impact on films, especially those of certain genres. The popularity of mass-marketed action, horror, and comedy films tend not to be greatly affected by a critic's overall judgment of a film. The plot summary and description of a film that makes up the majority of any film review can have an important impact on whether people decide to see a film. For prestige films with a limited release, such as independent dramas, the influence of reviews is extremely important. Poor reviews will often doom a film to obscurity and financial loss.

Reviews and film marketing

The impact of reviews on a film's box office performance and DVD rentals/sales is a matter of debate. Some claim movie marketing is now so intense and well financed that reviewers cannot make an impact against it. However, the failure of some heavily-promoted movies (such as Alexander) that were harshly reviewed, as well as the unexpected success of critically praised independent movies (such as Pulp Fiction) indicates that extreme critical reactions can have considerable influence. Others note positive film reviews have been shown to spark interest in little-known films. Major box-office analysis websites like Box Office Prophets and Box Office Guru regularly factor in general film review opinions in their projections of a film's earnings.

Studios respect the clout of reviewers. There have been several films in which film companies have so little confidence that they refuse to give reviewers an advanced viewing to avoid widespread panning of the film (such as The Avengers). However, this usually backfires as reviewers are wise to the tactic and warn the public that the film may not be worth seeing. Such films often do poorly as a result.

Since so much money is riding on positive reviews, studios often work to woo film critics. Any major release is accompanied by mailings to film critics press kits containing background information, many photos for use in a publication, and often small gifts. Film reviewers who appear on television are given clips from the movie which they may use.

"Quote whoring"

Almost all films, no matter how badly panned, can find some reviewers to praise them in the ads for the movies. Often used are stock phrases: "spectacular," "edge-of-the-seat," "thrilling," "joy ride," "triumph," "tour de force."

These reviews are sometimes obtained by the studio offering to fly a group of critics from cities across the United States to either New York or Los Angeles. Added to this "free vacation" are often elaborate gifts. After the screening the studios ask the critics to write a small review, often only a few sentences. From these reviews they draw advertising blurbs.

One reviewer who was widely labeled a quote whore was David Manning, whose quotes often appeared on promotional posters for Columbia Pictures. In early June 2001, the company admitted that Manning was an entirely fictional creation of their marketing department. In 2005, the studio reached a $1.5 million settlement and agreed to refund the ticket price for viewers who attended certain movies, including A Knight's Tale and Hollow Man.

In the United Kingdom this same accusation was levelled at the News of the World critic, Paul Ross, whose quotes frequently appeared on film posters. The magazine Total Film in 2003 published a list of a number of films released that year which Ross had called 'excellent' or 'the best' in their genres, and pointed out that he often appeared to contradict himself in order to get his review quoted. Unlike Manning, however, Ross is a real journalist, and the brother of Jonathan Ross, also a film critic.

Online film reviews

Some websites, such as Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic, seek to improve the usefulness of film reviews by compiling them and assigning a score to each in order to gauge the general reception a film receives. The Online Film Critics Society, an international professional association of Internet-based cinema reviewers, consists of writers from all over the world.

A number of websites allow internet users to submit movie reviews and scores to allow a broad consensus review of a movie. Some websites specialize in narrow aspects of film reviewing. For instance, there are sites that focus on specific content advisories for parents to judge a film's suitability for children (e.g. Screen it!). Others focus on a religious perspective (e.g. CAP Alert). Still others highlight more esoteric subjects such as the depiction of science in fiction films. One such example is Insultingly Stupid Movie Physics by Intuitor. One website, Everyone's a Critic, allows anyone to publish film reviews and comment on them.

Academic criticism

Some claim that journalist film critics should only be known as film reviewers, and that true film critics are those who take an academic approach to films. This work is more often known as film theory or film studies. These film critics try to come to understand why film works, how it works, what it means, and what effects it has on people. Rather than write for mass-market publications their articles are published in scholarly journals, or sometimes in up-market magazines. They also tend to be affiliated with universities.

Film Critics

Notable journalistic critics

Notable academic critics

See also

Further reading

  • Jonathan Rosenbaum, Movie Wars: How Hollywood and the Media Conspire to Limit What Films We Can See, A Cappella Books 2000
  • Slavoj Žižek, The Žižek Reader (edited by Elizabeth Wright and Edmond Wright), Blackwell Publishing 1999
  • Maya Deren, Essential Deren: Collected Writings on Film by Maya Deren (edited by Bruce R. McPherson), Documentext 2005
  • Raúl Ruiz, Poetics of Cinema (translated by Brian Holmes) Dis Voir 2005
  • Raymond J. Haberski, Jr., It's Only A Movie!: Film and Critics in American Culture, University Press of Kentucky, 2001
  • Robin Wood, Personal Views: Explorations in Film (Revised Edition), Wayne State University Press, 2006

External links

Film is a term that encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or special effects.
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Topics in journalism
Professional issues
Ethics & objectivity
Sources & attribution
News & news values
Reporting & writing
Fourth estate • Libel law
Education & books
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Advocacy journalism
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Film theory debates the essence of the cinema and provides conceptual frameworks for understanding film's relationship to reality, the other arts, individual viewers, and society at large.
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Topics in journalism
Professional issues
Ethics & objectivity
Sources & attribution
News & news values
Reporting & writing
Fourth estate • Libel law
Education & books
Other topics

Fields
Advocacy journalism
..... Click the link for more information.
Topics in journalism
Professional issues
Ethics & objectivity
Sources & attribution
News & news values
Reporting & writing
Fourth estate • Libel law
Education & books
Other topics

Fields
Advocacy journalism
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Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and/or video signals which transmit programs to an audience. The audience may be the general public or a relatively large sub-audience, such as children or young adults.
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In film theory, genre refers to the primary method of film categorization. A "genre" generally refers to films that share similarities in the narrative elements from which they are constructed.
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Action films are a film genre where action sequences, such as fighting, stunts, car chases or explosions, take precedence over elements like characterization or complex plotting.
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Comedy film is genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humor. It is one of the oldest genres in film, as some of the very first silent movies were comedies. Comedy, unlike other film genres, puts much more focus on individual stars, with many former stand-up comics
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A drama film is a film that depends mostly on in-depth character development, interaction, and highly emotional themes. In a good drama film, the audience is able to experience what other characters are feeling and identify with someone.
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box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to a venue. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through an unblocked hole through a wall, or at a wicket.
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Movie Junket - a by-invitation event where members of the media see an exclusive preview of a film, and meet with and interview its stars and other key personnel. The invitation-only nature of the event carries with it the implication that a positive review is expected.
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Alexander is a 2004 epic motion picture film, based on the life of Alexander the Great. The film was directed by Oliver Stone. According to Stone, the theatrical release is based on facts and historical events.
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The Avengers is a 1998 film based on the British cult television series of the same name from the 1960s. The film was directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik.
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A press kit, often referred to as a media kit in business environments, is a pre-packaged set of promotional materials of a person, company, or organization distributed to members of the media for promotional use.
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State of New York

Flag of New York Seal
Nickname(s): The Empire State
Motto(s): Excelsior!

Official language(s) None

Capital Albany
Largest city New York City

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City of Los Angeles

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Nickname: The City of Angels, L.A.
Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California
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"David Manning" was a fictitious film critic, created by a marketing executive working for Sony Corporation around July 2000 to give consistently good reviews for releases from Sony subsidiary Columbia Pictures.
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Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is a film and television production company. It is part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, which is owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the multinational conglomerate Sony.
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Marketing is a social process which satisfies consumers' wants. The term includes advertising, distribution and selling of a product or service. It is also concerned with anticipating the customers' future needs and wants, often through market research.
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A Knight's Tale (2001) is a film written and directed by Brian Helgeland; the title, though not the plot, is taken from The Knight's Tale, one of The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer.
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Hollow Man is a 2000 Academy award-nominated science fiction thriller film , starring Kevin Bacon, Elizabeth Shue, and Josh Brolin and directed by Paul Verhoeven.
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Motto
"Dieu et mon droit" [2]   (French)
"God and my right"
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Type Weekly newspaper
Format Tabloid

Owner News Group Newspapers
(News International)
Editor Colin Myler
Founded 1843
Political allegiance Right-wing / Populist
Headquarters Wapping, London

Website: www.newsoftheworld.
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Paul John Ross (born John Ross on December 31, 1956 in Leytonstone, London) is a British journalist, television editor, and media personality. He is the elder brother of presenter Jonathan Ross and is also an up and coming film reviewer.
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Total Film, published by Future Publishing, is the United Kingdom's second best-selling film magazine. It offers film and DVD news, reviews, and features. The magazine launched in 1997 and published its 100th issue for April 2005.
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Jonathan Stephen Ross OBE (born November 17, 1960) is a British television and radio presenter and film critic.

Biography

Ross was born in Camden, London, England, but was raised in Leytonstone East London.
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