One last note on film criticism
I’d like to make one last point on film criticism, and then I’ll let the topic rest for a day or two. Over at Ennuipundit, we see this:
Recently, I read a comment on Hancock penned by Ed Morrissey of Hot Air. Captain Ed is a wonderful political commentator but his review of Hancock stunningly missed the point of the movie. It reminded me of the comments posted by Kathryn Jean Lopez at National Review Online regarding Jason Bateman’s character in Juno. Ms. Lopez is an also excellent communicator of ideas of a political stripe, but her understanding of that film was woefully inadequate.
My point, belabored though it may be, is that when conservatives, or right leaning libertarians, engage popular culture, we should endeavor to do a good job of understanding popular culture, how it is received and how to effectively communicate our ideas within that engagement. Mr. Morrissey’s comment on the use of language by young characters indicates a detachment from the culture at large that limits his commentary to a narrow core of readers.
This is, I think, largely right. The job of the film critic is not to scold: what good does it do to decry the decline of western civ every time a 12 year old drops an f-bomb? Not much. Now, if you want to tie the coarseness of Hancock to the maturation of the superhero film and what it means for society in general…then do that. But make a point deeper than “cursing hurts my ears.”
Which brings me to a larger point: how does a critic improve? Well, this two part list over at Moviezeal is a good start. I would recommend two points in particular: “Expand your cinematic vocabulary” and “Study classic film criticism.” One book in particular, is a good pick up for the would-be critic: American Movie Critics: From the Silents Until Now. Evan Derrick cites it frequently over at Moviezeal, and for good reason. It is a one-stop-shop for all your film criticism needs; every major critic of the last hundred years is represented for at least a page or two. Reading a broad swathe of the criticism in this book will teach you a trick or two, as well as broaden your horizons in the art of film-crit.