When Movies Turn the Tables on Critics

Posted on October 27, 2014 at 8:00 am

Thanks again to Criticwire for including me in their survey about how movie critics feel about the way that critics themselves are portrayed in movies. Sometimes filmmakers take a bit of revenge on those of us who judge them and the critics surveyed had a lot of fun re-turning the tables by critiquing the critique. Most of us mentioned Anton Ego (love that name), voiced by Peter O’Toole in “Ratatouille.”

But I was the only one to mention my favorite:

Peter O’Toole’s critic is the highlight of “Ratatouille,” and in many ways the ultimate movie portrayal of a critic. We all know what it feels like to review so much junk that you begin to believe you have lost your capacity to be surprised by greatness. Those reminders that we can still be thrilled are what keep us going. The critic who hates everything is a popular target in movies like “Arsenic and Old Lace,” which has Cary Grant as surely the handsomest critic ever on screen. The most acid-tongued was George Sauders’ Addison DeWitt in “All About Eve.” The comeuppance scene where he out-Eves Eve herself is a masterpiece. “Is it possible, even conceivable, that you’ve confused me with that gang of backward children you play tricks on, that you have the same contempt for me as you have for them?”

My least favorite movie portrayal of a critic is probably Bob Hope in “Critic’s Choice.” He reviews his own wife’s play, for goodness’ sake! On the other hand, the onscreen critic I love best has a similar ethical lapse, but I can’t help loving the movie, one of my very favorites. That is David Niven in “Please Don’t Eat the Daisies,” as a character inspired by real-life theater critic Walter Kerr, based on his wife Jean Kerr’s wonderfully witty book of essays. Niven plays a character who, like Kerr, is a teacher turned critic. His devastating review of a play produced by his closest friend has a hilarious take-down of the musical star delectably played by Janis Paige. Her response (with photographers in tow) is magnificent. And, even in a light comedy co-starring Doris Day, Spring Byington, and Jack Weston, there is a very astute exploration of some of the genuine conflicts critics face. This critic gives that portrayal and that movie four stars.

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Wrong About Critics, Wrong About Movies, Wrong About Faith

Posted on October 20, 2014 at 2:36 pm

I am not going to give the people behind the idiotic and offensive press release I recently received the recognition of identifying them by name, but the claim that they make is one I have heard often enough I need to respond. The headline: Film Critics Don’t Get Faith Films. This shows no understanding of critics, movies, or faith. It disingenuously uses Rotten Tomatoes’ audience score to “prove” that audiences can like a film even when critics do not, overlooking two key points. First, the audience score will always be higher than the critics score because by definition the people who buy tickets are already interested enough in the film to make a commitment of time and money and once having done so, are even more likely to be fans. Furthermore, the audience score can be influenced by relatively few numbers, especially if the filmmakers get their friends to cast positive votes.

Films like “The Identical” and “Left Behind” do not get bad reviews because critics don’t “get” faith-based films. They get bad reviews because they are awful films. These films are not just decidedly below average by any standard of drama or aesthetics; they are also bad theology. Referring to a couple of Bible verses and omitting sex and bad language is not enough to make a film “faith-based.” And, more important, it is not enough to make a film spiritually challenging or nourishing. “Faith-based” movies should be held to the same standards of critical review as any other film. And it is fair to expect them to meet or exceed those standards. Note that critics for faith-oriented publications have given bad reviews to these films as well.

I love to see movies that inspire audiences to make a deeper connection with God or to live a more humble and compassionate life. But too many “faith-based” films have the shakiest of theologies and are more interested in perpetuating a narrow, claustrophobic, smug brand of Christianity than they are to exploring the teachings of Christ.

I object to the notion that “faith-based” refers to only one narrow segment of Christianity. Even within that category, however, many of the movies fail in what should be their primary purpose: to challenge viewers to become better Christians. Unfortunately, instead too many of these films serve only to congratulate the audience for their superiority or promote a culture of victimhood. Instead of inspiring generosity toward others, they fuel divisiveness and prejudice.

I have found a lot to admire in some “faith-based” Christian films like Christmas with a Capital C, , The Grace Card, and Brother White. Other films engage with religious beliefs beyond that covered by the “faith-based” media industry. And of course many films that do not market themselves as “faith-based” have powerful lessons for both faithful and seekers.

I encourage everyone to read the thoughtful essay by Steven D. Greydanus, a longtime critic for Catholic publications, called Do atheists and agnostics make the best religious movies? His excellent list omits my favorite movie about Jesus, however, The Gospel According to St. Matthew, made by an atheist, Pier Paolo Pasolini, beautifully simple and one of the most moving and inspiring religious films I have ever seen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0vynmCABnA

“Faith-based” should apply to any movie that seeks to deepen our connection with the divine. And “faith-based” or not, all movies should be evaluated on the quality of their story-telling.

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What Do Critics Think About Watching Film That Is Not What the Makers Intended?

Posted on October 19, 2014 at 8:00 am

Thanks to Indiewire for including me in their survey of critics about how important it is to watch a movie as it was filmed. If it was made on film stock, is it unfair to the artists’ vision to watch a digital version?

Here was my answer:

I remember hearing a Lionsgate executive explaining ruefully that they put so much effort and imagination into every inch of the screen for the “Lord of the Rings” movies only to find that people wanted to be able to watch them on their phones. “We’ll sell it to them, if that’s what they want,” he said, “but we are not happy about it.” If possible, it’s best to see films the way they were shot. But, just as we don’t view paintings in the studios where they were created, we have to recognize that some art will be viewed in a manner other than the way the filmmakers envisioned. And I have wonderful memories of digitally restored films. The first movie I watched on Blu-Ray was “Pinocchio,” which I thought I knew very well. But there were highlights in the Blue Fairy’s hair I had not seen before. I ran to my book of Disney animation art, and it was there. So, unlike watching LoTR on a Smartwatch, I felt I was seeing it the way the artists did.

What Movies Would You Give to Aliens to Explain Life on Earth?

Posted on September 25, 2014 at 8:00 am

Many thanks to Criticwire for inviting me to participate in an intriguing survey: what films would you give to aliens to explain life on earth? Here’s what I wrote:

I’d have to include a silent comedy, something that would be free of any language barriers and show them the importance of humor. I’ll go with “Modern Times,” with “The General” as a back-up. And I’d have to pick a Frank Capra film to show them that while humans may have a tendency to be bullies, we also are able to transcend it and sacrifice our own interests to help each other. That means “It’s a Wonderful Life,” because it so movingly conveys the impact that a single person can have and the best that a community can do when they come together. And I would add “Departures,” because there is no better depiction of the grace and dignity that can be achieved in grappling with the deepest conundrums of human existence.

Check out the responses from other critics — and let me know what you would pick!

Christopher Orr on the Coen Brothers’ “Miller’s Crossing”

Posted on September 23, 2014 at 3:53 pm

One of my favorite critics writes about one of his favorite movies in The Atlantic: the highlight of Christopher Orr’s outstanding series on the Coen Brothers‘ films is his essay on Miller’s Crossing. Whether you’re a fan of the Coens or of this film or not, Orr’s essay is a pleasure to read for its deep engagement with the film and lucidity of prose.

Miller’s Crossing is an aesthetic pleasure of the highest order on nearly every level. Begin with its almost intolerably sumptuous cinematography, with reds and greens so deep one is in danger of falling into them. This was the last film that Barry Sonnenfeld shot for the Coens—and one for which he persuaded them to use long lenses instead of the wide-angle variety they had favored—and no one involved has mustered a better-looking work since. The production design by Dennis Gassner is comparably extraordinary: the long, long oak rooms with their endless oriental rugs and all the furniture seemingly tucked into one corner.

And did I mention the score? It is not only the best work Carter Burwell has done for the Coens (or anyone else), it set a model that he would later follow for his almost-as-good scores for Fargo and True Grit: taking a traditional piece of music with some culturally relevant connection and using it as the central motif of the broader arrangement. In this case, it was the Irish ballad “Limerick’s Lamentation.” (It’s usually played on a fiddle, I think, but here’s an interesting version on a hammered dulcimer.) Burwell’s score has lived on since: It was used for the trailer of the (astonishingly bad) Melanie Griffith vehicle Shining Through as well as that of at least one other 1990s movie I can’t quite recall at the moment. It also served, as I recently discovered, in an ad for Caffrey’s Irish Ale. It is one of the truly great film scores of the last 30 years.