Film Criticism in the Digital Age

Published by Rutgers University Press 2015

Film Criticism in the Digital Age

Edited by: Mattias Frey and Cecilia Sayad
With contributions by: Mattias Frey , Greg Taylor , Cecilia Sayad , Daniel McNeil , Giacomo Manzoli , Paolo Noto , Maria San Filippo , Noah Tsika , Anne Hurault-Paupe , Outi Hakola , Thomas Elsaesser , Jasmina Kallay , Armond White and Nick James

https://doi.org/10.36019/9780813570747

Overview
Contents

About this book

Over the past decade, as digital media has expanded and print outlets have declined, pundits have bemoaned a “crisis of criticism” and mourned the “death of the critic.” Now that well-paying jobs in film criticism have largely evaporated, while blogs, message boards, and social media have given new meaning to the saying that “everyone’s a critic,” urgent questions have emerged about the status and purpose of film criticism in the twenty-first century.

In Film Criticism in the Digital Age, ten scholars from across the globe come together to consider whether we are witnessing the extinction of serious film criticism or seeing the start of its rebirth in a new form. Drawing from a wide variety of case studies and methodological perspectives, the book’s contributors find many signs of the film critic’s declining clout, but they also locate surprising examples of how critics—whether moonlighting bloggers or salaried writers—have been able to intervene in current popular discourse about arts and culture.

In addition to collecting a plethora of scholarly perspectives, Film Criticism in the Digital Age includes statements from key bloggers and print critics, like Armond White and Nick James. Neither an uncritical celebration of digital culture nor a jeremiad against it, this anthology offers a comprehensive look at the challenges and possibilities that the Internet brings to the evaluation, promotion, and explanation of artistic works.

Author / Editor information

MATTIAS FREY is a senior lecturer in film at the University of Kent. He is the author of Postwall German Cinema: History, Film History, and Cinephilia and co-editor of Cine-Ethics: Ethical Dimensions of Film Theory, Practice, and Spectatorship.

CECILIA SAYAD is a senior lecturer in film at the University of Kent. She is the author of Performing Authorship: Self-Inscription and Corporeality in the Cinema and O Jogo da Reinvenção, a Portuguese-language study of Charlie Kaufman’s filmography.

Reviews

"Frey and Sayad assemble both academic and popular analyses on the dearth – perhaps death – of the working film critic, caught up and rubbed out in the brave new World Wide Web of bottomless blogs and 14-character tweets. Refusing a simplistic 'thumbs up/thumbs down' approach, this useful if fitful anthology merits several stars."

— Journal of Film and Video

"Offers such distinguished critics as Armond White and Nick James a chance to weight in on the need for informed, responsible film criticism in the digital era… Highly recommended."

— Choice

"This is a great and highly important volume for film studies as a discipline and cultural and media studies more generally."

— Dana Polan, New York University

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	v
Acknowledgments Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Introduction: Critical Questions Mattias Frey Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
Part I. The Critic And The Audience
1. Thumbs In The Crowd: Artists And Audiences In The Postvanguard World Greg Taylor Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	23
2. Critics Through Authors: Dialogues, Similarities, And The Sense Of A Crisis Cecilia Sayad Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	41
3. “The Last Honest Film Critic In America”: Armond White And The Children Of James Baldwin Daniel McNeil Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	61
Part II. New Forms And Activities
4 The New Democracy? Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic, Twitter, And IMBDb Mattias Frey Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	81
5. The Price Of Conservation: Online Video Criticism Of Film In Italy Paolo Noto and Giacomo Manzoli Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	99
6. Before And After Afterellen: Online Queer Cinephile Communities As Critical Counterpublics Maria San Filippo Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	117
7. Elevating The “Amateur”: Nollywood Critics And The Politics Of Diasporic Film Criticism Noah Tsika Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	137
Part III. Institutions And The Profession
8. American Nationwide Associations Of Film Critics In The Internet Era Anne Hurault-Paupe Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	157
9. Finnish Film Critics And The Uncertainties Of The Profession In The Digital Age Outi Hakola Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	177
10. The Social Function Of Criticism; Or, Why Does The Cinema Have (To Have) A Soul? Thomas Elsaesser Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	195
Part IV. Critics Speak
11. The Critic Is Dead . . . Jasmina Kallay Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	211
12. What We Don’T Talk About When We Talk About Movies Armond White Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	217
13. Who Needs Critics? Nick James Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	225
14. Excerpts From Cineaste’S “Film Criticism In The Age Of The Internet: A Critical Symposium” Stephanie Zacharek, Farran Smith Nehme, Karina Longworth, Kevin B. Lee and Theodoros Panayides Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	231
Afterword Cecilia Sayad Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	243
Selected Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	249
Notes On Contributors Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	261
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	265

Language: English
Publisher: Rutgers University Press
Audience: College/higher education;
Pages
- Main content: 284
Illustrations
- Other: 3 photos, 3 tables

eBook

Published: April 20, 2015
ISBN: 9780813570747