April 6, 1998

Some recommended reading this week, on the collision of critics 
with current trends in popular filmmaking.  First, from the L.A. 
Times, Kenneth Turan vs. TITANIC (March 21) and James Cameron vs. 
Kenneth Turan vs. TITANIC (March 28).  Do a USENET search (at, say, 
http://www.dejanews.com) on rec.arts.movies.current-films to read 
user-posted copies of the articles and at least a dozen related 
threads.  (One of which quotes the New York Times, which also 
weighed-in.)  Equally insightful is David Denby's essay "Why Don't 
People Love the Right Movies Anymore?" in last week's (April 6) 
issue of the New Yorker.  His best quote: "any fool can have opin-
ions.  But the flood of media promotion overwhelms the voice of a 
good critic; and the commercialization of routine reviewing-- in 
TV-preview shows and newspaper-ad blurb writing-- turns criticism 
into mere opinion, another cheerfully meaningless bit of noise, the 
whooshing of thumbs up and down."  Well said.  Now, back to the 
noise...

Copyright 1998 Michael J. Legeros
Movie Hell is a trademark of Michael J. Legeros

Originally posted to triangle.movies as MOVIE HELL: April 6, 1998