"Everyone's a critic! Or maybe no one is," film critic A.O. Scott wrote recently in this article for The New York Times.
What prompted Scott's essay? The cancellation of At the Movies — the show made popular by Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel, and most recently hosted by Scott and Michael Phillips. Scott's essay was in response to an increasing number of lamentations ringing around the Internet that the art of art criticism is endangered:
Film critics Gene Siskel (left) and Roger Ebert are shown in a 1994 photo.
Nowadays specialized programming catering to the esoteric pursuits of enthusiasts survives on cable, or sometimes on public broadcasting, and the larger viewing public is fractured, fickle and increasingly likely to satisfy its tastes online.
Still, Scott tell us not to fear. Our days At the Movies might be over. But paradigms change, tastes evolve, and there will always be things to criticize and voices of authority to emerge and be contested. Read his article, and leave your thoughts.
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