Journalism I once thought I could make a living from being a critic. I had second thoughts. Here's (to an extent) why. The other reason, of course being, who'd pay me for this? Best story in Jay Raynor's piece? The time when Warner Brothers gathered a preview audience who were expecting to see The Matrix and showed them Wild Wild West.
The reason I read most reviewers, on and off line, is because of their writing style: wit or insight or both. I'd also say that though having thirty years of experience seeing a particular art form is bonus for some writers, too often you can detect that it has made them jaded to new material because it can never live up to the magical version of a production they worshiped in the 70s.
Fresh minds bring new perspectives. Plus, without naming names, there are some professional critics who are clearly working too hard and their approach has suffering. A plot synopsis clearly rewritten from a press release followed by something in relation to "It's less enjoyable than the first one" says nothing to me. More personality please.
No comments:
Post a Comment