Why is film criticism important?
Geller: Film criticism is part of cultural critiquing. Whether it is food writing, art reviews, or movie reviews, it gets people to think and question. Peary: Today, people select which movies to see based on advertising. Lots of excellent little pictures — foreign, independent, and documentaries — are passing through without being seen. The only way to get people to go to those films, because they have no advertising budgets, is reviews by good critics. What’s the difference between a film critic and a reviewer? Peary: Reviewing is consumer reporting, including opinions about whether an audience should see a particular movie or avoid it. A good critic is someone who goes beyond plot, talks about the movie in context, and sees the film in terms of politics, arts, genre, literature, art, and the director’s career. A good review by a critic seduces the reader, and it’s a beautiful piece of writing. How has film criticism changed over time? Peary: When I first moved to Boston in 1978 ther
