Merrill,
Hey there.

I apologize that this letter is late in coming. I’ve been wanting to write you about this episode and have not had the opportunity.

I think that the conversation missed a huge portion of the way critics serve their readers, and how their job has changed over the years.

Kevin Carr touched upon this but didn’t fully hit upon it. The massive difference between critics today and critics in my time (I’m 45) is, as Mr. Carr said, the internet. Not the fact that each and every person can be a critic by setting up a blog, but in information access.

When I was growing up the only way to know who Alfred Hitchock was and his importance to film, was via critics. There was no imdb, allmovie or access to writers who knew about the history of film. There was no theater chain playing film retrospectives that might introduce me to a director whose name I’ve heard, but whose films I’ve never seen.

There also were no VHS/DVD/Blu-Ray that I could purchase or Netflix I could stream the films. My local Sears and Woolworth’s (The Target of its day.) didn’t have a movie section. There was no Best Buy 2 miles from my house, nor was there a deepdiscount.com or Amazon.com where I could read reviews/opinions or stream/purchase that film for leisurely viewing. If I wasn’t alive in 1940, I had no way of seeing Citizen Kane. If I didn’t live in Japan in 1956, I couldn’t see the original Godzilla (Gojira, which wasn’t released in American until about 5 years ago in its original, no Raymond Burr form.)

The only time you might hear about an Alfred Hitchcock, Woody Allen, Stanley Krubrick or Orson Welles was when they released a new film and a critic would not only tell you about the virtues, or lack thereof, of a new film, but tell you why you should care about their old films.

Today when any director is attached to a film I can find out their entire career at the flip of a switch and the speed of my connection. I can tell you their history, success, trivia and whether or not they create a decent commentary and extras for their films.

In the 70′s and earlier, the only way I could find out the importance of Alfred Hitchcock was either take a film course or, more likely, read about his history and importance when their new film came out. (If you were really lucky and had a nice set of rabbit ears, you might find a PBS station showing Nosferatu or Metropolis like I did.)

Even if that film wasn’t up to that directors standards, their great films will be mentioned in that review and suddenly I have a list of films to look for when I pick up the next issue of TV Guide. (Getting the new issue off the shelf of the grocery store and going through the movie listing and star rankings was a weekly ritual. I really did plan my movie watching week that way.)

Today the film critic tells me if a film is good or bad. The next article by that critic tells me why I should care. The film critic still serves a purpose, but film reviews have changed. When Woody Allen releases Midnight In Paris all I need is to know if the film is worth my $10.00 and 90 minutes. Once the director sells me on the product, then I’ll go to Film School Rejects and read Dr. Abaius’s article on why I should care about the other 30 great films he has released, what films I should NetFlix and what order I should watch them in. 35 years ago the only way to get that information was via my local film reviewer.

As for Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, they were merely the first to figure out a way of making film review accessible via new technology of TV. Did they destroy film journalism? Of course not. They didn’t stop writers from producing the articles that told you why a Fellini was important, but they probably got far more people to try a Fellini film in the first place.

Thanks for the great show.

What are your thoughts?

So think about that logically for a second in the way people go to the movies. The Dark Knight’s opening night was filled with people ages 13-35. A massive audience that stuck around for 2 weeks. By week 3 those people clear out so what happens? The senior audience that like empty theaters start to go.

Now, before anyone pulls out the argument “people saw The Dark Knight more than once,” I will say that, that might be true to a point but not in full. If The Dark Knight had as many multiple viewers like people say, then it wouldn’t of lost to Tropic Thunder in week 6. Iron Man started in the 60′s. Most of its early audience is only in their 50′s and 60′s at this point. So I promise you, Iron Man 2 WILL NOT beat The Dark Knight record.

Honorable Mentions:

Watchmen

UP

(500) Days of Summer

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3

Top 10:

10 – Taken

Any film that can turn Liam Neeson into an ass kicking, no holds bard, killing machine gets an A in my book. A film that came out of left field and completely wowed anyone who saw it. Truly a classic in the action genre.

9 – Precious

A film that says so much, Precious deserves all the praise it gets. It has a lot to say about inner city life and pulls it off with spectacular precision.

8 – The Hangover

A laugh out loud comedy that shows off the true talent of Todd Philips. This comedy hits every note with amazing whit and intelligence. A film that is real proof that Judd Apatow and Kevin Smith aren’t the only ones who know how to do good R rated comedy.

7 – Public Enemies

Michael Mann‘s newest film is filled with amazing performances and is fully aware of what it’s going for. Mann wanted to separate this film from all the other period pieces out there and with the use of digital cinematography he did just that. The video adds a true sense of depth to the film that makes it feel all the more real.

6 - Zombieland

I honestly can’t remember the last time I had so much gut busting fun at the theater. While The Hangover is a real comedy classic, Zombieland is non stop laughs from start to finish. This is also one of the few times where 100% of the audience was in sync with the jokes. It wasn’t a case of some would laugh at one part and some would laugh at another. Everyone laughed at everything at the exact same moment. Also, Woody Harrelson is at the top of his game in this film. Zombieland is a must see.

5 - Star Trek

I wasn’t a big Trekkie growing up. I liked Voyager (which to all Star Trek fans is grounds for lynching) but that was about it. When I heard that J. J. Abrams was doing a reboot to the franchise I was both intrigued and worried. I was worried because if it has flopped, it would of flopped hard and hurt him big time. But not only did he succeed in making a great summer blockbuster, he also made Star Trek accessible to your average movie goer. Congrats J.J., congrats.

4 - District 9

District 9 is an amazing film full of excitement and adventure. Proof of what can be done with limited resources. Also proof that CG is officially at a point that we ca be used effectively on a tight budget.

3 – Inglourious Basterds

I would make a case for Taratino‘s latest being on this list but I would probably just end up repeating what EVERYONE else has already said. It is great, if you haven’t seen it yet, then why are you not at a Best Buy right now buying it?

2 – AVATAR

AVATAR is the true definition of an event film. AVATAR does for 3D and motion capture what Jurassic Park and Terminator 2 did for CGI. The fact that AVATAR was able to do what it did is truly something extraordinary. While I still think is doesn’t deserve and major Oscar WINS, it definitely deserves all the praise it has received.

1 – The Hurt Locker

Every generation has its war film, and before this, all there was, was Black Hawk Down. But The Hurt Locker is a truly extraordinary piece of work. Creating a very, very realistic feel for what soldiers fighting the war on terror go through today. Kathryn Bigelow knocked it out of the park on this one and it won’t soon be forgotten.

It has been an amazing year for film. Not on the big scale (except for a few exceptions) but rather on the small scale. I can’t wait to see what 2010 has in store.

This week the 10^th anniversary Blu Ray version of one of the best films I have ever seen will hit stores. Unlike so many other films like it, Fight Club is something special. I saw it for the first time in 2007 when I had only heard of it in passing and knew almost nothing about it other than the fact that Brad Pitt was in it. I watched it, I was sucked into it, and I was blown away by it. It’s rare when a film with a twist so powerful manages to keep it hidden and never makes me guess that it exists. No one told me there was a twist and that the film is the mind bender that it is. I wish I could go into every movie like that. Films like Old Boy and Memento were ruined for me because people told me there was the existence of a twist. So I would begin looking for it or at least try figure out what it is. With Fight Club no one did that. Thank god they didn’t. It made the film something amazing. When the realization of what is actually going on comes together I remember saying the following out loud to my roommate “what the fuck just happened to my brain?” It is a film that transcends time, race, gender, religion, and everything in between. Even beyond the twist and the amazing story telling, the visuals that Fincher provides managed to impress even the action movie junkie in me. It is so good. I can’t express enough the masterpiece that this film is. Now that it is finally hitting Blu Ray people will be able to enjoy the film exactly the way it was meant to be seen. While Fight Club is a statement on the 90s male, it is also a statement on control and how everyone has to take command of their own lives.

~Merrill