The Library of America volume of "movie critics" is a fairly solid overview, mainly acknowledging a canon rather than creating one and with a focus more on the reviewing side. Its main drawback, at least for me, is aiming at historical inclusiveness so that actual literary (and critical) quality is sometimes weak especially at the beginning and end. David Denby's earlier Awake in the Dark attempted much the same thing and there are other anthologies on various aspects. What I'd like to see is an idiosyncratic collection of film writing in a broader sense: not just reviews but interviews, fan press, trade journals (how could LoA not include a single Variety review?), cultists such as Famous Monsters, celeb autobiographies, manifestos, program notes, press kits, comic strips, etc. Heck, maybe even a professor or two....
-----Original Message-----
>From: Lou Thompson <[log in to unmask]>
>Sent: Jul 25, 2008 8:12 PM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: [SCREEN-L] film critics
>
>The announcement today that "Ebert and Roeper" were going off the air came at one of those serendipitous times for me, as I've been thinking a lot about film critics--who they are, where they come from, how (or if) they are trained or schooled.
>
>I was wondering if those of you on the list would be interested in sharing your list of the top film critics/reviewers (not scholars), past and present.
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>
>Lou Ann Thompson, Ph.D,
>Professor of English
>Texas Woman's University
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>"One Law for the Lion and the Ox is Oppression."--William Blake
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>"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."--Attributed to
>Edmund Burke
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>
>"It could be worse. I could be Sting."--Ozzy Osbourne
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>----
>Online resources for film/TV studies may be found at ScreenSite
>http://www.ScreenSite.org
>
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"Listen: There are no ghosts, only ghost ninjas."
Diamond Ninja Force
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Online resources for film/TV studies may be found at ScreenSite
http://www.ScreenSite.org
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