“Criticism is the only news about movies; everything else is advertising.” — Pauline Kael
Can’t decide what movie to go see but don’t want to rely on the 30-second ad for Shallow Hal that probably contained most of its funniest moments? Want to rent a film tonight, but can’t decide on which reliable Kevin Smith title you’ve already seen seven times? Do some homework.
Film criticism is a wonderful thing. If you don’t trust your own viewing instincts or want to learn what Blockbuster won’t teach you, here’s a list of some websites where you can read what the experts have to say about any movie, from those currently in theatres to the ones hidden in the artsy-fartsyest rental place. The Internet Movie Database: www.imdb.org. The standard online beginning for any cinematic quest. Search the extensive database for all the info you’d ever want. Become a member for free to contribute to message boards and offer your own reviews of films for other readers. Kind of like an “If you enjoyed La Dolce Vita, try Juliet of the Spirits” sort of thing.
The Movie Review Query Engine: www.mrqe.com. Fantastic, easy to navigate site with no pop up ads or bogus links. Find out what exactly the Village Voice had to say about The Sorrow and the Pity.
In AboutFilm.Com: www.aboutfilm.com. Less on the wine-and-cheese party talk side, more geared towards the average movie viewer who wants to know if Kevin Spacey offers the same quality of performance in The Negotiator as he did in Pay It Forward. Also in this line of review sites are www.moviejuice.com and www.mrshowbiz.com, a site that rates movies from one to five and provides an unusually thorough list of each one’s creative team.
In Rotten Tomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com. Search any movie and come up with a slew of online reviews of it, from reviewers you’ve never heard of like David Manning to those you hear from too much like Leonard Maltin. Positive reviews award the movie a fresh tomato and negative ones a rotten tomato. Each listed title has a composite average from all the listed reviews. Rushmore comes up 88% fresh, but Bottle Rocket only 67%. You can’t always trust the critics.
In Greatest Films: www.filmsite.org. Site specializing on classic American films. Tells you why Bringing Up Baby is so much better than His Girl Friday. I mean come on.
In Roger Ebert: www.suntimes.com/ebert. The godfather of American film criticism offers a thorough review of almost every movie from 1985 to the present. Also features The Great List, a 120+ title compilation of all the films Ebert thinks are great, and an essay on why. Has everything from The Seventh Seal to Spinal Tap, A Christmas Story to Citizen Kane. Ideal both as a crash course on the greatness of film and as a source of snobbery.
Read at your own risk.