A Modest Proposal

If any film producers wish to use quotes from this blog to promote their films then I'm happy to agree subject to payment of a nominal fee.

In an extract from his new book on the role of the film critic Marc Kermode has picked up on the novel use of non-professional critics to puff a film:

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/sep/29/hatchet-jobs-anonymity-internet-kermode?guni=Keyword:news-grid

In the world of books I think the providers of such puffs are known as "quote whores".  The world of arts journalism is a rough and dangerous place.

How to Write a Film Review

In an interview following his appointment as chief film critic for The Observer Mark outlines his approach:

http://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/aug/17/mark-kermode-film-critic-observer

I particularly like his description of the role of the critic:

For Kermode, a critic should first "accurately describe a film and then ascribe it to the right school of film, before mentioning its tangential connections to other films. Beyond that, your opinion is opinion and my feeling is that you should be honest about that. I don't think the reader has to agree with you and I don't think a critic is there to tell you what to see. They are there to contextualise, to describe, to be passionately honest and entertaining."