Favorite movie critics and styles of reviews

[pryor15]

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Most of the time, I prefer a critic who will give me some sense of the genre (or, if no clear category exists, compare the style to another movie)

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The inherent problem with these critics (at least, according to me) is that unless done insanely well (which would be almost never) it tends toward a very lazy form of criticism that's little more than name-droping and plugging stuff into a formula. like,

Movie X, which opens this Friday, is a horror movie of the highest level, a cross between Rosemary's Baby and Hostel, a terrifying thrill ride featuring a splendid performance by Actor B.

If you as me, the difference between that and a review that mostly summarizes the plot is pretty small. Basically they do much of the same thing, just in different ways. It's fine for a sort of mass-consumption approach that lets people see at a glance if they want to see it, but it isn't really film criticism, just a slightly more elaborate version of asking your buddy if the movie he saw last night was any good.