Speaking of annoying, I tried to read the Village Voice's critics' poll thingy, but I had never heard of 90% of the stuff they were talking about. Let me see if I can find my "favorite" quote.... Got it!

Andrew Bujalski has got to be the most interesting young director of actors since Apichatpong Weerasethakul

I had the same problem as Jesse with Slate's movie club. Usually I really enjoy it, but despite Edelstein's efforts to drag the conversation back to movies actually released in more than one theater this year it was only skimmable. If I wanted a list advising the best movies only that critic saw I'd read their column.

My favorite bit of defensiveness about overpraising movies in limited release was by Scott Foundas, whose comments about LA Weekly follow.

even in my daily interactions with movie publicists, who really ought to know better, I find that many still operate under the moth-eaten assumption that "alternative" papers like the L.A. Weekly give de facto bad reviews to Hollywood movies while offering a free pass to any movie with a low budget, gay cowboys, or one of the Tilly sisters. Well, while I obviously can't speak for everyone out there, I can say that, just in the past year in the L.A. Weekly, we've published favorable reviews of Revenge of the Sith, The 40 Year-Old Virgin and, yes David, even Memoirs of a Geisha (though some have accused me of damning with faint praise on that last one); long negative editorials on those pseudo-indie darlings Hustle & Flow and Brokeback Mountain; and interviews with Steve Carell, George Clooney, Dakota Fanning, and Sydney Pollack—collectively, I would propose, not exactly the stereotypical lineup of a leftie-pinko rag.

Maybe the numbers here are not complete, but if he wants to make the point that the mag treats mainstream and indie movies the same, three positive reviews and two negative ones over the course of a year do not make a persuasive case. Nor does citation to "Steve Carell, George Clooney, Dakota Fanning, and Sydney Pollack" as examples of right wing balance.

Why the fuck would anyone interview Dakota Fanning?

Why the fuck would anyone interview Dakota Fanning?

Because she called up, said "Seven Days" on the phone, and he was afraid she'd come crawling out of his television if he didn't give her some publicity?

I realize it was actually Davleigh Chase in THE RING, but DF is much, much creepier.

"alternative" papers like the L.A. Weekly give de facto bad reviews to Hollywood movies while offering a free pass to any movie with a low budget, gay cowboys, or one of the Tilly sisters.

Also? Those gay cowboys and the Tilly sisters are pretty freaking Hollywood to me, especially after reading the Voice thing. I think my issue is not that I don't believe the critics, but that they seem to forget that they are still writing for a relatively mass-market audience -- or should be. I mean, shit, the Voice is free on every street corner in Manhattan!

Oh, on the surface Dakota seems creepier with her surprised bush baby eyes and ultrasonic screams, but I think Miss Everyone-Will-Suffer can put more eerieness in her acting performance.

I think Miss Everyone-Will-Suffer can put more eerieness in her acting performance.

The true horror is that Dakota isn't acting. She's a living uncanny valley.

especially after reading the Voice thing.

That's exactly why I read the Voice film section. Because I know they'll be covering a lot of films that they've seen in film festivals that may or may not be released stateside so I can track them down in the video store. There are plenty of other resources for tracking mainstream film.

Don't go harshing on J. Hoberman!

Don't go harshing on J. Hoberman!

BAH! I will harsh if I want to. I'm fine with the coverage throughout the year, because they do review all kinds of things. It was just having the year-end wrap-up be so full of people and films I'd never heard of that bugged. Not that I follow cinema.

Not that I follow cinema.

Jesse's Resolution For The New Year: Quit smoking (again), see more film festivals in Berlin and Bangkok, preferably featuring lots of directors I've never heard of before. Get Makeover by famous fashion designer, preferably while on television.

I think I'll start with just trying to shift the superhero/non-superhero movie ratio a bit.