Critic, n. A person who boasts himself hard to please because nobody tries to please him. Ambrose Bierce
The biggest difference between critics and the regular viewing audience is that critics see movies for free.
Review a film for what it is; not for what it isn't. When reviewing Sex Lies and Videotape don't start by saying as Rex Reed once did, 'Well, this movie isn't Batman."
People don't go to movies with an open mind, they go in with expectations.
A film doesn't have to be 'entertaining' to be good.
Film started as a science, then is became an art form then it became a marketing device.
Never blame a movie for being overrated. Blame the critc who overrated it.
Go to a film festival and see a film you know nothing about and you'll start to form your own opinions.
The only proper definition for a film is that it is celluloid with an image that runs through a projector at 24 frames-per-second.
When someone tells you a film is 'sui generis' you can bet it's been done before.
Never call a film 'boring' when you mean to say you were bored by it.
Avoid using the words 'pretentious' and 'surreal'. The former is presumptuous on your part and the latter is overused for films (or scenes in films) that are merely odd.
Don't call a movie a 'gem' - unless it is as hard as stone.
Don't call a movie 'quirky.'
Avoid the obvious cliche that,'this movie isn't for everybody.'
Sometimes the 'exit' sign is far more interesting than what's happening on screen.
You know you are a true film buff when you watch a subtitled film and you're unaware of the subtitles.
You know you're a French film fantatic when you learn French by watching French films.
Wait for that exhilarating sensation to come to you when you're not watching an action film.
A film that holds most of its shots for more than five seconds is -- on average -- better than a film that is overedited - like most Hollywood film.
The exception to this rule is Soviet silent cinema and the films of Stan Brakhage.
Movie democracy like that practiced by Jean Renoir: good
Movie dictatorship like that practiced by Steven Spielberg: bad
If a movie tells you how to think then it's not worth thinking about.
The work is all that matters - opinions aren't as important.
"The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it." George Bernard Shaw
Don't praise, don't condemn - instead discuss.
"Criticism is an art, not a science, and a critic who follows rules will fail in one of his most important functions: perceiving what is original and important in new work and helping others to see."
Pauline Kael
