# Everyone's a critic ...

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everyones-a-critic/527468>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [February 3, 2010, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everyones-a-critic/527468 "2010-02-03T01:36:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\
**Post date:** [February 3, 2010, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everyones-a-critic/527468/1 "2010-02-03T01:36:07Z")

</div>

… or wants to be, anyway.

I’m looking for books or essays about writing film reviews – not the reviews themselves, but theoretical stuff about the process or nature of criticism.

Is there such a critter? And can you recommend a worthwhile example of it, if there is?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\
**Post date:** [February 3, 2010, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everyones-a-critic/527468/2 "2010-02-03T01:45:35Z")

</div>

[This](http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Film-Criticism-Approaches-Narrative/dp/0582286069/ref=sr_1_18?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265161374&sr=8-18) is the one I’m most familiar with, but it’s been ages since I’ve read it (it’s more of a survey study, exploring the different schools and types of criticism).

I’ve heard some promising advance word on [this](http://www.amazon.com/Complete-History-American-Film-Criticism/dp/1595800492/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265161492&sr=8-12), but it won’t be published for another couple of months.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\
**Post date:** [February 3, 2010, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everyones-a-critic/527468/3 "2010-02-03T02:28:16Z")

</div>

> [@ArchiveGuy](#):
>
> [This](http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Film-Criticism-Approaches-Narrative/dp/0582286069/ref=sr_1_18?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265161374&sr=8-18) is the one I’m most familiar with, but it’s been ages since I’ve read it (it’s more of a survey study, exploring the different schools and types of criticism).

Thanks – the library doesn’t have, and a _used_ copy is about $50 – I went with Timothy Corrigan’s _Short Guide to Writing About Film_ (used copy: $0.75).

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\
**Post date:** [February 3, 2010, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everyones-a-critic/527468/4 "2010-02-03T03:43:05Z")

</div>

Some [thoughts](http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2008/09/critic_is_a_fourletter_word.html) and [rules](http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2008/10/eberts_little_rule_book.html) from Roger Ebert.