The methodology is weird, and the concept is strange, but the folks at Gizmodo (god bless ’em) have used actual science to calculate which film critic is the most contrarian. Now, before you yell “Armond White!” he’s not included, because Metacritic doesn’t tally his reviews, thus he’s ineligible for this list. Plus, he’d bristle at the idea.

“I never accepted the term contrarian,” White told Flicks last month. “I think that’s offensive, frankly.

Continue reading The Playlist Has The 8th Most Contrarian Critic According To Science at The Playlist.

In the good old days, you used to run out to get your newspaper to read about the upcoming films in theaters. Normally, you’d go to your local film critic’s article and read it from beginning to end, where that person would discuss the film and give you an educated opinion. Nowadays, you go to YouTube and listen to talking heads, normally barely out of high school, spewing their “hot takes” at the camera, complete with silly computer effects.

Continue reading Leonard Maltin Says There Are “No Standards” In Modern Film Criticism at The Playlist.

In case you somehow missed it, the hubbub yesterday was reported talk of studios considering eliminating critic screenings because “Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales“ underperformed (domestically) and “Baywatch” bellyflopped in cinemas, and were scorched on Rotten Tomatoes. Both received negative scores — 31% for the former, a brutal 18% for the latter. The irony is that Dwayne Johnson tweeted in defense of his movie (and its poor Rotten Tomatoes score) only a few days before it hit theaters, saying that snooty critics were out of touch.

Continue reading Critics Want What You Want: Good Movies, Period at The Playlist.

We digress. Movies have respectable critics like J. Hoberman (The Village Voice), A.O.

Continue reading Beef Watch: Movie Critic Dick-Battling Edition at The Playlist.