[Reader-list] The Death of Film Criticism

[subhrodip sengupta]

A clear dichotomy is made on basis of sensibility, or, what I'd call degree of involvement. 
Even as a modest poster of light content blogs, with labour invested not as intense as a film, I do get across comments as 'Giberrish'.
Well some body else might have in those problems something interesting.  Not withstanding that one of the audience who employed his valuable resources into reading and trying to relate with me, if only for 2 mins. He could not assosciate intellectually, spiritually with the content. And I appreciate that, though that might be anti-aesthetic, but that kind of aesthetism which is elitist is essentially unstable, pertaining only to the fortunes or mis fortunes of certain people.  I call this participative aesthetism. A lot of people like theater. But this theather itself is of different genres, broadly identified at, leasty in bengali tradition by name of the group. 
In the end the director, personally takes feedback. Yet different genres of theater, have attracted different sections of the society, where my distinction is nuanced set of fashion variables, distingushed by broad responses on different culural aspects. Surely individuals are highly reserved on some aspects as use of language, we might see the use of slangs in contemporart films. While accepting slangs doesnt bring some emotional relief,  the trend setting attitude of defying social norms make these movies popular.  People who ise slangs in their day to day lives feel a greater social acceptance. By spending one's money on a movie one expects not only entertaintment but a message, and a cultural change. Else he says 'IT SUCKS". There is no harm in making films for, and we do have many such films, exclusively for the elite. Comments like the above would certainly not be entertained there. We are having certain good quality movies which have in-depth
 research.  The problem then remains combing this in depth reasearch and popular art, so that the target audience are reached and no more, and the film appeals to them.  We have many talents who have clearly appealed to classes. If results are contra, and logic of 'Clicks', fail, it means things could not have associated with, the cultural variables, the scenes were ill-synchronised, or even messed up, and couldnt deliver what it had to to the people. What is the problem in calling 'boring boring'.   
Like wise like good movie makers, good critiques have to be innovative and deliver something new for each situation. Else brain gets bored and filters it, worse rejects it.  The problem is rather in death of creativity which embodies critics to be intellects. Say I have never been involved emotionally with a professor, nor do I aspire to be one. Then I may do equally well by ignoring him/her!
What is quality then becomes higly subjective, and the present problem arises in the 2.0 Web era as power to dissipate information reversed, but what of poets, and story writers who have been imprisoned since ages, to not so Distant Fidel Caestro Indira Gandhi, or the present times, when Authors have to delete the most dramatic and compelling scenes shot, diluting their movies at Verdict of I& B ministry for they had filmed the army, or raised questions on some policy.  I can relate to a Nude Swaraswati but some poliuticians couldn't. Which such elements around, I find the enoirnment of the net cleaner as well as safer. What film criticism has found a new avatar in it's internet version is blogging. And that stands better than Papers where we do get to read ads. The media has experienced a cultural change corresponding to economic change of people who pay for internet. And the people who could be found at certain places are now re-organised form
 newspapers which were once expensive to Blogs. And on demand certain Search enginges provide search for blogs.  The good news is for people who lack creativity creativoty and criticism is taken and reproduced as it is.  We do have cinema lover's club, but alas people do have little time to gossip about a single movie. There do we see death of Addas, Film critiqs, Carrom and the like....


________________________________
From: Kshmendra Kaul <kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com>
To: sarai list <reader-list at sarai.net>
Sent: Thu, 4 March, 2010 4:50:33 PM
Subject: [Reader-list] The Death of Film Criticism

The Death of Film Criticism
By Thomas Doherty
 
http://chronicle.com/article/The-Death-of-Film-Criticism/64352/
 
 


      
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