There are a myriad of films each year which have been highly disliked by film critics and thus have received a lot of attention. Criticism of local creativity can at times overshadow the beauty of filmmaking.
On the other side of the argument, have any film fans genuinely considered how the critics feel? I discussed this with prominent Variety film critic Jay Weissberg and asked about the threats and regrets he has had during his career.
A film critic should be honest and have a balance between the strengths and weakness. However, film critics continue to receive abuse for what are perceived as biased or subjective opinions.
Weissberg, says he tries his best to blend the public’s views into his work.
“I have to take into consideration how I think the public is going to react to the film. I can get it wrong, and that’s certainly something I have gotten wrong in the past. All of my colleagues have as well,” he said.
Suicide Squad (2016), for example, received brilliant reviews from fans, but poor reviews from critics. The New York Times’ A.O. Scott labelled the film a “so-so, off-peak superhero movie” and that “the overall mood is cautious”, while ReelViews’ James Berardinelli, classified the film as a “bloated and cheerless monstrosity”.
When asked if he felt pressure from the public to incorporate their views into his work, Weissberg, simply said that he “doesn’t have that pressure”. Instead, he feels more pressure from the industry to produce a great critic’s film review.
When Variety opened the comments sections, Weissberg said some were “uninformed” and a few were “nasty”.
“Unfortunately this is the culture we are in now. They leave the most horrific comments,” he said. “However, it works in the other context, where someone misinterpreted a comment I made [about Arabs in films] and they instantly labelled me a racist”.
Weissberg, has even received death threats, following the publication of several pieces of his work.
A film fan’s perspective
I also spoke to Doaa Agrama, about her opinion on the topic, from a film fan’s perspective.
“I like to read the film critics’ reviews before I go and watch a movie. I take an idea of what the film will be about. The critics are the specialists [in judging the films],” she said. “There are some critics who I trust. However, I won’t judge a film regardless of the critics’ views.”
She admitted to relying on critic’s reviews 90 per cent of the time.
“If there is a film that has received bad reviews from critics, it makes me more interested to watch the film,” said Agrama.
Another film fan at Diff, Hussam Elmanan, believed that critics do make subjective comments on films.
“Film critics are like a community,” he said. “I believe they impose their views on how regular moviegoers should watch the film. For me, I depend on what they say only to a certain extent. The way you watch a film is essential. You want to understand some of the underlying meanings, the context and the developed characters, as this is important in learning how to watch the film.
Elmanan, draws the line when critics focus more on their personal opinions.
— The Young Journalist Award (YJA) at Diff is a training programme for high school students who are aspiring writers and reporters. Eight students are competing at the festival this year between December 7-14. One winner will secure a monthlong internship with Gulf News.
