The three critics I chose are Robert Bianco from USA Today, Nancy Franklin of The New Yorker, and David Edelstein of New York Magazine and CBS Sunday Morning.
At the end of an argument, I love nothing more than being right. Thus it makes sense that I like critics who affirm what I already believe. Robert Bianco is that critic for me. From what I have read so far, we have yet to have a major disagreement about a show. In his Article about Glee from march of this year, I found a similar view from mine about how Glee is gone off the track of good writing and interesting semi-realistic story lines. His article backed my opinions and gave me more specific reasons as to why I wasn't feeling Glee anymore. I loved the first season. It was organic and new and a musical in a television show! Then suddenly there were guest stars, covers of super new pop songs, and more ways of selling out to a teen audience. Now it feels like an after school special about acceptance and learning life lessons. Its almost like 7th Heaven or Secret Life, where each episode has a moral about growing up. Robert Bianco's review agreed with me and validated my reasons for giving up on Glee last season. In another article about new girl, Bianco explained to me why I was enjoying the series more. Initially, I watched it for the strong female character Jess. After a few episodes, I was starting to get turned off when her quirkiness just came off as crazy and annoying. Then in the Thanksgiving episode when a new plotline came along I suddenly started to take more interest. I just assumed it was my attraction to any kind of love story, but Bianco's article explained that he saw it as a plotline which gave Jess's character some real substance instead of being random episodes about her weird quirks- now she had a goal.
The second is New York Magazine's David Edelstein. I've actually been watching him for years on CBS Sunday morning. So I went and re-watched one of his reviews from last Sunday. His reviews have always been very conversational since I've been watching him in video form. But now that I've read his written word, it sounds exactly the same as his spoken reviews. I enjoy his honesty and his poetic wording. Movies like Hugo, which I would have never given a chance and now am genuinely interested in. I trust David Edelstein's words because he's conversational as well as well read. He has experience and it shows in his reviews. If a movie confused me or I felt in some way unsure about my feelings on a more complicated, intellectual film, I'd trust Edelstein to set me straight. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ek0r3xzGoxc&feature=related
The third was Nancy Franklin of the New Yorker. One, she's a woman, so I like that. Also, it was a review to Pan Am, which is currently one of my it shows. I like that it is a different perspective on shows such as Pan Am- which is a female power show at its finest. This review talks about the newer trend this past fall of Female power shows. This trend makes me SO happy. There was Mad Men which was a similar type of show- 60s theme but technically based around men- but with some great female characters. After that there was the huge cult following of the Walking Dead- which in case you didn't know is kind of sexist. Pan Am is true female empowerment- which Franklin points out. I think the concept of the Pan Am show is unique and surprising it hasn't been tapped into yet. Franklin disagreed and said that Pan Am's pilot episode had better framing than the actual content. I had been so distracted by the Pan Am glam which the pilot portrayed that I missed the symmetry which paralleled men and women- putting women on top in the end. Without Franklin's input, I would've completely missed that.
http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/television/2011/10/03/111003crte_television_franklin
I'm commenting on your post mostly because of what you talk about in your first paragraph regarding the state of Glee. I totally agree with you and Bianco. I actually just watched a newer episode of Glee while it was airing on TV and it was the most bizarre thing I think I'd ever watched. The story lines were ridiculously surreal and sub-plots seemed to be pushed to the side and magically resolved. I'm going to check out some of his other reviews in the upcoming future to see what else he says about Glee and other shows i'm interested in.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this David Edlestein video review. After watching the review in its entirety, I felt very comfortable with Edlestein. (He may very well be my uncle now.) I think it is a combination of his intelligent speech (without sounding at all preachy) and his calm, conversational voice that garner feelings of trust and familiarity.
ReplyDeleteWhether or not I agree on the films, I won't know until I see them, but I feel that this man's words can be respected and he left me feeling as though I did know what these movies were all about.