Movies

[Alex]

Was just thinking.. As a kid, my siblings (3 off) and I would go to the cinema at least 3 times a year. Then talk about it for about a week at school. Now a pensioner and can't afford to go to the cinema. But then who needs to. Internet.. can watch movies all day every day if I want. And have done more than a few times. But to the point;

I'd rather take the opinion of someone that pays to see a movie than that of someone that is payed to see the movie.
So what do yous think of 'professional' critics?

[Astrobe]

So what do yous think of 'professional' critics?

In my view, opinions on movies, books, etc. - professional or not - are valuable only if you know the person's tastes.

[Smivs]

Ha, we live in a post-truth world now. Critics are 'experts' and everything they say is a lie!

[Disembodied]

Ha, we live in a post-truth world now. Critics are 'experts' and everything they say is a lie!

Yes, Smivs knows what he's talking about.

Wait … that means …!

[Astrobe]

Ha, we live in a post-truth world now. Critics are 'experts' and everything they say is a lie!

That's only true (critics are experts) if you're interested in the artistic value. But most people are more interested in the enjoyment value, which is highly subjective.

As for the rest, it seems that people have lost faith because of the many "pseudo-expert" and "paid-expert" cases. Which is a good thing in my opinion because "Expertise" is an argument from authority at its core. Questioning experts and expertise is saner than accepting some sort of Divine Truth - as long as your goal is to understand and think by yourself.

[Cody]

Nothing is true!

[Disembodied]

I agree that expertise is relative, and dependent on the subject. There's a big difference between an expert film critic, and an expert plumber.

I think the best way to tell the difference is to stack up the possible outcomes of using an amateur in a particular circumstance. An amateur film critic, who shares your enthusiasms, might suggest you go and see a critically panned film that you nevertheless really enjoy; an amateur plumber, on the other hand, might wreck your house …

[Alex]

An amateur film critic, who shares your enthusiasms, might suggest you go and see a critically panned film that you nevertheless really enjoy; an amateur plumber, on the other hand, might wreck your house …

Now we come to terminology.
Never use an amateur trades person for anything you want done right. An apprentice for small jobs sure. They need the practice.
There is no such thing as a professional trades person, the highest it goes is Master of the trade.
A professional refers to.. well pen pushers, more time in 'school' than out. Wouldn't give them a trowel or pipe bender.
Example. Professional Architect gives plans to Master builder. If you live in Europe you'll be walking past examples most days.

Wouldn't give much for very tall buildings though. (+10 floors) The old masters would build to a safe factor of 10-20, ie Has to take 1 ton, have it hold 10-20. Bean counters say, Over engineering. Everyone else says "They don't build them like they used to" Or OOps it fell down!

Think about it, if they applied the same to the transport infrastructure 50 years ago. The rail systems would have won hands down. Spilt milk and billions to wipe it up.

Doh! Think I hijacked my own topic.

But "who shares your enthusiasms" is so true. I have a mug that says "A friend is someone that likes the same programs you do".
No arguing over the remote. Always a good thing.

Back to the 'Critic' thing;
I no longer bother with TV as in free to air, except in the UK where you need a license to have a TV, Hardly free.
I use internet sites for entertainment now, still not free, a good ISP costs.
Any site I use has a comments part to the shows I watch. Which in turn brings us back to how much stock you put in a show by reading others critique?
Payed or unpayed.
It's amazing how many people will hate a show on it's first episode because it doesn't fit their idea of a good show. And how many will love it because they like a certain actor regardless of the shows content.

People are strange.

[terry]

I certainly agree that the role of the critic has somewhat escalated in the last few years - for instance, every instagrammer at the new hot brunch place is somehow a critic because they got over 100 likes on their over-filtered image of a 24-hour poached egg. HOWEVER...

Critics matter, and the world of criticism does too. From a larger perspective, critics may draw attention to items/products/services that hobby critics may never be aware of. They kind of frame the market for whatever it is they're dealing with. Take film for example, we all know about the hollywood blockbusters that are coming out, but who's going to draw our attention to that low-budget indie Korean film that knowbody knows about? The support of critics can really make or break a small project. Another thing is, their knowledge is generally quite all-encompassing, meaning that they can almost always provide context and reference.

Me personally: I've found my go-to critics for various things like film, music, gaming, restaurants, etc. and I know which publications they write for. They have become my barometer for whenever I'm in doubt as to how I feel about something or if I should spend money on it, etc.

I think find the critics you like and stick with them!