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You're Starting a Film Magazine--What Are Your Rules and Approach for Critics and Film Criticism?

Robert W Peabody III

11 months ago

start a film magazine. …….way you’re going to handle film criticisms and reviews. Also, think of the issue as if you were starting a school of critics. What would your “rules” of film criticism be?

I would have a very detailed profile page for each contributor that allows the reader to understand the writer’s bias – personal info at a bare minimum.

I recently read Zona: A Book About a Film About a Journey to a Room. The author had a few good insights into Stalker – about two pages worth.
What could he do? Annotate the book with personal stuff like a fantasy about a three-way with his girlfriend.
Your parents took you to the theater? no shit?
I know that stuff sells books, but I don’t need it.

A review would be formalist description of characters, story, and plot points amounting to the ‘what’. Then an interpretation of what was being said with the ‘how’ in support if the interpretation. I would want it to be an amalgamation of new words, theory fragments, and ideas based on the subjective experience of the viewer.

Pretty much what we get on the MUBI forum…..