More on critcism - at the movies

There was another little tidbit on the place of criticism in contemporary life in the New York Times on April 1 (Now on the endangered species list: Movie critics in print by David Carr).

Carr makes many interesting observations in the piece, but the one I most interested in about how journalistic criticism (as opposed to mob-criticism on the web) benefits products that the market is prone to overlook. Carr usefully reminds us that the cream doesn't always rise; it's often prevented from doing so by the enormous marketing of blockbusters that fills our collective field of vision. Journalistic criticism can direct attention to overlooked works with an authority that new media criticism has yet to obtain.

The article introduces other interesting topics to thrash out this summer in seminar, too. If, as it is commonly claimed, everyone's opinion of a work of art is of equal value (the "everyone's a critic" maxim), how should media outlets select regular critics for their publications? More to follow, but I wanted to put this out there for y'all.