Latest in Film Critics

Rotten Tomatoes has updated its criteria for designating “Top Critics” in what it calls a bid to “increase inclusion and recognize individual achievement in criticism.” Of the 170 newly approved Top Critics, 60% are women, an estimated 25% are people of color and 24% publish their reviews through video or…

On Tuesday, Dr. Martha Lauzen released her annual survey of gender in film criticism. Titled Thumbs Down: Film Critics and Gender, and Why It Matters, it is the most comprehensive and longest-running study of women’s representation in film criticism. This year’s survey found persistent inequalities that had profound…

Rotten Tomatoes said it has added 600 independently verified critics over the past year as part of an ongoing push to support under-represented voices in film and TV criticism. Of the new critics, 55% are women, 60% are freelancers and 10% publish reviews via YouTube, podcasts and other emerging avenues. The news…

V.A. Musetto weathered four decades of change during his longtime tenure as the NY Post’s film critic and headline writer (i.e. the tabloid’s infamous ‘Headless Body in Topless Bar’). On Thursday, Musetto became the latest print critic to get the axe because of what he blames is the Internet age. It was termination by…

Judith Crist, author and influential film critic for more than three decades, died today at her home in Manhattan. She was 90. Crist joined the New York Herald Tribune in 1945 and in 1963 became the first woman to be appointed a full-time film critic at a major American newspaper. A reviewer for New York magazine…

EXCLUSIVE: I’ve just been told that Penske Media Corp has terminated Elvis Mitchell after more than 3 months as Movieline.com’s chief film critic. The early end to his contract follows a company investigation into the circumstances surrounding Mitchell’s recent review of Summit Entertainment’s Source Code for the…

Chicago-based film critic Ignatiy Vishnevetsky has been named co-host on Roger Ebert’s new review show Ebert Presents At the Movies. The 24-year-old Russian-born Vishnevetsky replaces original co-host Elvis Mitchell and will give out thumbs-up and down alongside Associated Press’ Christy Lemire. Mitchell’s departure…