Who are the most influential film critics of the past?
I would say the best film critic in the last fifty years was probably Pauline Kael, who wrote for the New Yorker, who was just brash and unapologetic, and injected. She made it personal. Her responses to movies were very visceral, yet so intelligent, informed and funny. So her reviews are fantastic. Some other reviewers that stand out are some of the Village Voice film critics like Andrew Sarris, a wonderful film critic. Jay Hoberman, who still writes film reviews, who really champions obscure, under-the-radar movies all the time. If there's a six-hour Turkish film out there that's worth seeing, Jay Hoberman will tell you about it, and he won't be afraid to cut against the grain. Who else? Siskel and Ebert, in their heyday, were very influential film critics. They made a half hour television show about reviewing movies and popular entertainiment, something that people tuned in for, they also championed underdog movies as much as they possibly could, and movies to get on DVD that were worth seeing if you missed it in the theater, in addition to the big blockbusters. There have been film reviewers in the past that are famous literary figures in their own right, like James Agee and Graham Greene, who wrote novels, plays, and moving, brilliant essays on how film touched their lives. Even if "film reviewer" is the first title you think of with these people, it's part of their writing legacy.
