Fewer movie critics to go around and it’s all the Web’s fault

Us bloggers and other such social media digerati get blamed for a lot of things that are changing in our world. From causing civil unrest to destroying the very fabric of culture as we chase old media into the shadows – it’s all our fault.

This mind you has had one really good benefit by reducing the number of movie critics with their we know good taste and you don’t when it comes to movies. According to the New York Times this is the case anyway.

But there are fewer and fewer print and television movie critics around. At least 55 movie reviewers have been laid off or re-assigned from newspapers around the country since January 2006, according to a running tally on the Web site of The Salt Lake Tribune.

While these ex movie critics are out job hunting Hollywood is crying foul because they running dry of really *cough* good quality *cough* movie quotes from the respected movie critics and having to resort to getting their movie blurbs from the web. Of course to make this all look good in the eyes of the movie going public this same movie industry is now talking up how much better these movie blogs are

The legions of Web critics seem to be ascendant in the eyes of Hollywood marketers. “Some of the best film writing and most substantive reviews are found online,” said Michael Moses, executive vice president of national publicity for Universal. “Those sources are as legitimate as any other.”

Mike Vollman, president of marketing for MGM and United Artists, said that he will probably rely more on quotes from blogs than from Time magazine and The Los Angeles Times when he promotes “Fame,” a remake of the 1980 musical, and a comedy called “Hot Tub Time Machine.”

“The reality, and I’m sorry to tell you this, is that younger moviegoers are more likely to be influenced by a blog than by a newspaper critic,” he said.

Chalk one up for the good guys. Hmmm .. maybe I should ask Duncan if I could review movies and get a raise? Na…. most of the movies these days suck in general and I really am not one for the mushy, scary or artsy fartsy type crap.