Movie criticism facts for kids

Chicago critic Roger Ebert (R) with director Russ Meyer.

Movie criticism is all about sharing thoughts and ideas about movies. When someone watches a movie, they might have strong feelings about it. A movie critic is a person who watches movies and then writes or talks about what they think. They share their opinions in places like newspapers, magazines, on television, the Internet, or radio. Some critics even write books about movies and their history.

How Movie Critics Learn Their Craft

Movie critics come from different backgrounds. Some critics study movies or the history of movies at a university. This helps them understand how films are made and how they have changed over time.

Other critics might have worked on movies themselves. They could have been a movie director or a screenwriter. This experience gives them a special understanding of the filmmaking process. Some critics study other subjects in university that are related to movies, like English Literature or theatre.

Jobs Related to Movie Criticism

• Movie theorists study how stories are told in movies. They look at how directors, screenwriters, and camera people use images and sounds. Movie theorists often work at universities. Some, like Francois Truffaut, were also movie critics and directors.
• Movie historians study the past of movie making. They look at how movies were made and shared throughout history.
• Television critics are like movie critics, but for TV shows. They share their opinions about television shows in newspapers, magazines, or on TV and radio. Famous movie critics Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel had a popular TV show called At the Movies where they reviewed movies.
• Television scholars study how TV shows affect our culture and society.

Special Awards for Critics

Roger Ebert was a very famous movie critic. He was the first movie critic to win a Pulitzer Prize. This is a very important award for writing and journalism. After he won, many other critics also received this honor.

Well-Known Movie Critics

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