Film Critics
by dan_dassow | created - 24 Jan 2014 | updated - 28 Jan 2014 | PublicWhich of these living film critics, primarily known as critics, comes closest to your taste in film?
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1. Robert Osborne
Actor | One Step Beyond
Robert Osborne was the host on Turner Classic Movies from its inception in 1994, in large part due to his deep and abiding love and knowledge of film. Osborne got his start working for Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. The ever-perspicacious Ball suggested that Osborne combine his interest in classic ...
An American actor and film historian best known as the primary host for Turner Classic Movies since that service began in 1994, and previously a host of The Movie Channel
2. Ben Mankiewicz
Actor | White House Down
Ben Mankiewicz was born on March 25, 1967 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for White House Down (2013), Mank (2020) and The Practice (1997). He has been married to Michelle (Lee) Larkin Russo since December 12, 2013. They have one child. He was previously...
An American radio and television personality, known for his work as a TV journalist, news anchor, and film critic. On weekends, he presents classic movies on the American cable television channel, Turner Classic Movies.
3. Jay Cocks
Writer | Silence
Jay Cocks was born on December 1, 1944 in New York City, New York, USA. He is a writer, known for Silence (2016), Strange Days (1995) and Gangs of New York (2002). He was previously married to Verna Bloom.
Film critic and motion picture screenwriter. He was a critic for Time, Newsweek, and Rolling Stone, among other magazines, before moving into film writing.
4. Elvis Mitchell
Producer | Is That Black Enough for You?!?
Elvis Mitchell was born in 1958 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. He is a producer and actor, known for Is That Black Enough for You?!? (2022), Black Lightning (2018) and The Black List: Volume One (2008).
U.S. film critic, host of the public radio show The Treatment, and visiting lecturer at Harvard University.
5. Leonard Maltin
Actor | Gremlins 2: The New Batch
Leonard Maltin is one of the most recognized and respected film critics of our time. He recently completed his 30th season with the long-running television show, Entertainment Tonight (1981).
Maltin was born on Friday, December 18th, 1950, in New York City and grew up in suburban Teaneck, New Jersey...
An American film critic and historian, author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives.
6. Rex Reed
Actor | Superman
Rex was born in Fort Worth, Texas, and grew up in Louisiana. He became one of the most prolific movie critics in the country, and for decades has written entertainment columns for The New York Observer.
In 1970, Rex made his movie debut, playing Myron in Myra Breckinridge (1970) - Myron was the ...
American film critic and former co-host of the syndicated television show At the Movies. He currently writes the column "On the Town with Rex Reed" for The New York Observer.
7. Richard Roeper
Writer | Something to Live For
Richard Roeper was born on October 17, 1959 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is a writer and actor, known for Something to Live For, Siskel & Ebert (1986) and Entourage (2004).
An American columnist and film critic for The Chicago Sun-Times and now a co-host on The Roe Conn Show on WLS-AM
8. Ben Lyons
Actor | The House Bunny
Ben Lyons is a Television, Radio, and Online host and producer from New York City, who covers pop culture and sports like nobody else. Based in Los Angeles, Ben is a special correspondent on EXTRA!, a regular contributor for ESPN LA radio and was just named Chief Content Officer for Derek Jeter's ...
An American film critic and entertainment reporter.
9. Joe Morgenstern
Writer | Law & Order
Joe Morgenstern was born on October 3, 1932 in Matamoras, Pennsylvania, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Law & Order (1990), American Playhouse (1980) and The Boy in the Plastic Bubble (1976). He was previously married to Piper Laurie.
Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic for The Wall Street Journal.
10. Peter Travers
Writer | US Magazine Looks at the '70s
Peter Travers is known for US Magazine Looks at the '70s (1980), Popcorn with Peter Travers (2009) and Showbiz Today (1985).
An American film critic, who has written for, in turn, People and Rolling Stone. Travers also hosts a celebrity interview show called Popcorn on ABC News Now and ABCNews.com
11. Richard Schickel
Producer | The Big Red One
Richard Schickel was born on February 10, 1933 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. He was a writer and producer, known for The Big Red One (1980), Minnelli on Minnelli: Liza Remembers Vincente (1987) and Watch the Skies!: Science Fiction, the 1950s and Us (2005). He was married to Carol Rubenstein and ...
American author, journalist, and documentary filmmaker. He is a former film critic for Time magazine, and has also written for Life magazine and the Los Angeles Times Book Review.
12. Molly Haskell
Writer | Billy Baxter Presents Diary of the Cannes Film Festival with Rex Reed
Molly Haskell was born on September 29, 1939 in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. She is a writer, known for Billy Baxter Presents Diary of the Cannes Film Festival with Rex Reed (1980) and For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism (2009). She was previously married to Andrew Sarris...
American feminist film critic and author. She contributed to The Village Voice, first as a theatre critic, then as a movie reviewer; and from there moved on to New York Magazine and Vogue.
13. Todd McCarthy
Writer | Visions of Light
Todd is a veteran trade publication film critic, columnist and reporter who has also written several acclaimed books and documentary films. He served two stints on the staffs of Variety and The Hollywood Reporter and extensively covered film festivals internationally for both publications. His film...
Wrote for Variety for 31 years as its chief film critic before being laid-off in 2010. He later became a critic for The Hollywood Reporter.
14. Manohla Dargis
(As of 2012) Chief film critic for The New York Times, along with A.O. Scott.
Chief film critic for The New York Times, along with A.O. Scott. She was formerly a chief film critic for the Los Angeles Times, the film editor at the LA Weekly, and a film critic at The Village Voice.
15. A.O. Scott
Self | For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism
A.O. Scott was born on July 10, 1966 in Northampton, Massachusetts, USA.
An American journalist and film critic. Along with Manohla Dargis, he serves as chief film critic for The New York Times.
16. Philip French
Self | Festival international de Cannes
Philip French was born in Liverpool on 28 August 1933 to John and Bessie French and originally studied Law at Exeter College, Oxford. However after National Service he went into journalism, particularly writing about film. In 1978 he became the cinema critic for the Observer newspaper and remained ...
British film critic and former radio producer.
17. Emanuel Levy
Actor | Somewhere
Emanuel Levy is known for Somewhere (2010), The Reunion (2015) and The Evolution of Clint Eastwood (2008).
American film critic and professor, formerly a senior critic at Variety, and chief film critic of the UK publication Screen International.
18. Owen Gleiberman
Self | For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism
Owen Gleiberman was born on February 24, 1959 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. He is an executive.
American film critic for Entertainment Weekly, a position he has held since the magazine's launch in 1990. From 1981 to 1989, he worked at the Boston Phoenix.
19. Rudy Behlmer
Director | The Ray Anthony Show
Rudy Behlmer was born and raised in San Francisco, California. He has had a strong interest in the history and evolution of motion pictures since childhood when he began filming his own miniature dramas. He served two years in the Naval Air Corps, then was a Theatre Arts major at Los Angeles City ...
American film historian and writer. He is an expert in the history and evolution of the motion picture industry
20. Richard Corliss
Self | Life Itself
Richard Corliss was born on March 6, 1944 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He was married to Mary Corliss. He died on April 23, 2015 in New York City, New York, USA.
One of the editors of Time magazine who focuses on movies, with occasional articles on other subjects.
21. Kenneth Turan
Writer | Call Me Anna
Kenneth Turan was born on October 27, 1946 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He is a writer, known for Call Me Anna (1990) and Love Hollywood Style (2004).
Film critic for the Los Angeles Times since 1991 and the Director for the Los Angeles Times Book Prizes, Los Angeles Times since 1993. He is the founding film critic for Arts Alive on KUSC-FM and www.kusc.org. He also provides regular reviews for Morning Edition on National Public Radio.
22. Jonathan Rosenbaum
Jonathan Rosenbaum was born on February 27, 1943 in Alabama, USA. He is an actor and cinematographer, known for The Other Side of the Wind (2018), Hotel New York (1984) and Hollywoodism: Jews, Movies and the American Dream (1998).
An American film critic who was the head film critic for the Chicago Reader from 1987 until 2008, when he retired at the age of 65.
23. Michael Phillips
Self | Siskel & Ebert & the Movies
Michael Phillips was born on March 11, 1961 in Kenosha, Wisconsin, USA. He has been married to Heidi Stevens since 2013. He was previously married to Ann Jarmusch and Andrea Lenaburg.
Film critic for the Chicago Tribune newspaper. Previously he was the drama critic of the Tribune; the Los Angeles Times; the St. Paul Pioneer Press; the San Diego Union-Tribune; and the Dallas Times Herald
24. Ian Freer
Self | The People vs. George Lucas
British non-fiction author and Film magazine editor, who has written several books relating to films. His most recent work was The Complete Spielberg, a guide to the films of Steven Spielberg.
25. Lisa Schwarzbaum
Lisa Schwarzbaum was born in New York City, New York, USA. She is known for Zoom (1972), For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism (2009) and Who Wants to Be a Super Millionaire (2004).
Joined Entertainment Weekly as a film critic in the 1990s, and remained there until February 2013.
26. Jami Bernard
Self | For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism
Jami Bernard is an award-winning film critic, media consultant, and author. Her books include "Quentin Tarantino: The Man and His Movies," Chick Flicks," "First Films," "Total Exposure," "The Incredible Shrinking Critic," and "Breast Cancer: There & Back." She is a former chair of the New York Film...
Author and media consultant, an award-winning film critic for The New York Post and The New York Daily News, and the founder of Barncat Publishing.
27. Maitland McDonagh
Self | Dead Man Working
Maitland McDonagh was TV Guide Online's Senior Movie Editor from 1998-2008 and in 2012 founded 120 Days Books to republish forgotten gay adult genre novels of the 1970s. Born and raised in New York City, McDonagh received her undergraduate education at Hunter College, CUNY, and earned her MFA in ...
TV Guide Online's Senior Movie Editor.
28. Dave Kehr
Writer | American Masters
Dave Kehr was born in 1953 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for American Masters (1985), Budd Boetticher: An American Original (2005) and Budd Boetticher: A Man Can Do That (2005).
A critic at the Chicago Reader and the Chicago Tribune for many years, he writes a weekly column for The New York Times on DVD releases, in addition to contributing occasional pieces on individual films or filmmakers.
31. David Stratton
Writer | Sunshine and Shadows: 70 Years of Australian Cinema
David Stratton was born on September 10, 1939 in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England, UK. He is an actor and writer, known for Sunshine and Shadows: 70 Years of Australian Cinema (1976), The Bazura Project (2006) and Dance Academy (2010).
English-Australian film critic and television personality.
32. Margaret Pomeranz
Producer | Stone Forever
Margaret Pomeranz was born on July 14, 1944 in Waverley, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. She is a producer and actress, known for Stone Forever (1999), Front Up (1994) and Dance Academy (2010).
Australian film critic and producer and television personality.
33. Leigh Paatsch
Self | Lowdown
Head movie reviewer/journalist for the Melbourne paper 'The Herald Sun'.
Australia Herald Sun film reviewer.
34. Mark Kermode
Self | Kermode & Mayo's Take
Mark Kermode's trademark intense, often frightening rants about various films which he likes or dislikes has earned him something of a 'cult' following in the UK. He began his career in film journalism and broadcasting in the 1980s after studying English at Manchester University, where he wrote his...
English film critic and a member of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. He is the chief film critic for The Observer, and a contributor to Kermode and Mayo's Film Review and Sight and Sound magazine.
35. Betty White
Actress | The Proposal
Betty White was born in Oak Park, Illinois, to Christine Tess (Cachikis), a homemaker, and Horace Logan White, a lighting company executive for the Crouse-Hinds Electric Company. She was of Danish, Greek, English, and Welsh descent.
Although she was best known as the devious Sue Ann Nivens on the ...
I do not have similar taste in film to any of these critics and/or critics in general.
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