Film criticism

The film criticism or film criticism is the analysis and evaluation of films, individually or collectively. It can generally be divided into academic criticism, by specialists in film theory, and journalistic criticism, which appears regularly in newspapers and other media.

Journalistic criticism

Film critics work for the print media, magazines, and broadcasting, primarily reviewing new releases. Critics usually see the movie once and have only a day or two to formulate their opinions. Despite this, criticism has a major impact on movies, especially certain film genres. Commercial action movies, horror and comedies are usually largely unaffected by general criticism. The summary of the plot and its description have a greater impact on people who decide whether or not to see the film. In other genres, such as drama, reviews are more important: negative reviews can result in little-known and financial loss.

The impact of reviews on box office receipts is a matter of debate. There are claims that the marketing of movies is so intense and heavily financed that critics can't do anything about it. However, both the commercial failures of some highly promoted films (for example, Alejandro, in the United States), which were harshly criticized, and the unexpected success of praised independent films (such as Pulp Fiction ) indicate that extreme critical reactions can have considerable influence.^{[citation needed]}

Since positive reviews generally lead to higher grosses, movie studios try to court movie critics. Any major release is accompanied by press materials (promotional materials) containing background information, photos for use in publications, and sometimes small gifts. Television film critics are often given clips from the film that they can use in their shows.^{[citation needed]}

Empty criticism

. These accolades often appear in publicity for the film. They usually include expressions such as "Spectacular", "Wonderful" or "Exciting".^{[citation needed]}

David Manning, a fictional film critic created by a Sony marketing executive, has been called a quote whore, for his phrases that often appear on promotional posters for the film. Columbia Pictures.^{[citation required]}

Academic criticism

There are claims that journalistic film critics should be called film reporters, leaving the name of film critic to academics. This work is more related to film theory or film studies. The fusion between the two models becomes evident in the work of André Bazin, where critical theory was not at odds with reflection on the very act of journalistic criticism. Currently, there is a certain interest in separating theory from criticism, when good criticism is the one that is closely related to thinking about cinema.

Instead of using media such as television or magazines, critical articles are published in specialized magazines. Additionally, academic critics often work for or are affiliated with universities.

The Journal's logo is a design by Antonio Pezzino, made in 1959 to illustrate the program of the French Film Week, which took place in Montevideo, at the Cine Club of Uruguay. The work was done directly on zinc plate.

Ethics and cinema

Since its very beginnings, cinema has displayed many ethical problems. With the growth and expansion of the film industry, these issues have reached an increasingly massive audience, and interesting debates have been generated inside and outside of academia. The advent of digital technology brought a new twist, and today there is a renewed surge of cinematic passion. The possibility of filming and projecting in high quality at low costs, the access to large screens and sophisticated audio systems have extended the cinema experience far beyond commercial theaters. In this way, technological excellence allows access to various sources, thus renewing the opportunity for an expectant and creative act. At the same time, the treatment of ethical issues in science and technology has increased significantly, as has the inclusion of problems related to human rights. Aesthetic production, associated with conceptual reflection and community initiatives, has gradually become an important tool in the perspective of social change. A survey of the available panorama shows that ethical issues are posed in the cinema from a double perspective. On the one hand, when the cinema explicitly proposes to bring contemporary ethical debates to the screen; on the other, when spectators and analysts find in the work of art the occasion for moral and ethical reflection, often surprising the initial intentions of its creator. In both cases, the result is an extraordinary experience of thought and action.

The University of Buenos Aires has been holding an International Congress on Ethics and Online Cinema since 2011 without interruption (2012-2013-2014-2015-2016 -2017 -2018 -2019 -2020 -2021 - 2022).

External Links

• About bioethics and cinema