As our 2nd Critic on the Spot, we welcome Carrie Rickey, film critic for the Philadelphia Inquirer for 21 years. Her reviews are syndicated nationwide and she is a regular contributor
to Entertainment Weekly, MSNBC and NPR. Rickey’s essays appear in
numerous anthologies, including “The Rolling Stone History of Rock
& Roll,” “The American Century,” and the Library of America’s
“American Movie Critics.” Carrie also hosts a spirited blog, Flickgrrl.
Every few days, we'll post a new Q&A between Carrie and one of us. Here's #2, this one from Sylvie Stewart.
Q:
Other than technological advances, in what ways do you think films are better in the 21st century and in what ways do you think they have gotten worse? How do you feel the character of contemporary film has shaped the "typical" American of today (if you'd like to address different generations or age groups, that'd be great!)
A:
There are certain evolutionary advances so subtle that I think they are worth mentioning. I love those oldies but goodies on TCM, Sylvie. But when I see a Bogart movie that shows Sam Spade driving up to his office building, cut to exiting his car, cut to walking up the stairs to his office, I’m glad that millennial exposition moves more swiftly. In a 21st century film: close up of car easing into the curb, cut to private eye slamming his office door and opening his computer. Digital editing is a huge help in making movies move faster, as is the visual literacy of viewers who don’t need to be shown every move to infer what a character is doing. Lightweight cameras and apparatuses such as the SteadiCam have enabled directors to get into a character’s skin and shoes, greatly benefitting first-person narratives.
When you say “character of American film,” my first thought is how niche-marketing has killed the movie meant for general audiences. Day after day I see a multiplex lobby that represents America in its racial, gender and generational diversity. But then I see the audience splinter into demographics, i.e., the middle-aged women going to “Mamma Mia!,” African-American twentysomethings queueing up for Spike Lee’s “Inside Man,” (which ultimately won a broader audience), ‘tween girls in line for “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants,” and college-aged students waiting for an Errol Morris documentary. The only film I’ve seen in the last year that had different demographics was “Juno.”
The most influential movie characters over the last 30 years, interestingly enough, have come from two Amy Heckerling movies: In fashion and language, Sean Penn’s Spicoli in “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” imprinted the persona of male slacker and Alicia Silverstone’s Cher in “Clueless” that of female fashionista/do-gooder. Go to any middle school or high school in America and you’ll see legions of Spicolis and Chers.
As for inspirational figures, Tom Hanks and Will Smith share the mantle once worn by Jimmy Stewart, all-American team players and all-around honorable guys. Julia Roberts and Sandra Bullock are always cited as the actresses most respected by Americans, but their personas are more elusive than those of Hanks and Smith.
