More Critics on Criticism

For those of you who pay attention to such things, Ross Douthat--who frequently serves as both book and film critic--adds to the cacaphony of discussion about the role of the critic. In the course of sharing those thoughts, he gives much love to Brick, a film I very much enjoyed, as well as some general praise to The Illusionist, a rather gorgeous looking movie that, against the critical grain, I found to be remarkably empty. For a far better (though still somewhat flawed) recent performance by Edward Norton, I'd urge everyone to check out Down in the Valley, a haunting, poisoned-dream of a movie that blends Taxi Driver with the myths of the classic Western.