It’s hard to imagine Australian film reviewing culture without veteran critic David Stratton. But could retirement be on the cards? In the latest instalment of Meet the Critics, Stratton drops a bombshell.

The term “critic” is subjective. Some film reviewers wear it like a badge of honour while others prefer to distance themselves from the connotations it inevitably draws — of snooty high faluting elitists, perhaps, or bespectacled grey haired academic types. Richard Wilkins, Nine Network entertainment editor and TODAY Show film reviewer, belongs to the latter [...]

Maintaining collaborative relationships with film publicists is a must for every professional film critic, and Clint Morris — long-time reviewer and founder of popular movie website Moviehole — is no exception. Where Morris differs from the pack is in his innate understanding of the PR industry and issues publicists face. After all, he used to [...]

It’s a common perception of film critics: that they’re a bunch of insatiably word-hungry devourers of all kinds of cinema-related writing. But if your job involves writing about film, can reading other people’s commentary feel too much like work? A bit like you never left the office? Erin Free, editor of Australia’s longest running independent [...]

If you ever find yourself transcribing an interview with Marc Fennell, here’s a useful tip: slow the audio down. A lot. “I talk fast at the best of times,” the Red Bull guzzling broadcaster tells Cinetology over the phone while he sits on a hammock, at a family gathering for his grandmother’s 80th birthday. “I [...]

It’s a line of attack sometimes directed at film reviewers, usually by those caught in the cross hairs of a critical lambasting: that critics are failed artists, desperate have-nots, individuals with nary a creative thought floating through their sanctimonious minds. Whilst Sandra Hall, who began reviewing films for The Sydney Morning Herald in 1996 and [...]

Jake Wilson’s journey into the realm of professional criticism is a traditional one, in many senses: a talented writer and a bona fide film geek spends an inordinate amount of hours during high school planted in front of screens and some years later lands a job at a newspaper from a combination of skill, experience [...]

Margaret Pomeranz, along with her equally famous television co-host David Stratton, is as close to film reviewing royalty as one finds in Australia. Her jangling earrings, funky fashion sense, endearing laugh and opened-minded approach to film criticism have become synonymous with cinema discussion Down Under since her impromptu debut on SBS’s The Movie Show in 1986. But [...]