Who is your go-to movie critic?

I've mostly always been an Ebert fan. I think he's perhaps the best writer among critics. However, sometimes I think he can be a little soft on movies and dispense too many 3 1/2 and 4 star reviews. Part of this, I think, is his scale: He judges the movie against what it was trying to do, not against the field.

I find myself liking the work of Slate's Dana Stevens lately. Like a lot of things on that site, she tends to lean negative, but I think she makes some great points well and doesn't seem to be in the tank for the stars, studios, or directors.

 

Ebert and Peter Travers.

 

Armond White.

 

Great, great call. I wanted to give his "Inception" review a standing ovation.

 

Ebert is genius. Dude can write.

I also really like A.O. Scott from the NYT and David Denby from New Yorker Magazine.

 

Ebert, Denby.

 

Ebert

 

Ebert, Liam Lacey from the Globe & Mail and Pauline Kael from Heaven.

 

Friends and family.

 

AP's Christy LeMire

anything she slams has to be good. anything she likes is total crap.

 

I usually just click around Rotten Tomatoes and skim two or three.

Gotta agree with Sonner on friends and family, too.

 

Anthony Lane.

Manohla Dargis.