Free Republic

Movie criticism is a field dominated by white men, according to a new study by researchers at USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. White critics wrote 82% of the reviews of the top 100-grossing films of last year, while critics from underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds penned a mere 18% of the reviews of those movies. The study notes that doesn’t reflect the representation of these ethnic and racial groups in society — U.S. census data finds that individuals from these groups comprise nearly 39% of the population. The situation wasn’t much better when it came to the gender...

Ms. Schlussel, a well-known conservative with an interest in Islam, speculates that she may have been shut out for having slammed Paramount’s documentary critique of the public education system, “Waiting for Superman.” On Oct. 8, Ms. Schlussel asked in a review whether anybody really believed that the well-parented, highly intelligent, behaviorally intact children portrayed in “Waiting for Superman” were typical of inner city kids. “Only if you are a moron,” she wrote, in her typically take-no-prisoners fashion. “And that’s how I’d describe anyone who buys into this movie.” After that, said Ms. Schussel, she became “haraam.” That would be Arabic,...

What would everyone consider the best 5 movies of this last decade?

"Kill Bill Vol. 2" Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino; starring Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Daryl Hannah and Michael Madsen The conclusion to "Kill Bill Vol. 1" -- like the first film, starring the dynamic Uma Thurman as the Bride and the deadpan David Carradine as her former lover and arch-nemesis Bill -- is a marvelous bloodbath full of amazing action and surprising plot twists. The first film was about revenge, and believe it or not, this second movie is about love -- albeit a warped, Tarantino type of love. Uma Thurman is nothing short of magnificent. Quentin Tarantino has...

The Bush administration has been dealt a setback in its campaign to allow prayer in our public schools. The full 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals has voted 15-9 to back the 2-1 vote by its earlier panel finding the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional because of the words ''under God.'' The pledge, written in 1892, had those words added to it in 1954, during the Eisenhower administration, and I remember a nun in our Catholic school telling us we had to say it because it was the law--but it was wrong, because it violated the principle of separating church and...

This Friday's "Give Me A Break" is about the tricks movie studios use to fool us. When Sony's "Vertical Limit" came out, Sony ran ads saying, "Critics declare... movies don't get more exciting than this." The "more exciting" quote came from Dave Manning of the Ridgefield Press. Did you see "The Animal?" It was awful. "Rolling Stone" said the movie "reeks." But David Manning called it "Another winner!" Critics called "Hollow Man" garbage," and "rotten to the core." But Dave Manning liked "Hollow Man," too. How could he rave about all these lousy movies? Easy. Because Manning doesn't exist. He...