Browse: Home / The Value of Criticism

Menu

Skip to content
  • Home
  • Who We Are
  • About
  • Privacy
  • Contact Us
  • Login

The-SoluteLogo

A Film Site By Lovers of Film

Menu

Skip to content
  • Features
  • Reviews
  • Long Reviews
  • News
  • Articles and Opinions
  • Other Media
  • Year of the Month: Haley Ioppini on PROCOL HARUM
  • Lunch Links: OUT
  • Choose
  • Year of the Month: Sunil Patel on THE DIRTY DOZEN
  • Film on the Internet: THE RENTAL

The Value of Criticism

Posted By Gillianren on May 15, 2019 in Short Articles | Leave a response

Most of the time, the articles I post here are first drafts. This is especially true in the case of obituaries, of course, because I am getting them posted as quickly as I can. There are also more times than I care to admit when I’ve gotten busy or distracted and end up posting at or even just beyond the minute I schedule my articles as due. I try to take a little time to read it over for spelling and grammatical errors, but we don’t have any copy editors on this site; we’re all responsible for our own editing, and I’m sure I miss things.

However, I have taken real writing classes, and I know the value of constructive criticism. I’ve workshopped pieces, both as the writer and as a reader. I’ve taken a bit of journalism, too, and I know how to properly handle that aspect of things. I’ve talked before about how you don’t have to know how to do a thing in order to know when it’s been done badly, but what I think few people seem to realize is that criticizing well and in a helpful manner is itself a skill, and it’s one that is valuable in its own right.

Now, admittedly, the best time to get that criticism is before you put your art out there in public view in the first place, and there have been several pieces where I’ve gone out of my way to get them written early so I could make sure they worked. When you write a tribute to Dr. Seuss in rhyme, you get at least one or two people to vet that thing for you, is all I’m saying. (Wait until I get around to Cookie Monster.) However, there eventually comes the time when you have to quit dinking around and just publish. Or screen. Or perform.

In that moment, the point of criticism becomes “do better next time.” Even if that’s something so simple as “find someone to proofread, because your spelling and grammar are terrible.” You have the option of learning from that or not; it’s on you. Often, the response to criticism seems to be just doubling down—oh, you don’t like it because it’s not for you. You’re missing my point. The failing is with you, not with me, and therefore isn’t a failing at all. Or I will put a speech into my movie talking about how obtuse all critics are; that’ll surely show you and not just bog down the movie for no good reason!

Is all criticism justified? No, absolutely not. And indeed, sometimes “it’s not for you” is a perfectly reasonable response. I’ve never quite understood why so many publications will have someone screen the newest MCU movie who explicitly says they don’t like superhero movies. In the world outside of professional criticism (and whatever you want to call Douglas Laman), people don’t go see movies in genres they don’t enjoy if they can avoid it. I myself can point to work of my own that has an obvious audience and won’t do anything for people who fall outside it.

And, of course, there’s the obnoxious trend of snarking on things for no good reason—I firmly believe that a strong aspect of good criticism is finding the good even in things you don’t otherwise like, or at least being able to see them if they’re there. If you can’t say anything good about anything, the problem is clearly you. But “it’s not for critics” is the dumbest response I can think of, because most people initially become critics out of love of the thing they’re criticizing. It’s when they don’t seem to have done that that criticism feels unjustified and worth ignoring.

I do this for love, but you could still help me out by supporting my Patreon or Ko-fi!

Posted in Short Articles | Tagged constructive criticism, criticism

About the Author

gillianmadeira@hotmail.com'

Gillianren

Gillianren is a forty-something bipolar woman living in the Pacific Northwest after growing up in Los Angeles County. She and her boyfriend have one son and one daughter, and she gave a daughter up for adoption. She fills her days by watching her local library system’s DVD collection in alphabetical order, watching everything that looks interesting. She particularly enjoys pre-Code films, blaxploitation, and live-action Disney movies of the ’60s and ’70s. She has a Patreon account at https://www.patreon.com/gillianren

Related Posts

The Right StuffedThe Friday Article Roundup: Workers Unite!→

This could also be a pre-COVID screening of Cafe Society.The Friday Article Roundup: Mission Critical→

"Yep, that's a good likeness of Anthony Lane."Taco Break: Criticism vs. Experience (from Son of Griff)→

Let People Dislike Things, Too→

  • Comments
  • Popular
  • Most Recent
  • j*****@yahoo.com'
    mr_apollo on Year of the Month: Mon OncleWonderful piece, Sam. It's made…
  • j*****@yahoo.com'
    mr_apollo on Year of the Month: Mon OncleFellow heretic here. I've never…
  • n***********@gmail.com'
    Ruck Cohlchez on Film on the Internet: AN AMERICAN CRIMEI wouldn't have called it…
  • j***********@gmail.com'
    Son of Griff on LIFE ITSELFGlad to hear back from…
  • n*********@gmail.com'
    Jake Gittes on Film on the Internet: AN AMERICAN CRIMEThis is the single most…
  • “The End” of SAVAGES

    31036 views / Posted November 10, 2014
  • What the fuck did I just watch? SPHERE

    26554 views / Posted March 19, 2015
  • Scenic Routes: SHOWGIRLS (1995)

    19053 views / Posted November 20, 2014
  • The Untalented Mr. Ripley: The Craft of Standup Comedy and the Non-Comedy of TOM MYERS

    18346 views / Posted June 26, 2018
  • Yvonne, or: CASABLANCA In One Character and Three Scenes

    9700 views / Posted August 21, 2014
  • Year of the Month: Haley Ioppini on PROCOL HARUM

    June 30, 2022 / Sam "Burgundy Suit" Scott
  • "Based on a true story."

    Lunch Links: OUT

    June 30, 2022 / The Ploughman
  • Is this someone you want making choices for you?

    Choose

    June 29, 2022 / Gillianren
  • Year of the Month: Sunil Patel on THE DIRTY DOZEN

    June 29, 2022 / Sam "Burgundy Suit" Scott
  • Film on the Internet: THE RENTAL

    June 29, 2022 / ZoeZ

Last Tweets

  • Year of the Month: Haley Ioppini on PROCOL HARUM - https://t.co/KVDKLupAS5, 6 hours ago
  • Finish out Pride Month with this week's Lunch Link OUT. https://t.co/tkEDYM1tzF, 10 hours ago
  • Choose - https://t.co/sqVw2yHzWR, Jun 29

©2014 - 2016 The-Solute | Hosted, Developed and Maintained by Bellingham WP LogoBellinghamWP.com.

Menu

  • Home
  • Who We Are
  • About
  • Privacy
  • Contact Us
  • Login
Do NOT follow this link or you will be banned from the site!