Critics. Good news, bad news.

"The good news is that my rehabilitation is a profound education in the realities of the daily lives we lead, and my mind is still capable of being delighted by cinematic greatness," writes Roger Ebert at his site. He's written his first review in months (of The Queen) and he plans to cover the Oscars and Cannes and stage his Overlooked Film Festival in between. Very good news indeed.

The bad news isn't really news anymore (it's been an odd week for the Daily), but bears noting nonetheless. "[I]t's come time to realize that for those who want a truly alternative newsweekly, throw in the towel, accept the end, the Voice is dead." Last week, Anthony Kaufman recalled some of Dennis Lim's finest moments as film editor and critic at what was once a vital read. More from Ed Park, who asks, "What is this grand scheme that the Voice's new(ish) owners have that involves getting rid of the most talented writer-editor I've ever worked with?"

J Hoberman hangs on, and we find him this week reviewing Terry Gilliam's "courageously repellent" Tideland, a film that "seems to have been made for rubbernecking. Gilliam has suffered more than his share of butchered projects, but with this exercise in kamikaze auteurism, he appears to have made exactly the mess he wanted." Fortunately, there's more from J Hoberman, too, to point to in other entries coming up shortly.

Posted by dwhudson at October 12, 2006 1:15 PM