Announcing the 2011-2012 OFCS Governing Committee

The Online Film Critics Society has elected its new Governing Committee.

Bill Gibron joins the Governing Committe for the first time. The Florida-based critic writes for PopMatters, DVD Verdict, DVD Talk, Filmcritic.com, and Reel.com.

Wesley Lovell returns to the Governing Committee, having previously served in 2006. The Missouri native is the founder of and chief contributor for Cinema Sight.

Pablo Villaça is the Governing Committee's first Brazilian representative. Pablo is the editor of Cinema em Cena and recently joined the ranks of Roger Ebert's "Far-Flung Correspondents."

The three-member Governing Committee will serve through March 2012.

Happy Holidays from the OFCS!

The holidays are here, and we're taking the rest of the week off here at OFCS.org. We'll be back Monday with our announcement of the 2010 OFCS Awards nominees. Until then, happy holidays!

The OFCS Welcomes New Members

The Online Film Critics Society proudly announces the following writers have joined its membership:

• Simon Abrams, writer for Slant Magazine, based in Great Neck, NY
• Eric M. Armstrong, writer for The Moving Arts, based in Wichita, KS
• Jason Bellamy, writer for The Cooler, based in Arlington, VAbbb
• Daniel Carlson, writer for Pajiba, based in Houston, TX
• Robert Cashill, writer for Popdose, based in Brooklyn, NY
• Philip Concannon, writer for Phil on Film, based in London, UK
• Tony Dayoub, writer for Cinema Viewfinder, based in Atlanta, GA
• Xavier Donoso, writer for Cinerama.ec, based in Guayaquil, Guayas, Ecuador
• Mike Everleth, writer for Bad Lit, based in Los Angeles, CA
• Eivind Grøtteland, writer for Filmbyen, based in Oslo, Norway
• Simon Howell, writer for Sound on Sight, based in Montreal, QC
• Craig Kennedy, writer for Living in Cinema, based in Los Angeles, CA
• Eric Kohn, writer for indieWIRE, based in Brooklyn, NY
• Josh Larsen, writer for Larsen on Film, based in Palos Heights, IL
• Laremy Legel, writer for Film.com, based in Seattle, WA
• Mathieu Li-Goyette, writer for Panorama-cinéma, based in Montreal, QC
• Simon Miraudo, writer for Quickflix, based in Perth, Australia
• Brian Prisco, writer for Pajiba, based in North Hollywood, CA
• Jamie S. Rich, writer for DVD Talk, based in Portland, OR
• José M. Robado, writer for Cine Crítico, based in Madrid, Spain
• Thomas Spurlin, writer for ThomasSpurlin.com, based in Palm Coast, FL
• Phil Villarreal, writer for Because I Told You So, based in Tucson, AZ

The OFCS welcomes these fine writers into its ranks.

We've made some changes!

You probably noticed a few design changes at ofcs.org. We hope you like (or at least don't despise) the new look.

The big change, however, will arrive later this week. In addition to all the links of reviews of classic movies and non-mainstream fare, we're finally adding links to reviews of new titles, too. This will hopefully allow you to stay up-to-date with our members' views on all the latest theatrical releases.

Looking for a certain title? Wondering if your favorite OFCS member has covered a certain movie you're thinking of watching? Don't forget to check out the "search" bar in the upper right. It'll find every post where your movie of choice has been mentioned since we started this blog last year.

Questions? Comments? Let us know in the comments section, or by emailing us at gc[at]ofcs.org.

Welcome the new OFCS Governing Committee!

The Online Film Critics Society has elected its new Governing Committee.

Eric D. Snider was re-elected to a second consecutive term on the committee. The Portland, Ore.-based critic writes for Film.com, Cinematical, and EricDSnider.com.

Also elected was Phil Hall, who previously served on the committee from 2002-2009. Hall is the New York-based reviewer for Film Threat and is the author of four books, most recently “The History of Independent Cinema” (BearManor Media, 2009).

David Cornelius, the Cincinnati-based reviewer for eFilmCritic.com, joins the Governing Committee for the first time.

The three-member Governing Committee will serve through March 2011.

the OFCS welcomes new member Roderick Heath

The OFCS is delighted to announce that Roderick Heath has been granted membership in the organization. Heath’s reviews appear at Ferdy on Films, etc..

Heath says:

My desire in film criticism has always been to celebrate the cinema in its diversity, to explore the pleasures and mystique of good movies, and to tackle the cultural resonance of film as both an art form and a vehicle of entertainment. I love to look for signs of creativity and commitment in even the most demeaned genres, and dig as deeply as I can into the meaning of cinema’s most important works and the methods of their creators.

The OFCS welcomes Heath as a member.

the OFCS welcomes new member Ali Gray

The OFCS is delighted to announce that Ali Gray has been granted membership in the organization. Gray’s reviews appear at TheShiznit.co.uk.

Gray says:

I've been writing about cinema for several years now, and TheShiznit.co.uk has existed in some form or another since 2004, but it's only recently that it's taken off and I've found likeminded writers - like those in the OFCS - to share it with. The site's M/O is pretty loose, with regular news, reviews, editorial pieces and list-type features - but everything is written from a personal point of view. I kid myself we like to write about serious film, but really, we tend to be distracted by big, shiny movies - and I suspect that's the way our readers like it too.

The OFCS welcomes Gray as a member.

the OFCS welcomes new member Andrew Schenker

The OFCS is delighted to announce that Andrew Schenker has been granted membership in the organization. Schenker’s reviews appear at The House Next Door, Slant Magazine, The L Magazine, and The Cine File.

The OFCS welcomes Schenker as a member.

the OFCS welcomes new member Edward Howard

The OFCS is delighted to announce that Edward Howard has been granted membership in the organization. Howard’s reviews appear at Only the Cinema and The House Next Door.

Howard says:

I'm a critic who writes about music, comics and movies, currently focusing mostly on film. I try to approach film from a variety of angles, and write about a wide spectrum of cinema, including foreign and independent film, avant-garde film, and classics. One of the most important values I try to maintain in my film writing is avoiding the constant emphasis on "the now," the pressure to always write about every new film that comes out, often at the expense of deeper discourse. Instead, I try to just write about whatever interests me at any given moment. I look forward to being a member of OFCS and interacting with more of my fellow film writers.

The OFCS welcomes Howard as a member.

the OFCS welcomes new member Kim Voynar

The OFCS is delighted to announce that Kim Voynar has been granted membership in the organization. Voynar’s reviews appear at MCN and Film Essent.

Voynar says:

After working for Cinematical since a month or so after its inception, I transitioned over to Movie City News in October 2008. I enjoy films of most genres, though I'm admittedly not crazy about cheesy rom-coms and I've only recently begun warming up to horror with a little hand-holding and guidance from horror-buff friends. I particularly enjoy foreign and independent fare, which is a good thing because I spend a good deal of time on the fest circuit. Lately, I have a serious fetish for the Danes.

I hope to be an active participant in OFCS and to serve the organization in whatever way my skills, such as they are, may be of use. When actual skills aren't needed, I'm always on hand to offer pithy remarks or scintillating conversation.

The OFCS welcomes Voynar as a member.

the OFCS welcomes new member Matthew Aeldun Smith

The OFCS is delighted to announce that Matthew Aeldun Smith has been granted membership in the organization. Smith’s reviews appear at One Film Beyond.

Smith says:

I began One Film Beyond in June 2008 after the prompting of friends and colleagues to create a site expressing my fascination with movies. I hope folks particularly enjoy the weekly “One Film Wonder” entries.

Favorite films are always in flux but The Third Man, Ikiru, and The Road Warrior are never far from the top. I look forward to the dialogue and feedback from the OFCS membership.

The OFCS welcomes Smith as a member.

the OFCS welcomes new member John McCarthy

The OFCS is delighted to announce that John McCarthy has been granted membership in the organization. McCarthy’s reviews appear at Boxoffice, ReelTalk, Catholic Digest, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and and Mini Movie Reviews.

McCarthy says:

I have been writing full-time about film, television and media since 1991. I have written for or been on staff at Daily Variety, TV Guide, Saturday Review, The Motion Picture Guide, America, Catholic Digest, The Museum of Television & Radio (Paley Center), The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, and The British Journal of Aesthetics. Since 1999, I have been the editor of Cineman Syndicate, a service that provides newspapers and online outlets with movie and DVD reviews. In addition, I am a regular contributor to Boxoffice, ReelTalk Movie Reviews, Catholic News Service and am the media correspondent for Catholic Digest. I look forward to being an active member of the Society.

The OFCS welcomes McCarthy as a member.

the OFCS welcomes new member Tyler Foster

The OFCS is delighted to announce that Tyler Foster has been granted membership in the organization. Foster’s reviews appear at DVD Talk, Boxoffice, and The Following Preview.

Foster says:

I have been interested in movies since junior high, but it wasn't until high school that I took a journalism class and decided I liked writing about film. I ended up as the Arts & Entertainment Editor of my high school (Kentwood Invictus) and college papers (Green River Current) for a combined 5 years before my editor at the time told me that I should only cover local material. I moved to the campus radio station The Pulse 1330 and co-hosted a weekly program called Bullet Time for a year before the radio station closed down and I had to leave school for financial reasons. After three or four years away from film writing, I was accepted to the DVDTalk review panel in February (where I write DVD and theatrical reviews) and the Boxoffice.com staff in August (where I write features, reviews and daily news updates), and I run The Following Preview, where updates are sporadic now that I write for Boxoffice. I often read other critics and wonder if my writing will ever be as good as theirs, but in the meantime, constructive criticism is greatly appreciated.

The OFCS welcomes Foster as a member.

the OFCS welcomes new member Marilyn Ferdinand

The OFCS is delighted to announce that Marilyn Ferdinand has been granted membership in the organization. Ferdinand’s reviews appear at Ferdy on Films, etc. and The Beachwood Reporter.

Ferdinand says:

Along with my blog partner, Roderick Heath, I maintain Ferdy on Films, etc., a film review and commentary blog dedicated to reviewing films from every corner of the globe, from silents to today's hottest films. My goals as a film critic are to be accurate, engaging, informative, and ecumenical. I like to shine a light on those "offroad" films that may be overlooked, and I increasingly cover film festivals with complete reviews. I hope my membership in OFCS will help me better my knowledge of film history and criticism, expose me to cinema in other countries I might not have access to, and provide collegial support in the development of my skills and site.

The OFCS welcomes Ferdinand as a member.

the OFCS welcomes new member William Goss

The OFCS is delighted to announce that William Goss has been granted membership in the organization. Goss’s reviews appear at eFilmCritic, Cinematical, Orlando Weekly, and Pajiba.

Goss says:

I'm relatively new to this game, having covered film steadily since 2005. I'm a fan of most any genre, or at least I'd like to think so, and, well, since we're being honest here and all, I must confess to never taking much of a liking to popcorn. I know, weird, right?

I hope that my membership in the OFCS adds credibility to my work, and that it may help me earn both the respect of colleagues and the interest of potential employers alike in this ever-changing industry of ours.

I look forward to being part of this esteemed body.

The OFCS welcomes Goss as a member.

the OFCS welcomes member Nathan Shumate

The OFCS is delighted to announce that Nathan Shumate, a former member, has been granted readmission into the organization. Shumate’s reviews appear at Cold Fusion Video Reviews.

Shumate says:

The subtitle of my site is "Sci-fi, Horror, and General Whoopass." What I cover falls largely under the heading "genre cinema," though I don't always color within those lines. I also lean more toward the seldom-seen and under-reviewed instead of those movies for which you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a review. I look forward to being a charming gadfly in the OFCS, consistently demolishing the definition of "canon." And "worthwhile," for that matter.

The OFCS welcomes Shumate back as a member.

OFCS 2009 awards schedule and categories

The Online Film Critics Society 2009 awards will operate on the following schedule:

December 23-30, 2009: first round of voting
December 31, 2009: nominees announced
January 2-5, 2010: final voting
January 6, 2010: winners announced

OFCS members will vote in the following categories:

Picture
Director
Actor
Actress
Supporting Actor
Supporting Actress
Original Screenplay
Adapted Screenplay
Documentary
Animated Feature
Picture Not in the English Language
Cinematography
Original Score
Editing

the OFCS welcomes new member Paul Brenner

The OFCS is delighted to announce that Paul Brenner has been granted membership in the organization. Brenner’s reviews appear at Filmcritic.com.

Brenner says:

I have had a burning interest in cinema ever since I saw Jerry Lewis with a pith helmet and an elephant gun in Who's Minding the Store? From that point on, my youth was misspent on watching everything from Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood to Weekend. My first film review was for F. for Fake and one thing led to another and I ended up receiving a Master's degree in TV, Radio & Film from Northwestern University. Since that time, I have written for print publications such as The Motion Picture Guide, Magill's Survey of Foreign Language Cinema, and The Encyclopedia of Film. Online publications have included Mediascreen.com, AOL's Critics Choice, The All Movie Guide and Filmcritic.com. At one point, I even worked on the pre-production of an orangutan comedy in Hollywood USA. My critical hero is Manny Farber and my wish is to be as cool as Robert Mitchum and as sarcastic as Groucho Marx.

The OFCS welcomes Brenner as a member.

the OFCS welcomes new member Mike Bracken

The OFCS is delighted to announce that Mike Bracken has been granted membership in the organization. Bracken’s reviews appear at The Horror Geek.com.

Bracken says:

I've been an online film critic for over a decade now. I'll watch and write about anything, but my area of expertise is horror cinema--from modern day slashers, Italian gore epics, zombie flicks, all the way back to the classics. I spent two seasons as The Horror Geek on Comedy Central's pop culture game show Beat the Geeks and I currently run Thehorrorgeek.com. When not covering films online, I review movies for The Big O and Dukes Show on WJFK FM.

The OFCS welcomes Bracken as a member.

the OFCS welcomes new member Amber Wilkinson

The OFCS is delighted to announce that Amber Wilkinson has been granted membership in the organization. Wilkinson’s reviews appear at Eye for Film.

Wilkinson introduces herself:

I'm the co-founder and editorial director of Eye For Film. We're based in Scotland and aim to produce quality online journalism that covers more than movies in the mainstream. I'm a big film festival goer and watch a lot of independent and foreign language cinema. I also watch a lot of short films - I believe they are a breeding ground not only of new talent but of fresh ideas which often go on to have an impact in bigger budget features. I'm a huge fan of Spanish language cinema and I have a weakness for sweet popcorn.

The OFCS welcomes Wilkinson as a member.