Essay Question: Queasicam

OFCS members answer the question:

Has the current craze for handheld and queasicam generally contributed positively to the look and feel of films, or has it generally been a fad that has been handled badly and that should go away?

Read responses after the jump.

Essay Question: A Single Movie Gift

OFCS members answer the question:

If you had to give your friends just one DVD (or Blu-ray) as a holiday gift, which one would you choose, and why?

Answers after the jump.

OFCS Top 100: 100 Best First Films

For movie lovers, there are few things more exciting than the discovery of a bold new filmmaker. Through cinema history, many extraordinary directors immediately made their marks on the industry with their first feature-length films.

The Online Film Critics Society celebrates the innovations and ingenuity of these extraordinary artists by presenting its selection of the 100 Best First Feature Films of All Time. Spanning the cinematic experience from the silent era to the digital age, the OFCS writers pay tribute to the most impressive filmmaking debuts of all time.

Read the list after the jump.

OFCS Top 100: Top 100 Overlooked Films of the 1990s

A new OFCS Top 100 is coming soon: our "100 Best First Films" celebrates the best in directorial debut efforts. Voting is currently underway, and the list will be announced Monday, October 4. To celebrate the arrival of the new list - our first since 2004 - we're taking a trip back in time, reposting our previous Top 100s.

The OFCS Top 100 Overlooked Films of the 1990s was announced in 2004. Read the list after the jump.

OFCS Top 100: Top 100 Animated Features

A new OFCS Top 100 is coming soon: our "100 Best First Films" celebrates the best in directorial debut efforts. Voting is currently underway, and the list will be announced Monday, October 4. To celebrate the arrival of the new list - our first since 2004 - we're taking a trip back in time, reposting our previous Top 100s.

The OFCS Top 100 Animated Features was announced in 2003. Read the list after the jump.

OFCS Top 100: Top 100 Villains of All Time

A new OFCS Top 100 is coming soon: our "100 Best First Films" celebrates the best in directorial debut efforts. Voting is currently underway, and the list will be announced Monday, October 4. To celebrate the arrival of the new list - our first since 2004 - we're taking a trip back in time, reposting our previous Top 100s.

The OFCS Top 100 Villains of All Time was announced in 2002. Read the list after the jump.

OFCS Top 100: Top 100 Sci-Fi Films

A new OFCS Top 100 is coming soon: our "100 Best First Films" celebrates the best in directorial debut efforts. Voting is currently underway, and the list will be announced Monday, October 4. To celebrate the arrival of the new list - our first since 2004 - we're taking a trip back in time, reposting our previous Top 100s.

The OFCS Top 100 Top Sci-Fi Films was announced in 2002. Read the list after the jump.

Essay Question: Our Remake Wishes

OFCS members answer the question:

If you had the chance to remake any film, which one would you remake?

Answers after the jump.

Essay Question: The Worst Miscasting

OFCS members answer the question:

What do you think was the most severe case of movie miscasting?

Answers after the jump.

Essay Question: Unseen Classics

OFCS members answer the question:

What classic film(s) have you never seen? Why not?

Answers after the jump.

Essay Question: Online vs. Print

OFCS members answer the question:

A recent article in the Chicago Tribune claims that online reviewers have "dumbed down" film criticism. Where does Internet-based film criticism fall behind its print and broadcast counterparts? What makes Internet-based film criticism stand out from other mediums?

Answers after the jump.

Essay Question: Is it possible to teach film criticism?

OFCS members answer the question:

“Is it possible to teach film criticism? If so, what’s the most important advice you would impart to students about what to expect from the work?”

Answers after the jump.

OFCS member Mark Dujsik responds to Kevin Smith

Filmmaker Kevin Smith’s recent tirade against critics -- who savaged his film Cop Out -- has inspired plenty of reaction, including this open letter from OFCS member Mark Dujsik:

It's not personal. It's professional. Look at criticism as a necessary evil, if you must look at it disparagingly. I don't think you do. After all, you've delved into it yourself, as a guest host on the now cancelled "At the Movies" (twice), during your touring sessions, and in off-the-cuff remarks, like the one how Tim Burton not reading comic books explains his Batman.

Read the rest here.

Essay Question: Is it possible any longer to maintain the secret of a film's twist or surprise ending?

OFCS members answer the question:

In the age of Twitter and Facebook, is it possible any longer to maintain the secret of a film's twist or surprise ending? Will the easy dissemination of spoilers change how filmmakers make films?

Answers after the jump.

Essay Question: What does the firing of Variety’s film critics mean for the future of criticism?

OFCS members answer the question:

What does the firing of Variety’s staff film critics, and the statement by Variety editor Tim Gray that “it doesn’t make economic sense to have full-time reviewers,” mean -- if anything -- for the future of film criticism?

(Background on the issue here and here.)

Answers after the jump.

Essay Question: Should Kevin Smith be more open to criticism?

OFCS members answer the question, suggested by member A.J. Hakari:

“In the past week or so on Twitter, Kevin Smith has taken a lot of critics to task for not ‘getting’ Cop Out, which has incurred some pretty poor reviews. I know I’d like to know what my fellow OFCSers think about the issue, whether he should be more open to criticism or at least handle it with more maturity than he’s been displaying on his Twitter account.”

Answers after the jump.

Essay Question: What was the biggest cinematic flop, disappointment, or failure of the 2000-2009 decade?

OFCS members answer the question, suggested by member Don Levit:

“What do you think was the biggest cinematic flop, disappointment, or failure of the 2000-2009 decade?”

Answers after the jump.

Survey Says: OFCS members chose the best GWOT war film

In advance of the release of Green Zone and the possibility of The Hurt Locker winning Best Picture at the upcoming Oscars, the members of the Online Film Critics Society have voted Kathryn Bigelow’s movie about an American bomb disposal squad in Iraq the best movie about the Iraq/Afghanistan/GWOT war. With 34 members responding to the poll, The Hurt Locker came out on top by a wide margin: 22 votes.

Other films that received at least one vote:

The Messenger (3 votes)
In the Valley of Elah (2 votes)

And with one vote apiece:

Battle for Haditha
Delta Farce
Pig Hunt
Redacted
Taxi to the Dark Side
Standard Operating Procedure
The Way We Get By

Essay Question: How much should critics worry about spoiling a film?

OFCS members answer the question:

“How much should critics worry about spoiling a film?”

This was inspired by critic Christian Toto calling out Rex Reed for spoiling The Wolfman in his review of that film and Stephanie Bunbury’s recent discussion in The Sydney Morning Herald about how long critics should wait before not worrying about spoiling.

Answers after the jump.

Survey Says: OFCS members chose their favorite Martin Scorsese film

In advance of the release of his latest film, Shutter Island, the members of the Online Film Critics Society have voted Goodfellas their favorite Martin Scorsese narrative (ie, non-documentary) movie. The 1990 mob drama came out on top by a slim margin: with 37 members voting, 10 named the film their favorite, but the second ranked movie was close behind. Other films that received at least one vote:

Taxi Driver (9 votes)
Raging Bull (6 votes)
The King of Comedy (3 votes)
Bringing Out the Dead (2 votes)
Casino (2 votes)
The Aviator (1 vote)
Cape Fear (1 vote)
Kundun (1 vote)
Mean Streets (1 vote)
New York, New York (1 vote)

One member took exception to the exclusion of Scorsese’s documentaries: