The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
CRITIC INTERVIEW
Gleiberman gets
critical at the U

Monday, October 4, 2010 - 7A

Once you go digital...

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EW film critic kind of funny about it."
"When you're writing a review
urns to teach at about a really great movie, like
'Brokeback Mountain' or 'The
alma mater Wrestler,' that's the greatest chal-
lenge," he added. "Because for
By JENNIFER XU those movies in a way it's not good
DailyArrs Writer enough to say that they're very dra-
matic or moving. You do get into
sall group of students circle some certain mysteries of person-
I a man wearing an open ality and your job asa critic is to try
uit jacket and jeans. The first to capture those."
an he poses A former writer and editor
e initially for The Michigan Daily, Gleiber-
and ne- OWen man began a correspondence and
lass: What Gleibeman friendship with The New Yorker's
criticism? inimitable Pauline Kael during his
is the Tomorrow junioryearafter delivering apraise-
Arts & at12 p.m. infused letter to her mailbox. Kael
es class Institute for the eventually helped Gleiberman land
Art and Humanities, his first job straight out of college,
e of Film Room 2022 as a critic for the Boston Phoenix.
sm: How The friendship fizzled, however,
ink About Writing About after Gleiberman refused to back
s, a three-week minicourse up Kael on certain "pet causes" she
by Entertainment Weekly had - her passion for the direc-
ritic Owen Gleiberman, a tor Brian de Palma, for instance,
'sity alum. according to Gleiberman.
e basic question of movie "I take my opinions very seri-
ing is: Who are our reviews ously, but not to the point where it
written for - those who have starts to affect personal relation-
y seen the film or those who ships. That just seems misguided,"
t?" Gleiberman said. "The he said.
- both." As a critic renowned for embrac-
entially, I'm writing my ing both high and low culture with
for people who have seen panache, Gleiberman never tip-
ovie. Tons and tons of peo- toes around his highly provocative
viously read reviews after opinions, most recently selecting
e seen the movie - it's almost the summer blockbuster "Incep-
ential purpose of criticism. tion" as his target, claiming "I just
g said that, another purpose didn't understand it."
icism is to be a consumer "I do think that you need to look
That's always been part of at every movie in terms of what it's
you have to write a review trying to do," he said. "You're really
ople who have already seen asking inthe case of each and every
ivie, but it has to be able to movie, how engaging was this?
d by people who haven't, in How much did it entertain me? In
that doesn't completely shut a way there is a uniformity to the
ut." grading scale, and I don't feel like I
r giving a lecture at the Hon- grade on a curve. I gave the movie
ogram two years ago, Glei- 'Hostel: Part II' a B - people ask
n became acquainted with me, is this just because it's a horror
Herwitz, director of the genre film? No, this was actually
te for the Humanities and kind of an interesting film. What's
t SAC professor. Herwitz really interesting about my job is
it about the idea of a class that a good film can really come
ed around film criticism to from anywhere - it can be high or
iven the time constraints of low or in-between."
rman's full-time job, how- In each of his reviews and blog
ie was not able to teach a posts, hundreds of commenters
semester's worth of material. make it a regular habit to decry
d, the class was transformed Gleiberman's taste and writing
one-credit mini-course that style.
be limited to only 15 people. "I have detractors out there that
timate setting would allow are kind of religious about hating
tailed discussion about the me," he said. "Because I wrote that
ry and what it was like to review where I totally panned '
well written movie review. Brother, Where Art Thou?' or more
portion of the class, Gleiber- recently, 'Let the Right One In' -
ighlighted the distinctions it's now my personal article of faith
en a review about a bad film thatI mustchate you and I can't take
review about an excellent you seriously."
"I think that people these days
e reason that's fun to write are very uncomfortable with dis-
isty, bad review is not really sension," he added. "Everything
in such a nasty person, but is so stratified now, and you defi-
e what that review requires nitely see this when people are
ertain mode," he said. "It talking about politics. And in a far
es you to be a comedian. It more trivial way, you see it in arts
es to be not just bitchy but criticism. All these little camps, all

these little clubs - either you're in
my club or you're not. And so it's
like you're attacking people's club if
you're not a fan of their movie."
Gleiberman is unapologetic
about the things he likes and
doesn't like.
"I think the phrase 'guilty plea-
sure' has become a bullshit term,"
he said. "There are so many things
that people watch and enjoy that
may not necessarily be works of
art, but are they really guilty about
watching them?"
"I think that 'Jersey Shore' is
a show that some people tend to
think of as a guilty pleasure, but
that's because they don't want to
own up to what really engages
them," Gleiberman said.
"Something in America that
hasn't been always there has been
this party culture, this kind of
spring break, frat house party cul-
ture. And okay, so youth party cul-
ture has become a bigthing, and the
people on 'Jersey Shore' are really
good at it."
"I also think that the fights on
that show are great," he added.
"Sure, we all know that parts of
reality television have elements of
manipulation to it, but it's too easy
to say it's all staged. And when you
watch a show, your gut can kind of
tell you whether it's real or not. And
I have seen fights on'Jersey Shore,'
whether they're physical fights or
verbal fights, that remind me of
scenes of Scorsese.
He continued, "When you think
about what people love a movie
about 'Goodfellas,' like Joe Pesci
throwing a psychopathic fit, it's
partly the mesmerizing quality of
watching somebody get so angry. I
think that could be there in 'Jersey
Shore'And while that doesn't make
'Jersey Shore' a work of art, there's
certainly a mesmerizing quality
to it. And so why do (people) have
to be calling something like this a
guilty pleasure?
Gleiberman also addressed the
question that many have struggled
to answer - the state of criticism in
the future.
"There's sometimes the tempta-
tion to take what's going on online
less seriously than what's in print,"
he said. "But there's a part of me
that believes that a piece of writing
is a piece of writing. The second you
put two words together - I don't
care if it's an email, an article or a
presidential speech - it's a piece
of writing, it's a piece of prose - it
can be good or bad or somewhere in
between."
"Of course there are going to
be differences, and I'm interested
in talking about them," he added.
"But before you do, isn't it worth
saying that, gee, the fact that what
we read used to be on dead trees
and now is digital - does it really
mean that the content is chang-
ing so profoundly? Can't it just be
that the means of transmission is
changing?"

ast winter I took Introduc-
tion to Film, Video and
Television Production.
The most valuable experience I
obtained from
this class was
the hands-on
work with
16mm film. I
went into the
class looking
for an introduc-
tory course on ANKUR
filmmaking SOHONI
and came out
with a better
understanding of the roots of the
art itself.
In one especially memorable
session, we learned how to manu-
ally thread film through an old
Kodak projector. The projector that
we were working on seemed to be
in good order, so we did our best to
follow our instructor's directions.
Everything was set up: All the
film was thread into the take-up
reel, all the spikes in the sprockets
and all the necessary gates closed.
One of my group members pushed
the lever forward and the film
started to roll.
While the projector ran, she
excitedly turned around to our
other classmates and exclaimed,
"It's like the Dharma Initiative!"
referring to the training films in
TV's "Lost." But that's when our
projector went horribly wrong.
Something got caught, it didn't
advance, film went flying upwards
and for just a few moments too
long, a single frame was trapped in
the beam of light.
The surreal result was the
projected image of a frame of
film melting from the inside out.
Whether you've seen it before in a
movie like "Persona" or as a video
editing effect, the experience of
seeing a gaping hole in the cellu-
loid on a physical strip of film was
profoundly strange.
I learned, through that expe-
rience and our continued use
of 16mm film, to appreciate the
inherent difficulties the physi-
cal medium entails - to respect
filmmaking at its most basic level.
Moving on to a digital video proj-
ect later in the class, it was never
really satisfying to play with Final
Cut Pro when we had already
worked with film.

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t said, physical film is been fully explored, and has yetto
ing in modern-day cinema. be understood by film viewers.
ajority of big Hollywood Digital cameras allow for more
ctions are still shot on 35mm freedom in movement and can
ut digital has made huge capture much more realistic shots
in recentyears. from difficult perspectives. At the
decades, movies thatuse same time, digital cameras have
roughoutthe production come to a technological point
s have converted to digital at which quality is no longer an
ting purposes, and then issue. The disadvantages of digital
d back to film for distribu- are quickly disappearing.
ut even the two processes in In distribution, it's about time
physical film still dominates we realize that our romantic
ting and distribution - are notion of the projection booth,
y being taken over by digital. with a projectionist switching
e and more movies are reels, isn't quite as valuable as
shot in digital using it once was. Projectionists are
ced camera technologies important, and no matter what the
g film quality. "The Social format being used inthe booth,
rk," which was released this there should be a human atthe
riday, is just such a produc- reigns. But if you've ever seen a
he movie was shot on the poorly projected film - whether
ne camera, the main prod- it's incorrectframing, pushing the
Red Digital Cinema Camera titles half off the bottom of the
any and one of the main screen; or your favorite star's face
placement cameras cur- squished into the wrong aspect
being used in Hollywood. ratio - you know how often film
he distribution category, projection becomes a problem.
multiplexes - including Ann Digital projection offers a more
s Rave Motion Pictures - consistently clear and faithful
w equipped with digital picture and it won't wear out so
tion for certain blockbuster quickly.
The main incentive for This country loves to hold on to
tradition, and the movie industry
is a prime example. It's why every
should Academy Awards is as much a cel-
.yOU ebration of the past as recognition
go back. of the present. It's why the film
ver C canon is seemingly locked in and
contemporary films are treated like
its bastard children. Hollywood,
studios seems to be the like its home country, has hubris in
igital is a deal compared to its own history, and fails to realize
ng film reels. A digital movie how much more it can do.
orage device is both easier Digital cinematography is a
sport and less susceptible brave step in the right direction.
reciation than film. Film (for lack of a better term)
that being said: Why digi- is a young art, and it would be
hy should it matter to the foolish to stop an innovation
goer? Not many people pay with so much potential. Physi-
ion to the format of their cal film remains important as a
e movies, as long as it's in foundational form, regardless of
on the bigscreen. And stu- the reigningtechnology in the
iciency shouldn't really be industry. While every filmmaker
roblem. should study and use film, they
my question is: Why not shouldn't hesitate to also use digi-
? There's a charm to physi- tal. The possibilities of digital are
m, sure, and it's everything unknown, and we should embrace
dustry is based on. We use it and its power to create some-
ird "film" because it sounds thing new.

ticated, and the medium
ch it refers is just so. But
sophistication to digital
as well - an art that hasn't

Sohoni has gone digital with
his mail. Send him an electronic
message at asohoni@umich.edu.


SUB TERRAIN
From Page 6A
manipulating the images by turn-
ing the camera on the screen, and
I was inspired by an artist named
Tony Oursler, who does a lot of
interesting work with different
forms of face projections."
With its own room in the "Sub
Terrain" exhibit, Face Lift has
been able to evolve since its first
production.
"(The room) really encloses the
piece, but also, it's the first time
we had the opportunity to set it up
so that the participants are more
or less face-to-face, which I think
is how we originally intended,"
Wagner explained. "In the original
idea, we wanted to make a real-
time video delay, caused by using
a cable connecting the camera and
projector that was at least five hun-
dred feet long."
Thompson has striven to cre-
ate an exhibition that not only has
WRITE FOR
DAILY ARTS.
WE GIVE

mysterious and thought-provoking
works, but pieces that are eye-
catching as well.
"I want all the work to be
intriguing enough and interesting
enough to look at on an aesthetic
value, whether it's color or form
or subject matter," Thompson
explained. "The exhibit is kind of
like a buffet - there's all these dif-
ferent visual flavors going on. If
someone wanted to see a painting
show they would only be partially
satisfied, so I tried to make some-
thing for everybody and to repre-
sent different media."
"Sub Terrain" is built to encour-
age confrontation of subjects
unknown to the viewer.
"You look at it and think you can

understand, you think, 'I can break
this down, I can analyze it and it'll
make sense,' but really the work
has this element where it defies
precise logic," Thompson said. "It's
not a Freudian show."
Having less than a week to
replace the old show in the gal-
lery, Thompson and Mark Nielsen,
the director of the gallery, worked
tirelessly to finalize "Sub Terrain."
In the end, Nielsen had only posi-
tive things to say about the result.
"I personally find the show
extremely satisfying," Nielsen
wrote. "The work is compelling,
edgy, and often surprising, and
was curated and installed with a
lot of sensitivity and respect for
each individual work."

Honoring our past, Inspiring our future.

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