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News & ArtsTuesday, October 26, 2010
Media / Theater Future Unemployed Critics of America
Posted by Brendan Kiley on Tue, Oct 26, 2010 at 11:01 AM
The Guardian just announced the winners of its annual young critics' competition.
The overall winner, 15-year-old Rebecca Grant, won the judges over with her demolition of Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, which she described as a "beautifully eccentric odyssey" reduced to "disgusting dregs". "She managed to be witheringly critical without sounding as if she was grandstanding," said Liz Forgan, the chair of Arts Council England. Rebecca will win a trip to a film screening with a Guardian film critic, and get the chance to write about it in g2.
And this year, the Young Critics' Workshop, a class I teach with Teen Tix (and privately call FUCA: Future Unemployed Critics of America) received a record 20 applications this year from kids all around the city. It always shocks me that any high-school kid would voluntarily sign up for an extra class in the winter for which they get no academic credit—but some kids apparently nurse dreams of being (future unemployed) arts critics.
Who knew?
2
Not surprising. Writing music, movie, theatre & television reviews for the school paper was one of the few ways kids in my high school could get away with expressing any kind of critical viewpoint, since we couldn't direct it at the authority figures (i.e. teachers & staff) themselves. But, we could always talk about the socio-political/anarchic themes found in Pere Ubu and Stranglers LP's for example, or how the decadence of Weimar-era Post WW-I Germany depicted in "Cabaret" was reflective of '70's pop culture.
3
Sigh.
That said, the best teen movie critics from my high school went on to become world-renowned artists, so I guess we shouldn't be so harsh on them.
That said, the best teen movie critics from my high school went on to become world-renowned artists, so I guess we shouldn't be so harsh on them.
4
uh, maybe they won't make a living at it, but they do get free tickets to shows...kids aren't stupid.
5
Will's high school class in Trail, BC produced multiple world-renowned artists. Sure. I knew that. Everybody knew that. Duh. Everybody in Trail is a genius. Especially Will.
Sadly voluntarily signing up for stuff that gives no academic credit is the way of the world now. Since everybody has a 4.0 now, it's the extracurricular stuff that gets you into top colleges. Your grades are so twentieth century.
Sadly voluntarily signing up for stuff that gives no academic credit is the way of the world now. Since everybody has a 4.0 now, it's the extracurricular stuff that gets you into top colleges. Your grades are so twentieth century.
6
@5 yeah, because practically everyone moved to other cities, Fnarf - due to massive unemployment. Which they probably wouldn't have done in other years.
The artists of tomorrow are forged in the crucible of the hard times of today.
Now go suck on a lemon.
The artists of tomorrow are forged in the crucible of the hard times of today.
Now go suck on a lemon.
7
(and if you ever show your art in Milan, Paris, Tokyo, and US/Canada/MX I'll call you a world-renowned artist too, dickweed)
8
Brenden.
This is Emma. You know me, I'm in your class.
I never said that I wanted to be a critic, I'm not /that/ stupid. I'd like to eat something besides lentils and quinoa, thank you very much. I want to be an English teacher (so I can eat lentils, quinoa and RICE).
Anyway, I signed up for the class because I'm awful at life, and I wanted to do something that wasn't just fun, but was also MEATY. Like Blah Blah Blah instead of blah blah blah.
Also, its nice to escape the constant rhetoric of "COLLEGE"
This is Emma. You know me, I'm in your class.
I never said that I wanted to be a critic, I'm not /that/ stupid. I'd like to eat something besides lentils and quinoa, thank you very much. I want to be an English teacher (so I can eat lentils, quinoa and RICE).
Anyway, I signed up for the class because I'm awful at life, and I wanted to do something that wasn't just fun, but was also MEATY. Like Blah Blah Blah instead of blah blah blah.
Also, its nice to escape the constant rhetoric of "COLLEGE"
9
I'm in the class as well, and I applied because I love to write, and I want to be a strong writer. I want to learn. Revolutionary, right? It makes me sad that a so many grown-ups think teenagers are motivated by Getting Into College or Impressing Adults (I'm looking at you, Fnarf, though you've got plenty of company). It's less selfless than that- we do stuff BECAUSE WE WANT TO.
10
I'm in the class as well, and I applied because I love to write, and I want to be a strong writer. I want to learn. Revolutionary, right? It makes me sad that a so many grown-ups think teenagers are motivated by Getting Into College or Impressing Adults (I'm looking at you, Fnarf, though you've got plenty of company). It's less selfless than that- we do stuff BECAUSE WE WANT TO.
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