So Gizmodo UK came up with some complicated algorithm (my eyes glazed over) to figure out who is the most Contrarian Film Critic. They then – using that algorithm – put together a ranked list that stretches into the hundreds. I’m proud that I made it to the list at all, and also glad I’m in the Top 100, in the #97 slot. My intellectual idols are all contrarians. I don’t consider myself one, and I don’t set out to be one, but apparently I rate, so that’s good. But I think I need to up my contrarian game to rise through the ranks. I can’t live on that bad Captain Fantastic review forever. I am very proud of my good friend Charles Taylor, who is in the Top 10. Well done, friend, and also … well-deserved. You’re one of my favorite contrarians.
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There’s a lot of clumping once you get below the top 10. You only need to get 14% more contrarian to break the top 50. But you’d need to get 50% more contrarian to break the top 10.
And hey, you’re 38% more contrarian the Pauline Kael. Congratulations!
Thank you, Mutecypher, for massaging that with your fancy math genius. I get it. Promise you’ll never go to work for a politician, Ok?
Promise.
I definitely promise.
I can’t believe Pauline Kael isn’t higher!! Maybe because so much of her stuff is not online.
and I don’t think I can get 50% more contrarian!! But 14% seems do-able. My problem is (or maybe it’s my strength) is that I rarely hate something so passionately that I feel free to go OFF on it.
If I understood Metacritic’s methods (yeah, I read ’em) they give more weight in their averages to the reviews of people from bigger/more influential publications. Makes sense given what the site is doing. But that means it’s harder for a person from the most influential publications to get contrarian scores – since their scores count for more in the average. To get a better reading the Gizmodo folks should have recalculated the Metacritic scores using a non-weighted average for everyone so that NYT reviews (for example) wouldn’t be weighted more toward the averages than someone who reviews for the Barstow Press Instigator. I don’t think they did that, from their description.
So maybe Pauline was a little more contrarian than her score might indicate. Maybe you’re more contrarian than critics who write for less influential outlets. Don’t know.
Ain’t math cool?
I don’t know – there are some big-wigs lower down on the list. And Charley Taylor – a friend of mine at #15 – writes for a bunch of outlets, some big, some obscure. Some high-profile, some not at all. and his output is not as high as it once was because he’s teaching and writing books. he is a beautiful contrarian, that’s for sure. We have very similar tastes. I think the only true disagreement I’ve discovered between us – taste-wise – is he thinks Cormac McCarthy is full of hot air. He says, “I am so sick of his existential tumbleweed.” hahahaha I disagree but I love how he puts it.
so yeah, I don’t know. It doesn’t make sense, really.
and if I had had to guess, I would have said Armond White would be #1 – if his stuff had been listed on Metacritic, there is zero doubt he would have been at least in the Top 10. By a wide margin.
Okay so I haven’t been keeping up with criticism these past years and only know a small selection of these critics, buuuuutttt…. isn’t it funny that Armand White wasn’t included in the list (or by Metacritic really) and you’re #97 and Pauline Kael is #293. Way to represent, Sheila! But yeah, you gotta up your game. I mean there’s so much to hate on out there, the opportunities are endless :D
I know, there’s so much to hate on! I promise I will do better!! :)
The way I see it – it seems like it’s not unreasonable to hate something that EVERYBODY loves. That makes you kinda cool, an individualist, but to be top of the list and truly contrarian you also gotta LOVE stuff that the others hate. People love things often for their own personal, subjective reasons, but when lots of smart critics hate a movie it’s likely that something about it really stinks. So that means you have a gift of being able look past the sucky bits to the gold at the heart or it really does suck and you just want to be obstreperous. That’s a rhetorical ‘you’ not you, Sheila. Of course that’s oversimplifying and not scientific like Mutecypher’s observation, but I think you’re at just the right spot on the list. Bottom of the top third shows you know your stuff, but are not afraid to go your own way. Ultimately just be you and trust your gut. I have come to really appreciate your voice.