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Richard Corliss

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Critic

The Resume

    (March 6, 1944-April 23, 2015)
    Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
    Editor of 'Film Comment' (1970-90)
    Film critic and editor for 'Time' (1980-2015)
    Wrote 'Talking Pictures' (1974)

Why he might be annoying:

    He claimed to have coined the term 'Paulettes' for devotees of Pauline Kael.
    He complained, 'Movie criticism of the elevated sort... is an endangered species. Soon it may perish to be replaced by a consumer service that is no brains and all thumbs.'
    He questioned the wisdom of critics' groups giving out awards while belonging to two such groups -- the New York Film Critics Circle and the National Society of Film Critics.
    His mother would clip movie ads quoting his reviews and post them on her refrigerator door.
    He described the commercial prospects of 'Titanic' as 'Dead in the water.'

Why he might not be annoying:

    He challenged auteur theory, which held that the director was the 'author' of the movie, by championing screenwriters.
    Despite snarking on Siskel and Ebert's 'thumbs up/thumbs down' schtick, he respected Roger Ebert's written criticism and the two were good friends.
    'Time' described his tastes as 'populist but eclectic.'
    He was a fan of films ranging from Disney/Pixar animation and Jackie Chan martial arts comedies to art house staples like Ingmar Bergman and Werner Herzog.
    He coined the phrase 'drop dead gorgeous' in describing Michelle Pfeiffer in 'Into The Night.'
    He revealed the twist in 'The Crying Game' by spelling it out with the initial letters of each paragraph of his review: 'He is a she.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 5 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 3 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 5 Votes: 80.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 4 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 29 Votes: 51.72% Annoying