Critic's Manifesto: Amanda Mull

On the surface, a critic exists to tell readers if something is good or bad. Simple. There are characteristics that either make a movie, a performance and a meal successful or unsuccessful, and it's a critic's job to evaluate the finished product and share their findings with the public.

But, as with most things, it's never that simple.

Sure, critics are charged with deciding what's good and what's bad. But if that's all a critic did, he or she would probably toil in obscurity forever. The best critics are able to take a work and explain why or how it fits into culture. Whether or not a piece of art is good may be interesting, absolutely, but not nearly so interesting as what a particular piece of art may say about the culture that created it.

The job of a critic is to help us understand how art, food, and entertainment in general fit into our lives and reflect on our tastes, ideals, and views as a society. A critic's purpose is not just to tell you that "Shot at Love with Tila Tequila" is a terrible television catastrophe; most people could figure that out on their own after 30 seconds of viewing. Instead, a critic should tell you why it's interesting that the show is back for a second season, despite the fact that everyone that has ever encountered it agrees that it's terrible.

Whether something is good or not is almost besides the point.

Mix Tape: The Claire Mix

by Claire Miller

Here are the songs that would be at the top of my mix tape:

“If I Had A Million Dollars” by the Barenaked Ladies. This one speaks to the desire we all have to win a million dollars and do ridiculous things with the money. I really would buy you a fur coat – but not a real fur coat. That’s cruel.

“Separate Ways” by Journey. What would a mix tape be without a song from a great 80s band like Journey? I also recommend watching the video for this one – it’s a one-way ticket back to 1983.

“One Sweet Love” by Sara Bareilles. This one hits home for me and probably other people as well, as Sara Bareilles wonders if she’s “already tasted her piece of one sweet love.” Her honest vocals and the guitar accompaniment fit the song well.

“Song for a Friend” by Jason Mraz. I think Jason says it best about his song: “This is a different kind of love song… oftentimes you see the sensitive singer/songwriter up here singing about his girlfriend over and over and over again. But I have a lot of dudes that I totally respect – y’all have inspired this piece.”

“The Medallion Calls” by Klaus Badelt, from the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack. This is the track playing behind Jack Sparrow when he makes his first appearance in The Curse of the Black Pearl, and it’s one of my favorite scores from a film. Love this scene and the music that goes with it.

CD Review: "Across the Universe" Soundtrack

For listeners even slightly aquainted with the music of The Beatles, the “Across the Universe” two-disc deluxe film soundtrack is a new and fun progression through familiar territory. Instantly recognizable hits like “I Want To Hold Your Hand” and “Let It Be” keep the spirit of the original recordings while bringing something new to the table.


The film of the same name follows the story of Jude, a young man from Liverpool who travels to America in search of the father who left him. Along the way, he befriends Max, a self-proclaimed “irresponsible, unmotivated college dropout” and his naïve sister, Lucy. The music weaves its way through their psychedelic journey to New York City in the 1960s, providing a brilliant musical account of the characters’ lives.

The soundtrack features the voices of the film’s young and talented cast as they sing their way through the 1960s. From Jim Sturgess’s sorrowful rendition of “Girl” to Joe Anderson’s adolescent and slightly flirtatious version of “With A Little Help From My Friends,” the recordings match the film characters’ sentiments to a tee. The listener can truly hear the excited anticipation in Evan Rachel Wood’s voice in “It Won’t Be Long” as her character, Lucy, awaits the return of her boyfriend from basic training.

While songs like “Hey Jude” and “All You Need Is Love” sound quite similar to their original form, other tracks have changed in some way to elicit a different emotion or match the film’s events. But these variations don’t take away from the brilliant lyrics or the heart of the songs – on the contrary, they give new life to songs heard repeatedly on classic rock stations. “Let It Be” begins with a small black child singing the first verse with little musical accompaniment and ends with a church choir belting out the lyrics in a soulful rendition of the original. This fits well with the scenes of violence, death and a funeral during this part of the film.

But what makes this soundtrack stand out more is its ability to reach out to a broader audience. For people listening to soundtracks from musicals like “Rent” and “The Phantom of the Opera,” seeing the movie is necessary to understanding the tracks’ lyrics and tone. This is not necessarily the case for “Across the Universe” listeners – people can just enjoy two discs’ worth of beautifully revamped Beatles music. Having knowledge of the film’s characters can give context to the songs, but at the end of the day, tracks like “Hold Me Tight” and “I Want To Hold Your Hand” stand on their own as individual creative works anyone can enjoy (even the younger set who might not be familiar with The Beatles).

So before you turn to your “Rubber Soul” album or a classic rock radio station for your Beatles fix, try out this new take on the band’s music. You’ll be glad you let “Across the Universe” reacquaint you with these songs.

Yet Another Critic's Manifesto

By Steven Carter

There are so many negative connotations that accompany the word critic because too many jaded writers get paid too much to bash what they could never create.

The critic judges the quality of a particular form of entertainment, and their primary role is to inform people of the great things that they may otherwise miss.

Some critics (like book naysayer Michiko Kakutani of the New York Times) believe that their job description entails beating a dead horse until its insides come oozing out. As an aspiring novelist/ poet, it infuriates me to see terrible writers writing about how others can’t write well.

A good critic should never focus primarily on telling people what to avoid [because Americans naturally avoid most forms of art anyway, and don‘t appreciate the ones they do embrace (just look at the Billboard charts or listen to the latest pop compilation, Now 87, featuring the newest recycled beats along with teenage pop-stars undertaking their long arduous journey to rehab)].

A good critic should provide suggestions for the reader that will enhance their appreciation of a given medium. If I happen to hear a great band or read a great author, I’ll tell my friends. I’ll let them borrow the book or burn some CD's for them. And if I hear a band that blows (name drops are so tempting right here), I won’t sit there and waste an hour telling my friend how bad it is. I won’t rattle off a list of names to avoid because that negativity adds nothing to someone‘s life. There are plenty of terrible movies, albums, and books out there (that always manage to take negative reviews out of context to fool the consumer). I don’t see any reason to even acknowledge them in the first place.

As a critic (a title I’ll assume for this manifesto), it’s not my job to filter through the trash and smear more filth on something not worth picking up in the first place. It’s my job to find the great works that may slip through the cracks and throw them on top of the heap where they can’t be ignored.

Being a critic is about giving people a chance to appreciate new, exciting things. And I can’t think of anything more positive than that.

A Critic's Manifesto

The word "critic" is a harsh one, calling to mind the words "criticize" and "complain" and so on.  Indeed, that is how I used to view critics - they were all negative know-it-alls who had never created anything a day in their lives.

Now that I have begun morphing into one, however, I can appreciate a new role for the critic, one that is far more endearing and earnest.

Because there is not enough time in the day for all of us to explore every cultural opportunity available, the critic must be ready to create a representation through words that is worthy of the piece.  People create art for a reason, and it should be discussed and appraised.  The art deserves that respect, and the people deserve the joy and enlightenment that can come from it.  

I'd like my reviews to be beautiful, to be their own works of art worthy of those they discuss.  I'd like to write pieces that inspire thought and discussion in our society.  I do not claim that every piece I write will bring tears to the eyes of masses of readers everywhere, but I hope they will bring appreciation and understanding.  And maybe even entertainment.  

This is art, and we should have some fun.

The Role of the Critic

At the beginning of the semester, I said that a critic’s main purpose was to guide people. Time is finite and when you add up all the boring, unimportant stuff – work, family, sleep – there’s hardly anytime to watch Kung fu movies or listen to Soulja Boy. Therefore a critic needs to tell you the best way to enjoy your precious free time. Otherwise you might find yourself wasting it on crap.

As the semester has continued, I still have held on to my earlier notion. Yet I feel the critic has another role besides guiding people. They need to take on a personality through their reviews.

The critic is like a politician. In the political world, people give flip-floppers flak because no one has an idea of how they will react or judge something. The same is true of critics. We need critics who believe strongly in their own beliefs. A critic needs to judge work solely on who they are. By doing so readers know what the critic likes or dislikes. If the critic hates chick flicks, like he or she should, then the reader knows that they should seek advice elsewhere on whether a chick flick is good or not.

As the amount of art and entertainment increases at a feverish rate, the need for strong independent critics is at an all-time high. Whether critics will express themselves through text, audio or video in the future remains uncertain. The only certainty is that they are needed.

----Adam Lipper