There once was a time, not so long ago, when movie critics were routinely awarded princely treatment by the motion-picture studios--special early screenings, private meetings with company chieftans,
perks of various sorts. Not so these days. The advent of the Internet has changed the paradigm. While print and broadcast critics still have large audiences, much of the buzz-making power has
shifted to small-time reporters and bloggers who have captured the attention of the film-going public. "For the folks who make their living reviewing films, this... adds insult to injury. Not only do
they have to forgo the ego boost of VIP treatment--but now they also have to rush to regular old premieres, sitting next to the hoi polloi (read: you and me)," write Mark Babej and Tim Pollak at
Forbes.com. "Being able to drop hints about the new Woody Allen or Terrence Malick flick makes you the envy of any social set. Having to spend the evening at the local multiplex to catch the
opening of 'Benchwarmers' or 'Phat Girlz' makes you a regular working Joe or Jane." Studios are so reliant on the Net's new film sites (i.e., RottenTomatoes.com) that they are increasingly passing
on screening films altogether. If a picture is a dog, they simply release it into the marketplace, hoping some Net blogger somewhere will love it and say something nice, thus helping cancel out
the pastings in the big media. Bottom line: Old-line media takes another hit as new media advances.
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