Entertainment Critics Who Can't Write a Review

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Ever look at a movie or theater review in your local paper and shake your head? I do that on a regular basis with the local newspaper here, The Conway Daily Sun. I had no formal training in writing when I ventured into the world of movie reviews back in the early 2000's, just what I had been taught in high school. The site I wrote for was very good at teaching me what not to do as a community. That's why I can't understand how someone who writes like this is employed still. We had much better writers on our website who were getting paid pennies per review. One of the first things I learned was not to regurgitate the entire plot of a movie or play. It's not just a matter of spoilers, but giving your audience enough information that they want to see the movie or play without giving away the entire thing. This can be a delicate balance, for sure. I spent many nights rewriting how much I wanted to give away and trying to figure out how to highlight something without revealing the entire plot. Someone who is considered a professional writer should be able to do this as well. However, almost every review by this person regurgitates the entire plot, especially when it comes to plays. Another thing I learned quickly was to always put in a disclaimer of any association to the reviewed work. If we were comped a book for a review, we noted it. If we received advance copies of a film to review, we noted it. If the book in question was written by a friend or acquaintance, we acknowledged it. It's just the proper thing to do so people can take your review in context. That doesn't happen here. The author of these reviews is literally in bed with one of the community theater companies in town. His wife has acted in their plays and done choreography for them. Her name always gets a mention, of course, but he doesn't note the connection. This was also the theater where he held his wedding. How much do you think he is going to criticize their work? I have never seen a negative review, and it's not due to their glowing performances. One I was finally enticed to go to was supposed to be a "rollicking comedy" which I ended up falling asleep in. On the other hand, another community theater routinely gets looked at much more critically. There was a young adult production of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe that was very ambitious for these kids. The way it was reviewed by him, you'd think he was expecting a professional Broadway production. There are so many great writers out there who can't find work, I don't understand why someone as sloppy as this stays employed.