‘Time Out’ Likes Our Critics! They Really Like Our Critics!

So Time Out New York is out today with a big cover story rating and ranking all the city’s cultural critics. It must be said: We give two thumbs up to this review of the reviews. Of course, why wouldn’t we? New York’s critics fared well (if not quite as well as Time Out’s own critics, who did — surprise! — fabulously). Our Peter G. Davis was the No. 2 classical-music reviewer, Adam Platt came in third for foodies, Jeremy McCarter was named the fourth best theater critic, and Mark Stevens was No. 6 among the art experts.

The one exception was our esteemed film reviewer, David Edelstein, who ranked an unimpressive eleventh. Why is that? Well, according to his Zagatian write-up, it’s because he’s insufficiently attentive to independent film. “If you were to read only his column, you’d never know that foreign-language films and independent documentaries were opening,” wrote one panelist. “A fine critic for first-run films. I wish he was able to write more about off-the-beaten-path films,” wrote another. And just what industry experts came to these damning conclusions? Well, from the roster of reviewer-reviewers provided, we can pick out the director of the Film Forum; the publicist for the Film Forum; the publicist for the IFC Center, who was formerly at the Film Forum; the publicist for the Museum of the Moving Image; and two independent publicists of indie films. Hey, at least they know about indie film.

Judgment Day [TONY]