There’s a whole lot to like in this video of NY Times movie critic A.O. Scott being harrassed by NY Times media and culture columnist David Carr.
Carr may be playing the devil’s advocate, but he does so with admirable gusto as he casually pulls apart an oatmeal-raisin cookie. (“You’re a critic for the New York Times. You’ve got a big box of lightning bolts on your desk.”) He’s hilarious and should have his own show.
And kudos to Scott for fighting back, mid-orange. Sample exchange:
Carr: “You make [criticism] sound so warm and cuddly, but in fact, you take that something people have sweated over for years on end, sunk their life into, and you’ll grab ahold of it, you’ll look at it and you’ll go — CHH! — snap it in right in half.”
Scott: “…This is not a progressive kindergarten. It’s not, you know, ‘you did a nice job and you tried really hard.’ What you’re pursuing is excellence, is truth, is beauty.”
“A hateful and despicable movie, a crime against childhood, an insult to the imagination of one of the great artists of the 20th century, Dr. Seuss.”