Continuing with today's topic of inter-paper swabbling between movie reviewers, Variety is reporting that A. O. Scott has been promoted to chief movie critic at the New York Times, while Elvis Mitchell has cleaned out his desk. I can't say that this move entirely saddens me: Scott is one of my three favorite critics (Roger Ebert and Anthony Lane are the other two, with David Edelstein running a close fourth) and he deserves to take full control of the reins at the Times.
Still, I will miss Mitchell's increasingly bizzare food fetish, which in his review of Kill Bill, Vol. 2 grew to something entirely incomprehensible: "Mr. Tarantino's movies are also about loss and betrayal, and 'Vol. 2' is a double-burger helping of those motifs. It is rich, substantial and sustained, yet also greasy kids' stuff, a wrapper filled with an extra large order of chili fries, stained with ketchup, salt and cheese." (Yes. That. And rumor has it it may also be a movie.)
For fuller details of the shakeup, read on.
From Variety:
In another shakeup for the New York Time's culture pages, A.O. Scott will ascend to Janet Maslin's former post and soon be named chief movie critic, while film reviewer Elvis Mitchell is expected to depart the Gray Lady altogether.
Move downsizes the triumvirate that put Scott, Mitchell and Stephen Holden in charge of movie criticism when longstanding lead reviewer Maslin stepped down at the end of 1999.
The Times declined any comment on the matter.
There have been longtime rumblings of dissatisfaction at the Times with Mitchell, who was even rumored at one point last year to be among those under consideration to run the nascent Warner Independent Pictures.
Mitchell, who cultivates a dude-about-town image, apparently irked some at the paper with his numerous outside activities, such as recently hosting Sofia Coppola and Bill Murray events. Mitchell also is a visiting lecturer at Harvard U.'s African and African American Studies Dept.
There's some speculation that Mitchell has already turned in his resignation. He could not be reached for comment Thursday.
Posted by mesh at April 26, 2004 02:55 PM | TrackBack