Mentor Review: A.O. Scott

A.O. (Anthony Oliver) Scott, born on July 10, 1966 has been a film critic for The New York Times since 2000. He became the chief film critic after his predecessor resigned in 2004. Scott is a 1988 graduate from Harvard with a Bachelor’s Degree in Literature.

A.O. Scott uses humor and sarcasm in his (sometimes brutally) honest reviews. After reading quite a few of them, I’ve come to the conclusion that this is his signature style. This style works for him, because it keeps the reviews interesting and enjoyable to read. Throughout his reviews, Scott uses images and video clips from the movies that he’s reviewing. He also inserts links to other articles that he may have used for research and as context for his articles.

While scrolling through A.O. Scott’s reviews on The New York Times’ website, I intentionally searched for reviews of movies that I would like to go see, I like the actors in them, or was familiar with their prequels. The first review I read was for “Wonder Woman,” directed by Patty Jenkins and starring Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. I’m interested in seeing this movie (and definitely want to do so on the big screen before it’s too late!) because I am a fan of super hero movies and finally having a movie about a leading female super hero is exciting. Right off the bat, Scott asks the same question I had been wondering myself: Is this going to be a continuation from her introduction in “Batman v Superman” or is Wonder Woman going to own this movie while kicking ass and taking names? I may not have seen the movie yet but I don’t live under a rock either. I have heard other reviews, so before reading Scott’s review I already knew the answer. Throughout his review, A.O. Scott gives background information for the movie along with some details (that I wish I hadn’t read), but does not really give the movie away… or at least not enough to where it was ruined for me. If anything, his review only made me want to see the movie even more.

The second of Scott’s reviews that I read was for “The House,” starring Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler, which was directed by Andrew Jay Cohen. Although I have seen trailers on television for this movie, I chose to read his review because I think Farrell and Poehler are funny actors and was interested in his take on this movie. In this review, I appreciate how Scott tells his readers upfront that this movie is not like other movies that Will Farrell and Amy Poehler have starred in. Although the movie is deemed as a comedy (and how could it not be with Farrell and Poehler in it?), Scott warns his readers by saying “Based on trailers and the durable, slightly stale charm of its stars, ‘The House’ might be mistaken for a genial, silly movie about nice people making questionable decisions. Instead, it is a dark, startlingly bloody journey into the bitter, empty, broken heart of the American middle class, a blend of farce and satire built on a foundation of social despair.” Ultimately, Scott ends his review on a positive note and offers a moral to the story tying the movie to today’s society. Before reading the review, I didn’t have an opinion on wanting to see the movie. If it played during a weekend when HBO was offering a free view, then I’d probably watch it. After reading the review, I still feel the same way. I may rent it from one of those $1.29 DVD rental kiosks at the grocery store but if I don’t see it, I’m sure I’ll survive.

“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales,” directed by Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg and starring Johnny Depp was the third movie review that I read by A.O. Scott. I feel that this movie series has long ago ran its course. I enjoyed the first movie, and possibly the second (it’s been so long since I’ve watched it that I can’t remember) but now feel like they’re beating a dead horse. I chose to read this review because I was interested in seeing if Scott felt the same way….and of course he did. The thing that I appreciate most in this review is A.O. Scott’s brutal honesty. His honesty though almost to the point of being mean, is humorous. I suppose that if you’re going to be that painfully honest about something, you should at least be funny about it. Scott begins his review by stating: “This review will be short and dismissive. The movie under consideration — ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales’ — is, by contrasts, long and punishing. Its pleasures are so meager, its delight in its own inventions so forced and false, that it becomes almost the perfect opposite of entertainment.” The remainder of the review reads the same way. Although it’s a movie that I never intend to watch, I enjoyed Scott’s humorous honesty in his review of this installment of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie series.