Mike Goodridge

How did you get started as a film critic?

I did film criticism for my college newspaper and edited the film section of a monthly college arts mag.

What was your first meaningful moviegoing experience?

Jaws, it scared the six year-old me to death.

What’s the most common question you’re asked when someone discovers you’re a film critic?

What's your favorite film?

Do you like to discuss a movie with other critics immediately after a screening or before writing a review?

Absolutely not. I attempt to remain uninfluenced and closeted before I write.

What other film critics, past or present, do you admire?

Pauline Kael, David Robinson (UK), David Denby, Anthony Lane, Peter Bradshaw (UK)

To the public at large, what purpose does a professional film critic serve?

Hopefully to provide an intelligent, provocative curation system for the reader and create a rapport between critic and reader that will make readers depend on the critic's opinion for guidance. Too many critics these days are inconsistent in their viewpoints, I find, and disappoint the reader.

What advice do you have for aspiring film critics?

Watch everything. Go to cinema of the past before cinema of the present.