When I learned that Karina Longworth is now without a publication for whom to write, my first instinct was to hastily post something in support of her. I then second-guessed myself thinking "does noteworthy film critic and columnist Karina Longworth actually need the help of nobody me?" I suppose she doesn't, really, but a solidly-written reader testimonial can't hurt. Additionally, I relish the opportunity to speak out about the dearth of quality film writing out there.
I don't read the majority of online movie sites. Just because I follow and converse with someone on Twitter doesn't mean I read their stuff. There are only so many hours in the day, and as my wife likes to remind me, only so many of those hours can be dedicated to reading others in addition to my own writing. I keep an eye on (in no particular order): Glenn Kenny, Patrick Sauriol at Corona Coming Attractions, Anne Thompson, CHUD (Devin Faraci specifically), In Contention, Awards Daily, HitFix, AICN, Twitchfilm, most of Cinematical, whatever Russ Fischer is writing, La Finke, and of course Jeff. I read print people like Ebert, A.O. Scott, Michael Phillips, and others. I'm sure there are a few I'm missing. The key for me is how I prioritize who I read when pushed for free moments (read: every day). Karina is the top of that list, because she has never wasted my time, unlike various over-entitled print writers and the flood of onliners that are no more than content aggregators, thieves, or freebie-paid publicists.
I'm not buddy-buddy pally-pally with Karina. I've met her in person a grand total of once, at Fantastic Fest this year. Our conversation consisted of exactly four sentences outside The Highball. I have no vested interest in promoting her writing, nor has she ever given me a reason to, aside from her enlightening, carefully-crafted work. I discovered the magnificent Sita Sings The Blues because she championed the film early on, and that's just one example of how I, the reader, owe Karina Longworth. She was specifically selected by director Charlie Kaufman to participate in a featurette on the Synechdoche, New York DVD, and has been an in-demand panelist at plenty of noteworthy film festivals. In the middle of film festival insanity, I often miss more panels than I'd like, but I do my best to attend ones that feature her as a panelist or moderator.
She knows her stuff and then some. She has the chops of the best of the "old guard" of print folks, along with the implied discipline and ethics that are not the norm in the online space. Karina is worth the investment of a decent salary, benefits, and a publication that can give her writing adequate exposure and access to proper festival credentials. There are many who are accredited by Cannes, Toronto, and others that I don't read specifically because they don't rate. I suppose I'd pay more attention to those festivals if writers like Karina (and for that matter, others) were accredited for them. I don't trust a lot of the festival buzz out there, because it comes from people who don't have my trust. Karina does. Her brand is credibility, integrity, and a finely-tuned sensibility for analyzing film as an art form.
If you feel the same way I do, please do pass on what I've written here in email, tweets, or whatever digital means of discourse you use.
[Ed. note 5:07pm CST - It's been misconstrued by a couple people who've contacted me that I'm inferring all online writers that I don't read are whores. I hope it's obvious that logic is behind me on this one and that the state of public education in the US is indeed grave.]