Is Ben Lyons the Worst Movie Critic Ever?

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed or email. Thanks for visiting!

I like watching the E! channel. I enjoy watching Ben Lyons talk about the upcoming movies and guessing how much each will make. I have always enjoyed his father’s movie reviews, and the Lyons have a great on-screen relationship. But I am apparently alone in those warm sentiments.

Serious film critics call Ben Lyons a quote whore, a celebrity chaser, and an uneducated boob. They also claim he got his job solely because of his looks and his father’s work history. Harsh.

Of course, as a casual viewer, I wasn’t aware that Ben Lyons said both 300 and I Am Legend were among the best movies ever made. I also haven’t watched his new version of At the Movies–I don’t even know when they play it here in the Portland area.

I also don’t treat reviews as the be all, end all when making my decision whether to see a movie. Reviews are part of it, but I also look at the cast, director, writer, and story line. I know that rom coms are not high art, but they can still be fun. I know that movies based on books by Michael Crichton are likely not to my taste. I know that movies directed by the late Robert Altman will be well written, thought provoking, and interesting. I know that anything that skews teen will not be fun to watch in the theater but might be a lot of fun at home. I know that movies released in December are considered Oscar caliber, and those in January, not so much. I also know that when I need a review to help me make my decision, I usually go to Roger Ebert. Gene Shalit is a good alternative, as is our friend Ben’s dad.

How about you. Does Ben Lyons make your skin crawl? Or do you think the film world is being overly harsh?

Read more about the critiques of Ben Lyons here:

Critic Ben Lyons Gets Many Thumbs-Down
Ebert Has Rules for Reviewers

0 people like this post.

Like 

• Pop Culture Roundup, February 25 Welcome to this week's collection of fun pop culture stories. The Movie Biz TV Happenings Random Stuff Movie Stuff The Bechdel Rule How many movies have you seen that include female characters who talk to each other about something other than men? According to Adele at Persnickety Snark, unless you like......
• Visions of Winchesters: Supernatural Blog Carnival, June 26 So, it's summer, and we're all like loosey goosey and relaxed, so I'm not going to force us into rigid categories for our Supernatural news. In this post, we've got the news items and fun stories. Then, we have a separate page of spoilers. Don't visit it if you don't......
• Too Much Reality A couple new reality shows have been announced. First, the walking trainwreck that is octomom, aka Nadya Suleman, has gotten a show that will "chronicle the lives of her and her brood of 14 kids, including the uber-fertile mom’s search for romance." Scary stuff. Second, the first openly transgender mayor......
• Movies That Stand the Test of Time I was watching Empire Records over the weekend, and even though it is so steeped in the mid-90s alterna-culture, I think it still stands up. The funny lines are still funny, and the underdog story is fun. Many comedies don't work after a few years have passed, because their jokes......
• View One of My Fave Movies Free at Hulu Metropolitan (and its companion pieces Barcelona and The Last Days of Disco) is one of my favorite movies. If you haven't seen Whit Stillman's first film, you can watch it free at Hulu: http://www.hulu.com/watch/30659/metropolitanAfter that, you'll have to get the other two from your local video store. Netflix has Barcelona,......

• SOMEONE PLEASE HELP, I NEED A MOVIE REVIEW.? I need a movie review based upon My Heroes have always been cowboys by Mickey Rooney. I know it seems...
• Movie Review: The Last Holiday starring Queen Latifah The Last Holiday is one of my favorite Queen Latifah movies. She’s a wonderful actress and I don't think I've...
• Movies--Rent Vs. Own: Which Is Better? I recently took a trip to the local Century movie theater to see a film called “Dan in Real Life.”...
• Movie Review: Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella Starring Brandy Norwood and Paolo Montalban I love Cinderella. I don’t really know anybody who doesn’t adore this type of character. Her story is one of...
• Bruce Lee Movies Collectibles -> Memorabilia -> Movie Memorabilia Bruce Lee is a revered name in the martial arts community, and Bruce Lee...