Peter Travers is an American film critic, who has written for, in turn,
People and
Rolling StoneRolling Stone is a United States-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J. Gleason.The magazine was named after the 1948 Muddy Waters song of the same...
. Travers also hosts a celebrity interview show called
Popcorn on
ABC News NowABC News Now is a 24 hour news channel offered via digital television, broadband and streaming video at ABCNews.com and on mobile phones. It delivers breaking news, headline news each half hour, and wide range of entertainment and lifestyle programs. The channel is currently available in the USA...
and ABCNews.com.
Prior to writing for
Rolling Stone, Travers was a film critic for
PeoplePeople is a weekly American magazine of celebrity and human-interest stories, published by Time Inc. As of 2006, it has a circulation of 3.75 million and revenue expected to top $1.5 billion. It was named "Magazine of the Year" by Advertising Age in October 2005, for excellence in editorial,...
from 1984–1988. He is known for his basic writing style that eschews more sophisticated analysis for an easy-to-read and often very opinionated form.
Discussion
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Peter Travers is an American film critic, who has written for, in turn,
People and
Rolling StoneRolling Stone is a United States-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J. Gleason.The magazine was named after the 1948 Muddy Waters song of the same...
. Travers also hosts a celebrity interview show called
Popcorn on
ABC News NowABC News Now is a 24 hour news channel offered via digital television, broadband and streaming video at ABCNews.com and on mobile phones. It delivers breaking news, headline news each half hour, and wide range of entertainment and lifestyle programs. The channel is currently available in the USA...
and ABCNews.com.
Career
Prior to writing for
Rolling Stone, Travers was a film critic for
PeoplePeople is a weekly American magazine of celebrity and human-interest stories, published by Time Inc. As of 2006, it has a circulation of 3.75 million and revenue expected to top $1.5 billion. It was named "Magazine of the Year" by Advertising Age in October 2005, for excellence in editorial,...
from 1984–1988. He is known for his basic writing style that eschews more sophisticated analysis for an easy-to-read and often very opinionated form. According to
efilmcritic.com, Travers is the nations most
blurbA blurb is a short summary or some words of praise accompanying a creative work, usually referring to the words on the back of the book but also commonly seen on DVD and video cases, web portals and news websites.- History :...
ed film critic. Some of the contemporary directors he is most receptive to based on ratings and placement in year end top-ten lists include
Martin ScorseseMartin Marcantonio Luciano Scorsese is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. He is the founder of the World Cinema Foundation, a recipient of the AFI Life Achievement Award for his contributions to the cinema and has won awards from the Oscars, Golden Globe,...
,
David LynchDavid Keith Lynch is an American filmmaker and visual artist. Lynch has received three Academy Award nominations for Best Director, for The Elephant Man , Blue Velvet , and Mulholland Drive . He also received a screenplay Academy Award nomination for The Elephant Man...
,
Quentin TarantinoQuentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s he was an independent filmmaker whose films used nonlinear storylines and aestheticization of violence...
,
Tim BurtonTimothy William "Tim" Burton is an American film director, producer, writer and artist. He is famed for his dark and quirky films, such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands and The Nightmare Before Christmas, which he co-wrote and produced...
,
Clint EastwoodClinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American actor, film director, film producer and composer. He has received five Academy Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award and five People's Choice Awards—including one for Favorite All-Time Motion Picture Star.Eastwood is...
,
Joel and Ethan CoenJoel Coen and Ethan Coen, known together professionally as the Coen brothers, are American filmmakers. For more than twenty years, the pair have written and directed numerous successful films, ranging from screwball comedies to hardboiled thrillers Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, known together...
, and
Ang LeeAng Lee is an Academy Award-winning Taiwanese American film director. Lee has directed a diverse set of films such as Eat Drink Man Woman , Sense and Sensibility , Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon , Hulk , and Brokeback Mountain for which he won an Academy Award for Best Director, and...
. He has also shown a great deal of disdain for certain directors, most notably
Michael BayMichael Benjamin Bay is an American film director and producer. Bay is best known for making large-budget action films, such as Armageddon, The Rock, Pearl Harbor, Bad Boys, Bad Boys II, Transformers, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and producing remakes of horror movies such as Friday The...
and his films.
Reviews
In 2002, Travers began using a star-rating. Some of the films that received his top rating (four-stars) are
Letters from Iwo Jimais a 2006 war film, directed and co-produced by Clint Eastwood, starring Ken Watanabe and Kazunari Ninomiya. The film portrays the Battle of Iwo Jima from the perspective of the Japanese soldiers and is a companion piece to Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers, which depicts the same battle from the...
,
King KongKing Kong is a 2005 remake of the 1933 film of the same name about a giant ape called Kong. The film was directed by Peter Jackson and stars Naomi Watts as Ann Darrow, Jack Black as Carl Denham, Adrien Brody as Jack Driscoll and, through performance capture, Andy Serkis as Kong...
,
City of GodCity of God is a 2002 Brazilian crime drama film directed by Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund, released in its home country in 2002 and worldwide in 2003. It was adapted by Bráulio Mantovani from the 1997 novel of the same name written by Paulo Lins...
,
United 93United 93 is a 2006 film written, co-produced, and directed by Paul Greengrass that chronicles events aboard United Airlines Flight 93, which was hijacked during the September 11, 2001 attacks...
,
Brokeback MountainBrokeback Mountain is a 2005 American romantic-drama film that depicts the complex romantic and sexual relationship between two men in the American West from 1963 to 1981....
,
Lost in TranslationLost in Translation is a American comedy-drama film starring Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson. It was the second feature film written and directed by Sofia Coppola, after The Virgin Suicides. It was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor for Bill Murray, and Best...
,
Far From HeavenFar from Heaven is a 2002 drama film written and directed by Todd Haynes and starring Julianne Moore, Dennis Quaid, Dennis Haysbert, and Patricia Clarkson....
,
Kill BillKill Bill is a two part film by writer-director Quentin Tarantino, starring Uma Thurman as The Bride. Originally conceived as one film, it was released in two separate 'volumes' due to its running time of approximately four hours...
,
Babel,
SyrianaSyriana is a 2005 geopolitical thriller film written and directed by Stephen Gaghan, and executive produced by George Clooney, who also stars in the film with an ensemble cast. Gaghan's screenplay is loosely adapted from Robert Baer's memoir See No Evil...
,
VolverVolver is a 2006 Spanish film by director Pedro Almodóvar.Volver was one of the films competing for the Palme d'Or at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. It eventually won two awards: Best Actress and Best Screenplay...
,
BoratBorat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan is a 2006 mockumentary comedy film directed by Larry Charles and distributed by 20th Century Fox...
,
AtonementAtonement is a 2007 film adaptation of Ian McEwan's novel of the same name, directed by Joe Wright, and based on a screenplay by Christopher Hampton. It starred Keira Knightley and James McAvoy, was produced by Working Title Films and filmed throughout the summer of 2006 in England and France...
,
There Will Be BloodThere Will Be Blood is a 2007 American drama film directed, written and co-produced by Paul Thomas Anderson. The film is loosely based on the Upton Sinclair novel Oil! . It tells the story of a silver-miner-turned-oil-man on a ruthless quest for wealth during Southern California's oil boom of the...
,
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days is a 2007 Romanian film written and directed by Cristian Mungiu. It won the Palme d'Or and the FIPRESCI Award at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival....
,
WALL-EWALL-E is a 2008 computer-animated science fiction film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and directed by Andrew Stanton. It follows the story of a robot named WALL-E who is designed to clean up a waste-covered Earth far in the future...
, UpUp is a American computer-animated comedy-adventure film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. The film premiered on May 29, 2009 in North America as the first animated film to premiere on the 2009 Cannes Film Festival...
, and Where The Wild Things AreWhere the Wild Things Are is a American fantasy film directed by Spike Jonze and adapted from Maurice Sendak's 1963 children's book of the same name. The film combines live action, performers in costumes, animatronics, and computer-generated imagery .-Plot:Max, a young boy, enjoys an active...
.
On the opposite end of the rating spectrum, he has given his lowest rating of 'zero-stars' to
Bad Boys 2,
The Dukes of HazzardThe Dukes of Hazzard is a 2005 film loosely based on the American television series of the same name. The film was directed by Jay Chandrasekhar and released to theaters in the US on August 5, 2005 by Warner Bros. Pictures...
,
Fool's GoldFilms with the title Fool's Gold include:*Fools Gold , a western film*Fools Gold *Fools Gold , a documentary film*Fools Gold , a comedy film starring James Franco...
,
NorbitNorbit is a romantic comedy film directed by Brian Robbins and starring Eddie Murphy and Thandie Newton. Produced by Davis Entertainment and Tollin/Robbins Productions, the film also stars Thandie Newton, Terry Crews, Clifton Powell, Lester "Rasta" Speight, Eddie Griffin, Katt Williams, Marlon...
,
UntraceableUntraceable is a 2008 thriller film starring Diane Lane, Joseph Cross, Billy Burke and Colin Hanks. It was directed by Gregory Hoblit and distributed by Screen Gems...
,
Bride WarsBride Wars is a American romantic comedy film directed by Gary Winick and written by Greg DePaul and June Raphael and Casey Wilson.The film stars Kate Hudson, Anne Hathaway, Candice Bergen, Bryan Greenberg, Chris Pratt, Steve Howey and Kristen Johnston....
,
The InformersThe Informers is a American ensemble film written by Bret Easton Ellis and Nicholas Jarecki and directed by Gregor Jordan. The film is based on Ellis' 1994 collection of short stories of the same name....
,
ObsessedObsessed is a 2009 erotic thriller film directed by Steve Shill and written by David Loughery. It was released in theaters in North America on April 24, 2009, and in the UK on May 29, 2009 by Screen Gems Pictures...
, and
Transformers: Revenge of the FallenTransformers: Revenge of the Fallen is an American science fiction action film released on June 19, 2009 in the United Kingdom and June 24, 2009 in North America, and was released on DVD and Blu-Ray on October 20, 2009. It is the sequel to 2007's Transformers and the second film in the live action...
.
Number Ones from Travers’ Top-Tens
- 1989: Do the Right Thing
Do the Right Thing is a 1989 American ensemble film produced, written, and directed by Spike Lee. The film deals with issues of racial conflict in the multi-ethnic community of Bedford-Stuyvesant, a neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York, during the hottest day of the summer...
- Best Film of the '80s: Blue Velvet
- 1990: Goodfellas
Goodfellas is a semi-fictional crime drama film directed by Martin Scorsese. It is based on the non-fiction book Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi, who also co-wrote the screenplay for the film with Scorsese...
- 1991: The Silence of the Lambs
- 1992: The Player
The Player is a satirical film directed by Robert Altman from a screenplay by Michael Tolkin based on his own 1988 novel of the same name...
- 1993: Short Cuts
Short Cuts is a 1993 drama film directed by Robert Altman. Filmed from a screenplay by Robert Altman and Frank Barhydt, it is inspired by nine short stories and a poem by Raymond Carver...
- 1994: Pulp Fiction
Pulp Fiction is a 1994 crime film directed by Quentin Tarantino, who cowrote its screenplay with Roger Avary. The film is known for its rich, eclectic dialogue, ironic mix of humor and violence, nonlinear storyline, and host of cinematic allusions and pop culture references...
- 1995: Get Shorty
Get Shorty is a 1995 film based on the novel of the same name by Elmore Leonard. It was directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and starred John Travolta, Gene Hackman, Rene Russo, Danny DeVito, Dennis Farina, and Delroy Lindo...
- 1996: The People vs. Larry Flynt
The People vs. Larry Flynt is a 1996 film directed by Miloš Forman about the rise of pornographic magazine publisher and editor Larry Flynt, and his subsequent clash with the law. The film stars Woody Harrelson, Courtney Love and Edward Norton....
- 1997: Titanic
Titanic is a 1997 American romantic drama film directed, written, co-produced and co-edited by James Cameron about the sinking of the RMS Titanic. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson and Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater, two members of different social classes who fall in love aboard the...
- 1998: The Truman Show
The Truman Show is a 1998 comedy-drama film directed by Peter Weir and written by Andrew Niccol. The cast includes Jim Carrey as Truman Burbank, as well as Laura Linney, Noah Emmerich, Ed Harris and Natascha McElhone...
- 1999: American Beauty
American Beauty is a 1999 American dark comedy film, directed by Sam Mendes and written by Alan Ball. Kevin Spacey plays Lester Burnham, a middle-aged office worker who has a midlife crisis after becoming infatuated with his teenage daughter's best friend. The film co-stars Annette Bening and Thora...
- 2000: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a Chinese-language film in the wuxia style, released in 2000. A China-Hong Kong-Taiwan-United States co-production, the film was directed by Ang Lee and featured an international cast of ethnic Chinese actors, including Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Zhang Ziyi and...
and Almost FamousAlmost Famous is a 2000 comedy-drama film written and directed by Cameron Crowe and telling the fictional story of a teenage journalist writing for Rolling Stone magazine while covering a rock band Stillwater, and his efforts to get his first cover story published...
- 2001: Memento (Indiewood List) and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is a 2001 fantasy adventure film directed by Peter Jackson based on the first volume of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. Set in Middle-earth, the story tells of the Dark Lord Sauron, who is seeking the One Ring. The Ring has found its way...
(Hollywood List)
- 2002: Gangs of New York
Gangs of New York is a 2002 American historical film set in the mid-19th century in the Five Points district of New York City. It was directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Jay Cocks, Steven Zaillian and Kenneth Lonergan. The film is inspired by Herbert Asbury's 1928 nonfiction book The Gangs...
- 2003: Mystic River
Mystic River is a American drama film directed, co-produced and scored by Clint Eastwood, and starring Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon, Laurence Fishburne, Marcia Gay Harden, Laura Linney and Emmy Rossum. The film was written by Brian Helgeland, based on the novel of the same name by Dennis...
- 2004: Sideways
Sideways is a 2004 American comedy-drama film written by Jim Taylor and Alexander Payne and directed by Payne. Adapted from Rex Pickett's 2004 novel, Sideways follows two forty-something men, portrayed by Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church, who take a week-long road trip to the wine country of...
- 2005: A History of Violence
A History of Violence is a 2005 American crime/thriller film directed by David Cronenberg, and written by Josh Olson, based on the graphic novel of the same name by John Wagner and Vince Locke. The film features Viggo Mortensen as the owner of a diner who is thrust into the spotlight after killing...
- 2006: The Departed
The Departed is a American crime drama film remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs. The Departed was directed by Martin Scorsese, written by William Monahan and stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Martin Sheen, Alec Baldwin, Ray Winstone, Vera Farmiga and Mark Wahlberg...
- 2007: No Country for Old Men
No Country for Old Men is a 2007 crime thriller film adapted for the screen and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, and starring Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, and Josh Brolin...
- 2008: Milk
Milk is a 2008 American biographical film on the life of gay rights activist and politician Harvey Milk, who was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Directed by Gus Van Sant and written by Dustin Lance Black, the film stars Sean Penn as Milk and Josh Brolin as Dan White. The film was...
External links
- http://www.rottentomatoes.com/author-2726/
- http://www.nyfilmcritics.com/critics.htm
- http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/Movies/