Village Voice Lays Off Film Critic Jim Hoberman

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• Brian | January 6, 2012 10:10 AMReply

  Didn't Hoberman start writing reviews for the Voice in the '70s? I seem to remember reading him that far back. If it wasn't the Voice, then it was another publication, but my memory bank says it was the Voice. He used to focus more on indie and avant-garde films, while Andrew Sarris did the mainstream stuff. Then, at some point when Sarris either started winding down or left entirely, Hoberman took the mainstream stuff. I remember Hoberman's review of TOP GUN in 1986. The great thing was that he treated the big-studio releases as if they were indies and avant-garde, finding stuff in them that no other critics did. Of course, over time, Hoberman's reviews started sounding more and more mainstream, although he continued to maintain an edge that no other major critics had (except, of course, for Armond White). To this day, Hoberman and White hold a special place in my heart from the time they both compared TITANIC unfavorably to POSEIDON ADVENTURE.

• Lisa Nesselson | January 5, 2012 6:10 PMReply

  Let's see -- entertaining style, clean copy, encyclopedic knowledge, regular following. Now why in the world would a publication want to hang on to somebody like THAT?

• SEYMOUR GOTTLIEB | January 5, 2012 5:16 PMReply

  If you come to the Los Angeles area of California, you will find the Gottlieb/Walker families to welcome you and you will be invited to our homes. Especially my Daughter's home where we all gather regularly to watch movies. Your mother was a favorite. Sy Gottlieb

• Steven Flores | January 5, 2012 12:48 AMReply

  I often don't agree with some of his reviews and at times, find his writing to be a bit pretentious. Still, he is a great critic with a true passion for film. Now, the Village Voice won't be as interesting.

• Greg | January 4, 2012 11:14 PMReply

  Hoberman was a great critic--a rave from him, because he was so picky, meant I had to go out and see whatever he was giving a rave to. This is bad, bad judgement on the Voice's part, but then they've already dropped Tom Tomorrow and Nat Hentoff and Michael J. Atkinson and Dennis Lim. (And, I think, Tom Robbins?) Jesus. Are they just firing *everyone* with talent & a name?

• 8adfkhu | January 4, 2012 11:37 PM

  I agree, but let's not eulogize him: he *is* a great critic.

• MFD | January 4, 2012 9:17 PMReply

  The Village Voice has finally driven a stake through its own heart, what was left of it. There's no reason for anyone with half a brain to bother with this publication any longer, even for wrapping garbage.

• Law Benjamin | January 4, 2012 10:00 PM

  There are still a couple of good voices left in that rotten enterprise. Maura Johnston and Jeff Weiss are great music writers, and Karina Longworth is a very interesting young film critic, even if a lot of her contrarianism drives me absolutely bonkers on occasion. But wading through the half-literate nonsense and sophomoric pageview-generators that make up most of the VVM's content makes it a real chore to get to them.
  
  But yeah: It's appalling what they've done to the Voice and LA Weekly in these last few years.

• Sergio | January 4, 2012 8:11 PMReply

  This doesn't make sense to me. I suspect that there was something else going on behind the scenes, some friction between Hoberman and his bosses at the Voice.

• Carrie | January 4, 2012 7:40 PMReply

  May Jim land at a place that values him as much as his readers do.

• DavidC | January 4, 2012 7:15 PMReply

  This is one of the worst so far. Truly a great critic whose bosses were just plain stupid to let him go.