Dave Kehr
Encyclopedia
Dave Kehr is an American film critic. A critic at the Chicago Reader and the Chicago Tribune
for many years, he writes a weekly column for The New York Times
on DVD releases, in addition to contributing occasional pieces on individual films or filmmakers.
, where he studied English, and learned French in part to read the Cahiers pieces on film. At the time the university did not have a film studies curriculum. He started writing on film for ''The Maroon, the student newspaper, when he was president of the film society, Doc Films
.
He next wrote as a film critic for the Chicago Tribune (1986–1992.He moved to the East Coast to become film critic for the New York Daily News (1993–1998). In 1994, he was a member of the jury at the 44th Berlin International Film Festival
.. He is a past chairman of the National Society of Film Critics, and a member of the National Film Preservation Board of the Library of Congress.
Since 1999, Kehr has written a weekly column for The New York Times on DVD releases. He also contributes occasional pieces on individual filmmakers or films. Kehr also maintains a film blog, with reviews of films and occasional comment pieces.
Kehr is known for disliking some generally well-reviewed movies, examples including Apocalypse Now
, Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
, Dog Day Afternoon
and Alien
, all of which, according to Rotten Tomatoes
, currently hold a 96% or larger approval rating among movie critics.
At the same time, he is known for being an early supporter of many filmmakers who went on to achieve an international reputation, including Terrence Malick, Hou Hsiao-hsien, Raul Ruiz, Jonathan Demme, John Carpenter, Walter Hill, Paul Brickman, Clint Eastwood, Albert Brooks, George Romero and Alan Rudolph. Kehr's reviews of early films by these directors and others can be found in a collection of his "Chicago Reader" pieces published in 2011 by the University of Chicago Press, "When Movies Mattered." Reviewing the collection for "Sight and Sound," the critic Philip French described Kehr as "one of the most gifted film critics to come out of America, the peer of James Agee and Pauline Kael." Roger Ebert has also called him "one of the most gifted film critics in America."
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
for many years, he writes a weekly column for The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
on DVD releases, in addition to contributing occasional pieces on individual films or filmmakers.
Early life and education
Dave Kehr did his undergraduate work at the University of ChicagoUniversity of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, where he studied English, and learned French in part to read the Cahiers pieces on film. At the time the university did not have a film studies curriculum. He started writing on film for ''The Maroon, the student newspaper, when he was president of the film society, Doc Films
Doc Films
The Documentary Film Group, better known as Doc Films, is a student-operated film society at the University of Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is—according to a 2007 Chicago Tribune article—"the longest-running collegiate film society in the country" and may be the oldest film society of any...
.
Career
From 1974–1985, Kehr wrote for the Chicago Reader, where he established a reputation for independent thinking and an understanding of visual style. Until 1978 he edited the Reader's question and answer column, The Straight Dope.He next wrote as a film critic for the Chicago Tribune (1986–1992.He moved to the East Coast to become film critic for the New York Daily News (1993–1998). In 1994, he was a member of the jury at the 44th Berlin International Film Festival
44th Berlin International Film Festival
The 44th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from February 10 to 21, 1994.-Jury:* Jeremy Thomas * Chinghiz Aitmatov* María Luisa Bemberg* Hsu Feng* Morgan Freeman* Francis Girod* Corinna Harfouch* Carlo Lizzani...
.. He is a past chairman of the National Society of Film Critics, and a member of the National Film Preservation Board of the Library of Congress.
Since 1999, Kehr has written a weekly column for The New York Times on DVD releases. He also contributes occasional pieces on individual filmmakers or films. Kehr also maintains a film blog, with reviews of films and occasional comment pieces.
Kehr is known for disliking some generally well-reviewed movies, examples including Apocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now is a 1979 American war film set during the Vietnam War, produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The central character is US Army special operations officer Captain Benjamin L. Willard , of MACV-SOG, an assassin sent to kill the renegade and presumed insane Special Forces...
, Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is a 1980 American epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner. The screenplay, based on a story by George Lucas, was written by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan...
, Dog Day Afternoon
Dog Day Afternoon
Dog Day Afternoon is a 1975 drama film directed by Sidney Lumet, written by Frank Pierson, and produced by Martin Bregman. The film stars Al Pacino, John Cazale, Charles Durning, Chris Sarandon, Penny Allen, James Broderick, and Carol Kane. The title refers to the "dog days of summer".The film was...
and Alien
Alien (film)
Alien is a 1979 science fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm and Yaphet Kotto. The film's title refers to its primary antagonist: a highly aggressive extraterrestrial creature which...
, all of which, according to Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, currently hold a 96% or larger approval rating among movie critics.
At the same time, he is known for being an early supporter of many filmmakers who went on to achieve an international reputation, including Terrence Malick, Hou Hsiao-hsien, Raul Ruiz, Jonathan Demme, John Carpenter, Walter Hill, Paul Brickman, Clint Eastwood, Albert Brooks, George Romero and Alan Rudolph. Kehr's reviews of early films by these directors and others can be found in a collection of his "Chicago Reader" pieces published in 2011 by the University of Chicago Press, "When Movies Mattered." Reviewing the collection for "Sight and Sound," the critic Philip French described Kehr as "one of the most gifted film critics to come out of America, the peer of James Agee and Pauline Kael." Roger Ebert has also called him "one of the most gifted film critics in America."
External links
- Dave Kehr's Blog
- "Dave Kehr", Recent and archived articles, The New York Times
- An interview with Dave Kehr on The Marketplace of Ideas
- An interview with Dave Kehr in "The Village Voice"