Comments on: film critic lance goldenberg no longer with tampa’s creative loafing

By: Mariella

Mariella — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:22:52 +0000

Whenever a local voice is replaced with a national one, it’s like trading a local cafe con leche for a Starbucks latte, or swapping a Silver Ring for a Subway, or Inkwood Books for Barnes & Noble. Each time we lose a local guy (or mom & pop) and we’re left with a national guy (or chain), we lose a bit of our hometown personality and become more like everywhere else.

So I see this as a loss for the community. But it also looks like a wrong direction for that paper. If CL becomes less Tampa-flavored and more everywhere-vanilla, how can it compete with all the everywhere news & views we can get anywhere?

Besides, I’ve long been a fan of Lance Goldenberg’s reviews, and I’ll miss him a lot.

By: Booyah

Booyah — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 22:38:30 +0000

Understandable, Lisa … but at the same time, we don’t know if this will affect local film coverage.

I just don’t think we need a local guy to give the same copy that can be had from a national guy. What local perspective could be added to a review of “The Dark Knight” or “Tropical Thunder”?

By: Lisa C

Lisa C — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 18:15:57 +0000

@Booyah — Thanks for the feedback. It took me a while to decide to use “let go” in this post. Scribe Life used “fired”; The Feed, WMNF and the Movie Cricket used “laid off”; and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies used “let go” on its site. Goldenberg’s title on the CL staff page is “film critic” and that’s how the local community has known him for years. He’s been credited, listed and promoted as CL’s film critic for all these years, not as a long-term freelancer who just happened to write most of the film reviews. This is reason for the strong reaction in the blog comments sections of the blogs I referenced…despite the specifics of his arrangement with CL, Lance Goldenberg WAS the CL film critic. I understand your point, but I think “let go” is appropriate here.

Re: other things to get all worked up about besides a movie critic: Of course there are numerous other things — more important things — going on in the world right now that deserve attention. Like everyone else, I care about a lot of different issues. For me, one of those issues is the local film community, which is why I write about it so often.

@David — Thanks for the correction. I’ve changed it here and on my own blog. Sorry about that.

By: David Lee Simmons

David Lee Simmons — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 13:47:37 +0000

Hey, just to clarify: My position was Senior Arts Writer at the time of my departure from Creative Loafing. I had spent the previous two years as A&E Editor.

By: Booyah

Booyah — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 13:42:11 +0000

Good post …

But first of all, you don’t let go freelancers. You just end your association with them. The writer in question was never an employee of CL, but instead a contractor.

I do hope that film events and such locally will still be covered, but I do agree with this move. There is nothing really different that a local movie reviewer can give a worldwide released film that someone else can’t provide otherwise.

Local film festival coverage and productions — yes, local guy. Movie reviews from a national and international level? No need for local guy.

I honestly think there’s something more to get all worked up about besides a movie critic, don’t you think?