We need more diversity in film criticism, but 'Who is this movie for?' is the wrong question to ask

Are film critics suddenly relevant?

A hilarious online ad for the widely reviled John Travolta vehicle "Gotti" would suggest that we are, even as it insists that we aren't. It accuses critics of having "put out the hit" on a movie that was not even screened for journalists in advance of opening, and claims that audiences love the picture, which earned under $2 million in its opening weekend. The ad's Trumpian kicker: "Who would you trust more? Yourself or a troll behind a keyboard?"

Ouch! Given how often critics are accused of being hopelessly out of touch - with the realities of the movie industry, the habits of the moviegoing audience, the likelihood of long-term employment - I raise the question of our relevance somewhat facetiously. I also raise it reluctantly, having once vowed to write as much about the movies and as little about movie reviewing as possible. The media world is already enough of a fishbowl without me tossing in a few flakes of self-regard.

But sometimes, the subject can't be avoided, and the story comes to you. Last Wednesday night, while being honored at Women in Film's Crystal + Lucy Awards, the actress and filmmaker