Justin Chang

Last updated

Justin Chang
Justin Chang Jury of the 2019 Berlin International Film Festival.jpg
Born1983 (age 4041)
Education University of Southern California (BA)
OccupationFilm critic
Years active2004–present
Awards Pulitzer Prize for Criticism (2024)

Justin Choigee Chang (born January 3, 1983)[ citation needed ] is an American film critic and columnist currently working at The New Yorker . He previously worked for Variety and for The Los Angeles Times , where his writing won a 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Criticism. [1] [2]

Contents

Early life and education

Justin Chang graduated from the University of Southern California in 2004. [3] [4] Chang first became interested in film critique while in high school because he found it fascinating that intelligent people could have very different reactions to films. [5]

Career

Chang was hired by Variety magazine in 2004, [6] [7] and became a senior film critic for the magazine in 2010 before being promoted to its chief film critic in 2013. [6] [4] He is the author of the book FilmCraft: Editing. [8] In 2016, he joined the Los Angeles Times , where he remained until 2024, when he joined The New Yorker . [4] [9] He is a regular contributor to the NPR programs FilmWeek and Fresh Air . [4]

Chang is the chair of the National Society of Film Critics and the secretary of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. In 2014, he received the inaugural Roger Ebert Award from the African-American Film Critics Association. [4] While accepting the New Generation Award for Creed at the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards ceremony in January 2016, American film director and screenwriter Ryan Coogler praised Chang for his contributions to criticism.

Chang won the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism on May 6, 2024, for his articles published during his final year with the Los Angeles Times. His selection of work was led by an opinion piece that defended British-American film director Christopher Nolan's decision to avoid depictions of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in his film Oppenheimer (2023). [2] [10]

End-of-year lists

Chang produces an annual "best-of-the-year" movie list, thereby providing an overview of his critical preferences. His top choices were:

Personal life

Chang is a Christian. [21]

Bibliography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pulitzer Prize for Criticism</span> American journalism award

The Pulitzer Prize for Criticism has been presented since 1970 to a newspaper writer in the United States who has demonstrated 'distinguished criticism'. Recipients of the award are chosen by an independent board and officially administered by Columbia University. The Pulitzer Committee issues an official citation explaining the reasons for the award.

<i>Los Angeles Times</i> American daily newspaper in California

The Los Angeles Times is a regional American daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles, California in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles area city of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States, as well as the largest newspaper in the western United States. Owned by Patrick Soon-Shiong and published by California Times, the paper has won more than 40 Pulitzer Prizes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan Gosling</span> Canadian actor (born 1980)

Ryan Thomas Gosling is a Canadian actor. Prominent in both independent films and major studio features, his films have grossed over $2 billion worldwide. Gosling has received various accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, and nominations for three Academy Awards and two British Academy Film Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A. O. Scott</span> American journalist and film critic

Anthony Oliver Scott is an American journalist and cultural critic, known for his film and literary criticism. After starting his career at The New York Review of Books, Variety, and Slate, he began writing film reviews for The New York Times in 2000, and became the paper's chief film critic in 2004, a title he shared with Manohla Dargis. In 2023, he moved to The New York Times Book Review.

The National Society of Film Critics (NSFC) is an American film critic organization. The organization is known for its highbrow tastes, and its annual awards are one of the most prestigious film critics awards in the United States. In January 2024, the NSFC had approximately 60 members who wrote for a variety of weekly and daily newspapers along with major publications and media outlets.

Manohla June Dargis is an American film critic. She is the chief film critic for The New York Times. She is a five-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenneth Turan</span> American film critic

Kenneth Turan is an American retired film critic, author, and lecturer in the Master of Professional Writing Program at the University of Southern California. He was a film critic for the Los Angeles Times from 1991 until 2020 and was described by The Hollywood Reporter as "arguably the most widely read film critic in the town most associated with the making of movies".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emma Thomas</span> British film producer (born 1971)

Dame Emma Thomas, Lady Nolan, is a British film producer. She has produced all of the feature films directed by her husband Sir Christopher Nolan, which have grossed more than $6 billion worldwide and are regarded as some of the greatest films of their respective decades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Morgenstern</span> American film critic

Joe Morgenstern is an American writer and retired film critic. He wrote for Newsweek from 1965 to 1983, and then for The Wall Street Journal from 1995 to 2022. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 2005. Morgenstern has also written for television.

<i>Boyhood</i> (2014 film) 2014 film directed by Richard Linklater

Boyhood is a 2014 American epic coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Richard Linklater, and starring Patricia Arquette, Ellar Coltrane, Lorelei Linklater, and Ethan Hawke. Filmed from 2002 to 2013, Boyhood depicts the childhood and adolescence of Mason Evans Jr. (Coltrane) from ages six to eighteen as he grows up in Texas with divorced parents. Richard Linklater's daughter Lorelei plays Mason's sister, Samantha.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonathan Gold</span> American journalist (1960-2018)

Jonathan Gold was an American food critic and music critic. He was for many years the chief food critic for the Los Angeles Times and also wrote for LA Weekly and Gourmet, in addition to serving as a regular contributor on KCRW's Good Food radio program. Gold often chose small, traditional immigrant restaurants for his reviews, although he covered all types of cuisine. In 2007, while writing for the LA Weekly, he became the first food critic to win the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.

Hilton Als is an American writer and theater critic. He is a teaching professor at the University of California, Berkeley, an associate professor of writing at Columbia University and a staff writer and theater critic for The New Yorker. He is a former staff writer for The Village Voice and former editor-at-large at Vibe magazine.

Stephen Schiff is an American screenwriter, producer, and journalist. He is best known for his work at The New Yorker and Vanity Fair, his screenplays for Lolita, True Crime, and Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, and his work as a writer and producer on the FX television series The Americans.

<i>Before Midnight</i> 2013 American romantic drama film directed by Richard Linklater

Before Midnight is a 2013 American romantic drama film directed by Richard Linklater, who co-wrote the screenplay with Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. The sequel to Before Sunrise (1995) and Before Sunset (2004), it is the third installment in the Before trilogy. The film follows Jesse (Hawke) and Céline (Delpy), now a couple, as they spend a summer vacation in Greece with their children.

<i>Burning</i> (2018 film) 2018 film by Lee Chang-dong

Burning is a 2018 South Korean-Japanese psychological thriller film co-written, produced, and directed by Lee Chang-dong. The film is based on the short story "Barn Burning" from The Elephant Vanishes by Haruki Murakami, with elements inspired by William Faulkner's story of the same name. It stars Yoo Ah-in, Steven Yeun, and Jeon Jong-seo. The plot depicts a young deliveryman, Jong-su (Yoo), who runs into his childhood friend, Hae-mi (Jeon). They soon meet an enigmatic young man named Ben (Yeun), whom Jong-su becomes suspicious of, and he begins to believe Hae-mi is in danger.

<i>Maestro</i> (2023 film) Film by Bradley Cooper

Maestro is a 2023 American biographical romantic drama film that centers on the relationship between American composer Leonard Bernstein and his wife Felicia Montealegre. It was directed by Bradley Cooper, from a screenplay he wrote with Josh Singer. It was produced by Cooper, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Kristie Macosko Krieger, Fred Berner and Amy Durning. The film stars Carey Mulligan as Montealegre alongside Cooper as Bernstein; Matt Bomer, Maya Hawke, and Sarah Silverman appear in supporting roles.

<i>Oppenheimer</i> (film) 2023 film by Christopher Nolan

Oppenheimer is a 2023 epic biographical thriller drama film written, directed, and produced by Christopher Nolan. It follows the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the American theoretical physicist who helped develop the first nuclear weapons during World War II. Based on the 2005 biography American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, the film chronicles Oppenheimer's studies, his direction of the Los Alamos Laboratory and his 1954 security hearing. Cillian Murphy stars as Oppenheimer, alongside Robert Downey Jr. as the United States Atomic Energy Commission member Lewis Strauss. The ensemble supporting cast includes Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, Casey Affleck, Rami Malek, and Kenneth Branagh.

<i>Priscilla</i> (film) 2023 film by Sofia Coppola

Priscilla is a 2023 American biographical drama film written, directed, and produced by Sofia Coppola, based on the 1985 memoir Elvis and Me by Priscilla Presley and Sandra Harmon. It follows the life of Priscilla and her complicated romantic relationship with Elvis Presley.

Mark Swed is an American music critic who specializes in classical music. Since 1996 he has been the chief classical music critic of the Los Angeles Times where his writings have made him a two-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism. Prior to his LA Times post, Swed was the chief music critic for the Los Angeles Herald Examiner and The Wall Street Journal, and has contributed other writings to a variety of publications including The Orchestra, an iPad application. He has a particular interest in contemporary classical music.

<i>Oppenheimer</i> (soundtrack) 2023 soundtrack album by Ludwig Göransson

Oppenheimer (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album composed by Ludwig Göransson for the 2023 film Oppenheimer by Christopher Nolan. It was digitally released by Back Lot Music on July 21, 2023, the same day as the film's theatrical release in the United States. At the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, it won Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media. At the 96th Academy Awards, it won Best Original Score.

References

  1. Gerard, Jeremy (April 6, 2016). "L.A. Times Hires Justin Chang As Film Critic & Columnist". Deadline. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
  2. 1 2 James, Meg (May 6, 2024). "Los Angeles Times' former film critic Justin Chang wins Pulitzer Prize for criticism". The Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 6, 2024. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  3. "Justin Chang '04". USC Alumni Association. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Staff writer. "Justin Chang". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  5. Chang, Justin (February 18, 2014a). "I am Justin Chang, chief film critic at Variety. Ask me anything". Reddit. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  6. 1 2 "Justin Chang Hired as Film Critic for L.A. Times". RogerEbert.com . April 7, 2016. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  7. Chang 2014a, § 7.
  8. Chang, Justin C. (2011). FilmCraft: Editing. Focal Press. ISBN   978-0-240-81864-1.
  9. Moreau, Jordan (January 30, 2024). "Film Critic and Variety Alum Justin Chang Leaves L.A. Times to Join The New Yorker". Variety . Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  10. Chang, Justin (August 11, 2023). "'Oppenheimer' doesn't show us Hiroshima and Nagasaki. That's an act of rigor, not erasure". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on August 22, 2023. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  11. Chang, Justin (December 13, 2013). "Justin Chang's Top 10 Films of 2013". Variety. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  12. Chang, Justin (December 17, 2014). "Justin Chang's Top 10 Films of 2014". Variety. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  13. Chang, Justin (December 17, 2015). "Justin Chang's Top 10 Films of 2015". Variety.
  14. Chang, Justin (December 15, 2016). "'Silence,' 'Moonlight,' 'Manchester' highlight Times film critic Justin Chang's Top 10 movies". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  15. "'Call Me by Your Name,' 'The Florida Project' lead Justin Chang's 12 best films of 2017". Chicago Tribune. December 15, 2017. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  16. Chang, Justin (December 12, 2018). "Justin Chang's best movies of 2018: 'Burning' and 'First Reformed' lead a year of mystery". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  17. Chang, Justin (December 11, 2020). "The best movies of 2020 — and where to find them". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  18. Phillips, Jevon (March 27, 2022). "How 'Drive My Car' crashed the Oscars — with the help of film critics". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  19. Chang, Justin (January 13, 2023). "In 'No Bears', a banned filmmaker takes bold aim at Iranian society". NPR.
  20. Chang, Justin (December 8, 2023). "The best movies of 2023 — and where to find them". Los Angeles Times.
  21. Chang, Justin (March 30, 2018). "A Christian critic wrestles with new biblical films and the hope of a better 'faith-based' cinema". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 30, 2020.