Kevin Thomas (film critic)

Last updated

Kevin Thomas
Born
Kevin B. Thomas

1936 (age 8788)
Los Angeles, California, United States
Alma mater Gettysburg College
Pennsylvania State University
Occupation(s)Film critic, writer

Kevin B. Thomas (born 1936) is an American film critic who has written reviews for the Los Angeles Times since 1962. His long tenure makes him the longest-running film critic among major United States newspapers. [1]

Thomas was born in Los Angeles in 1936. He earned a bachelor's degree from Gettysburg College in 1958 and master's degree from Pennsylvania State University in 1960. [1] [2]

Thomas is known for giving fairly positive reviews compared to other critics, and certainly less critical than Kenneth Turan, who joined the Los Angeles Times in 1991. [3] [4] [5]

In 2003, the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association gave Thomas a Lifetime Achievement Award. [6] Thomas holds an honorary position on the Advisory Board of GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics and its Dorian Awards. [7]

In his 2022 book "Cinema Speculation" – which includes an entire chapter about Thomas – Quentin Tarantino said that Kevin Thomas was the only critic at the Los Angeles Times who seemed to enjoy his job. [8]

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References

  1. 1 2 Interview with Kevin Thomas, Alternative Projections – Los Angeles Filmforum, Retrieved October 21, 2013
  2. "Gettysburg College Honors Three Distinguished Alumni". gettysburg.edu. May 20, 2000. Archived from the original on March 20, 2015. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
  3. Anderson, John and Laura Kim. I Wake Up Screening: What To Do Once You've Made That Movie, p. 195 (2006) ( ISBN   2854188535) (Thomas "can also be very generous to filmmakers")
  4. Berlin, Joey (June 4, 2001). "For Studios, Junkets Are Just Cost-Effective". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. I did chuckle, however, at the juxtaposition of Rosenberg's smug "expose" and Kevin Thomas' rave review of "Pearl Harbor".
  5. von Busack, Richard (July 19, 2006). "Critical Masses – Upon reading the 1,000,000th 'the critic is dead' posting in a blog". Metro Silicon Valley . Even 30 years ago, he was known as "the Will Rogers of film criticism"—he never saw a movie he didn't like.
  6. "Pioneering Film Critic Kevin Thomas to be Recognized by Lesbian & Gay Journalists at National Convention". HighBeam Research . July 10, 2003. Archived from the original on October 23, 2013.
  7. "Members". GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics: Home of The Dorian Awards. Retrieved Oct. 5, 2019
  8. "A film critic reflects on Quentin Tarantino's film reflections". November 16, 2022.