Fanfare for the Duds

I glanced at the front page of June 15th’s Calendar, and it looked like every other Calendar Friday front page this summer: a big color picture of a big movie star, illustrating a review whose headline gist was so familiar we could all recite it in our sleep: expensive special effects, ho-hum flick. Delving further, as far as Page 12, I discovered another film review, with a small, black-and-white photo, but with the headline describing a little picture with big value: “. . . top-notch performances in a film that deserves a wider audience.”

It occurred to me that if The Times really wanted this little gem of a film, and other movies like it, to reach a wider audience, there is something it could do: Put this review of the “independent gem,” with a big, color picture, on Page 1 and relegate the big-budget, big-studio dud to the little black-and-white picture and critique on Page 12.

But then, what was I thinking? To do that, The Times would have to be in existence primarily for its readers, instead of its high-paying advertisers. Silly, naive me!

PRESTON NEAL JONES

Hollywood