Richard Corliss Quotes

Powerful Richard Corliss for Daily Growth

About Richard Corliss

Richard Corliss was an esteemed American film critic, journalist, and cultural commentator, renowned for his incisive analysis and compelling prose. Born on July 13, 1947, in Providence, Rhode Island, Corliss demonstrated an early interest in movies, devouring films from a young age and dreaming of a career in the film industry. After graduating from Brown University with a degree in English literature, Corliss embarked on a journalistic career that would span four decades. His professional journey began at New Times Magazine before joining TIME in 1978, where he would remain until his retirement in 2013. At TIME, Corliss gained international recognition for his insightful film reviews and in-depth interviews with Hollywood's most influential figures. Corliss was known for his unique perspective on cinema, often emphasizing the emotional resonance of films rather than their technical merits. His major works include "Talking Pictures: Screenwriters in the American Cinema" (1980), a groundbreaking study of screenwriting, and "The Cinema of Richard Lester" (1972), one of the first books to examine the work of this influential director. In addition to his writing, Corliss was a popular public speaker and guest lecturer at universities around the world. He received numerous accolades for his contributions to film criticism, including multiple awards from the National Society of Film Critics and the Online Film Critics Society. Corliss passed away on May 24, 2015, leaving behind a rich legacy in the realm of film criticism. His work continues to inspire a new generation of critics and film enthusiasts alike. Notable quotes by Richard Corliss include: "The movies are America's art," and "A movie isn't just entertainment; it's a dream you can borrow."

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Cinema is a machine that generates emotions and dreams."

Richard Corliss's quote suggests that cinema, as an artistic medium, has a unique power to elicit emotions and stimulate the imagination. By weaving together images, sounds, and narratives, films can transport us into other worlds, immersing us in a rich tapestry of experiences that evoke feelings and spark dreams within our minds. In essence, cinema serves as a powerful tool for emotional expression and introspection, offering audiences a means to explore their own depths while also escaping the confines of reality.


"Movies can be like a dream, in which things occur illogically but with purpose."

This quote suggests that movies, similar to dreams, may not follow conventional logic but they have a deeper purpose or meaning that resonates with the audience. Movies can transport viewers into imaginative worlds, where storytelling and emotion take precedence over strict adherence to real-world rules. The illogical events within a film serve to heighten the drama, provoke thought, and create an emotional impact on the viewer.


"Film is a language with a unique vocabulary and grammar."

Richard Corliss's quote suggests that cinema, like human languages, possesses its own distinct set of symbols (vocabulary) and rules for arranging these elements (grammar). Every shot, scene, edit, and cinematic technique used in a film contributes to this language, communicating emotions, ideas, and narratives in a way that is both powerful and universal. Understanding this unique cinematic language allows viewers to immerse themselves in the story being told on-screen.


"Great movies touch us because they reveal aspects of the human condition that resonate deeply within our souls."

This quote by Richard Corliss suggests that great films have a profound impact on us because they expose universal truths or emotions related to the human experience, striking a chord deep within our emotions. These cinematic stories serve as mirrors to our souls, reflecting back our shared experiences and feelings in a way that feels personal and intimate. This resonance is what makes great movies memorable and powerful.


"The best films make you feel you're seeing the world for the first time, or they make the familiar seem fresh and strange."

This quote by Richard Corliss emphasizes the power of cinema to evoke a sense of novelty and wonder. A great film has the ability to transport viewers into new worlds or reinterpret the known in an unusual, intriguing way. By fostering curiosity and fresh perspectives, films can inspire us, broaden our horizons, and help us see the world differently.


Tarantino's movies are smartly intoxicating cocktails of rampage and meditation; they're in-your-face, with a mac-10 machine pistol and a quote from the Old Testament. They blend U.S. and European styles of filmmaking; they bring novelistic devices to the movie mall.

- Richard Corliss

Blend, Movie, Bring, Cocktails

At heart, 'Chef' is a daddy-daycare fable about an overextended man who teaches his 10-year-old son the family business and learns to love him.

- Richard Corliss

Love, Family Business, Fable

'Birdman' is basically 'All About Eve' - the 1950 comedy about rehearsal rivalries in a Broadway show, and another Best Picture laureate - reimagined as a Batman suicide mission. The movie couldn't be actor-ier.

- Richard Corliss

Movie, Broadway, Rehearsal, Laureate

In 'Se7en' and 'Fight Club,' Fincher proved his suave mastery of film violence; in Zodiac, his way of clarifying the many clues in a murder thriller. As he showed in 'The Social Network,' the director also knows that no wound is more toxic than a friend's betrayal.

- Richard Corliss

Betrayal, Mastery, Thriller, Club

Though not really a comedy, 'Rosewater' is a demonstration of the creed behind 'The Daily Show': belief in the crucial need for impious wit against entrenched power. The freedom of the press is also the freedom to depress - and to inspire. That's a message that can outlive any Oscar season.

- Richard Corliss

Behind, Against, Crucial, Depress

Lesley Gore's part-time field was pop singer, and in her brief but urgent prime, she was the Queen of Teen Angst. She endured heartbreak as a birthday girl betrayed by her beau in 'It's My Party,' savored revenge in the sequel 'Judy's Turn to Cry' and belted the proto-feminist anthem 'You Don't Own Me.'

- Richard Corliss

Birthday, Heartbreak, Anthem, Angst

Almost any football play, even an off-tackle slant by a running back, offers the balletic beauty of athletic skill and the punishing drama of physical collision.

- Richard Corliss

Beauty, Play, Offers, Collision

Starring Russell Crowe as the Patron of the First Ark, 'Noah' had affronted some Christian literalists with its giant rock men, its weird visions, and the occasionally dark motives of its protagonist. But the film corralled enough religious leaders, including Pope Francis (with whom Crowe snagged an audience), to salve canonical objections.

- Richard Corliss

Some, Religious, Pope, Patron

The Disney animators' rules on adult females: mothers are perfect but imperiled; stepmothers are wicked and occasionally homicidal; godmothers are sweet things with magical powers.

- Richard Corliss

Perfect, Females, Animators, Adult

In some ways, 'The Little Mermaid' was old-fashioned. Rendered in the hand-drawn style, it was the last Disney animated feature to use cels and Xeroxing. Pixar and its CGI imitators soon made that rigorous process obsolete.

- Richard Corliss

Process, Some, Last, Obsolete

In 'Blade Runner,' the here is quite enough: a vision of dark, cramped, urban squalor. This is Los Angeles in the year 2019, when most of the earth's inhabitants have colonized other planets, and only a polyglot refuse heap of humanity remains. Los Angeles is a Japanized nighttown of sleaze and silicon, fetid steam, and perpetual rain.

- Richard Corliss

Here, Other, Inhabitants, Heap

'Divergent,' directed by Neil Burger, displayed an admirable seriousness and some grim verve in laying out the boundaries of novelist Veronica Roth's dystopia - six segregated but ostensibly harmonious regions defined by their inhabitants' skills.

- Richard Corliss

Some, Inhabitants, Regions, Harmonious

Ambitious of vision and swooping of camera, 'I, Frankenstein' is no 'I, Robot,' let alone 'I, Claudius,' but it's definitely watchable on a cold Jan. evening or, a few months from now, on your I, Pad.

- Richard Corliss

Cold, Frankenstein, Months, Robot

In the movies, every crazy old fart needs a cool old car. Jack Nicholson drove a spiffy yellow 1970 Dodge Challenger two-door in 'The Bucket List.' In 'Gran Torino,' the cranky pensioner played by Clint Eastwood not only owned a 1972 GT Sport, he also used to build cars like that at the Ford plant.

- Richard Corliss

Yellow, Eastwood, Clint, Nicholson

Hollywood was born schizophrenic. For 75 years it has been both a town and a state of mind, an industry and an art form.

- Richard Corliss

Art, Mind, Been, Schizophrenic

The exact meaning of irony is so narrow that the word is hardly worth using; in its broad, current definition, it's a euphemism for sarcasm. 'I'm not being sarcastic; I'm being ironic.' No, you're not. You're evading the responsibility for being sarcastic.

- Richard Corliss

Ironic, Being, Using, Narrow

Nixon's shifty eyes and perpetual 5 o'clock shadow made him a natural fit for caricatured villainy.

- Richard Corliss

Shadow, Natural, Nixon, Villainy

Casey Kasem not only played the music of the stars, he also reached the sunniest-sounding celebrity on his very own. Listening to him on the radio, you could hear America smiling.

- Richard Corliss

Listening, Celebrity, Very, Casey

Disney features, especially the early ones, were horror movies with cute critters: Greek tragedies with a hummable chorus. Forcing children to confront the loss of home, parent, friends and fondest pets, these films imposed shock therapy on four-year-olds.

- Richard Corliss

Parent, Pets, Imposed, Forcing

Obamacare notwithstanding, the current president's progressive instincts have been neutered by the rise of the Tea Party and Luddite conservatism.

- Richard Corliss

Tea, Been, Notwithstanding, Progressive

The typical baseball play is a pitcher throwing a ball and the batter not swinging at it, while the other players watch. Even a home run, the sport's defining big blast, is only metaphorically exciting; a fly ball that leaves the yard changes the score but may offer no more compelling view than an outfielder staring up.

- Richard Corliss

Play, Big, Other, Defining

A movie like 'Selma' should be a relic in a time capsule from 1965, a clue to how well we heeded King's words and how far we have advanced. Instead, it is a reminder that the 'American problem' has yet to be solved.

- Richard Corliss

Movie, How Far, Reminder, Heeded

A home movie of a fictional home life, an epic assembled from vignettes, 'Boyhood' shimmers with unforced reality. It shows how an ordinary life can be reflected in an extraordinary movie.

- Richard Corliss

Movie, Home Life, Reflected, Fictional

Hollywood has always seen Sondheim as a caviar brand unsuitable for a popcorn industry.

- Richard Corliss

Hollywood, Always, Sondheim

I first visited the Toronto fest in 1979, its fourth edition, when it was known as the Festival of Festivals and had an audience of about 40,000. I happily returned to the 10-day skein nearly every year thereafter, as attendance swelled to 400,000 and it grew into the most influential film festival in North America, perhaps the world.

- Richard Corliss

Festivals, North America, Film Festival

Musical chairs or Russian roulette? Sometimes there's as much tense drama in the casting of a Hollywood movie as there is in the finished product.

- Richard Corliss

Product, Hollywood, Musical, Roulette

How many mothers have emerged from a family trip to a Disney movie and been obliged to explain the facts of death to their sobbing young? A conservative estimate: the tens of millions, since the studio's first animated feature, 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' premiered in 1937.

- Richard Corliss

Explain, Studio, Tens, Animated

Bond, especially Connery's Bond, was an existential hired gun with an aristocrat's tastes - just right for a time when class was a matter of brand names and insouciant gestures.

- Richard Corliss

Gun, Tastes, Aristocrat, Connery

Ask Bond-watchers of a certain age about the six actors who have slipped into Bond's Savile Row suits in the Broccoli franchise, and they might say it's really Connery and five other guys - since he, being first and being Sean, stamped the role with his sulfurous masculinity.

- Richard Corliss

Other, Role, Franchise, Connery

We all recall what is or was important to us and are astonished when it slips other people's minds. Perhaps we dismiss as irrelevant matters of crucial concern to those we love. That's life as most of us experience it, and which few movies document with such understated acuity as 'Boyhood' does.

- Richard Corliss

Love, Other, Irrelevant, Slips

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