Todd McCarthy

Todd McCarthy

Born: February 16, 1950
in Evanston, Illinois, USA
Todd McCarthy is an American film critic. He wrote for Variety for 31 years as its chief film critic until 2010. In October of that year, he joined The Hollywood Reporter where he subsequently became chief film critic.

Was born on February 16, 1950 in Evanston, Illinois, the son of Daniel and Barbara McCarthy. His mother was a cellist and served as the president of the Evanston Symphony Orchestra. His father was a rancher and real-estate developer. McCarthy graduated from Stanford University in 1972. McCarthy married at age 43 to Sasha Alpert on July 4, 1993 on his family's ranch in Pagosa Springs, Colorado. Sasha is a documentary film maker.

From 1974 to 1975, McCarthy worked for Paramount Pictures in Los Angeles as an assistant to Elaine May. He helped her edit Mikey and Nicky. He edited Kings of Bs: Working Within the Hollywood System with Charles Flynn which was published in 1975. It is a book that discusses the great filmmakers of B movies. From 1975 to 1977, McCarthy worked for New World Pictures in Los Angeles as the director of advertising and publicity. McCarthy was later the manager English-language editions of Le Film français in 1977. The next year, he got a job as a Hollywood editor for Film Comment.

McCarthy became a film critic and wrote for Variety in 1979. In 1990, McCarthy wrote a documentary called Preston Sturges: The Rise and Fall of an American Dreamer which won an Emmy Award. He directed four documentaries about film: Visions of Light (1992), Claudia Jennings (1995), Forever Hollywood (1999), and Man of Cinema: Pierre Rissient (2007). Visions of Light was named the Best Documentary of the Year award by the National Society of Film Critics and the New York Film Critics Circle. Forever Hollywood has been played at Grauman's Egyptian Theatre for more than a decade. In 2007 he wrote Fast Women: The Legendary Ladies of Racing. He wrote about the famous producer/director Howard Hawks in his book, Howard Hawks: The Grey Fox of Hollywood which was published in 2000. McCarthy also wrote Des Ovnis, des Monstres et du Sexe: Le Cinéma Selon Roger Corman (2011).

McCarthy lost his job Variety in March 2010, having been the longest-serving member of their staff. McCarthy began working with an independent blog called Indiewire after leaving Variety. He was hired at The Hollywood Reporter in October 2010. He was hired as the chief film critic under Janice Min. He wrote the introduction to Painting with Light that was published in 2013.

Movies for Todd McCarthy...

Searching for Mr. Rugoff
Title: Searching for Mr. Rugoff
Character: Self
Released: November 8, 2019
Type: Movie
The feature documentary Searching for Mr. Rugoff is the story of Donald Rugoff, who was the crazy genius behind Cinema 5, the mid-century theater chain and film distribution company. Rugoff was a difficult (some would say impossible) person but was also the man who kicked art films into the mainstream with outrageous marketing schemes and pure bluster. Rugoff's impact on cinema culture in the United States is inestimable, and his influence on the art film business-from the studio classics divisions to the independent film movement to the rise of the Weinsteins-is undeniable. Yet, mysteriously, Rugoff has become a virtually forgotten figure. The story is told through the eyes of former employee Ira Deutchman, who sets out to find the truth about the man who had such a major impact on his life, and to understand how such an important figure could have disappeared so completely.
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The Other Side of the Wind
Title: The Other Side of the Wind
Character: Party Guest
Released: November 2, 2018
Type: Movie
Surrounded by fans and skeptics, grizzled director J.J. "Jake" Hannaford returns from years abroad in Europe to a changed Hollywood, where he attempts to make his innovative comeback film. This film was started in 1970 but never completed during Welles lifetime.
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David Stratton: A Cinematic Life
Title: David Stratton: A Cinematic Life
Character: Self
Released: March 9, 2017
Type: Movie
A compelling personal journey with David Stratton, as he relates the fascinating development of our cinema history. David guides us from his boyhood cinema experience of Australia in England, where he saw the first images of this strange and exotic landscape via the medium of film, to his migration to Australia as a ‘ten pound pom’ in 1963 and onto his present day reflections on the iconic themes that run through our cinematic legacy. All of this reflects a passionate engagement in a uniquely Australian medium. Parallel and at the heart of the series is the story of an industry whose growing pains David has witnessed over a lifetime. Alongside David, the protagonists of this history are the giants of Australian cinema – both behind the camera and in front of it.
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One Day Since Yesterday: Peter Bogdanovich & the Lost American Film
Title: One Day Since Yesterday: Peter Bogdanovich & the Lost American Film
Character: Self
Released: August 26, 2014
Type: Movie
The grim woes that surrounded famed director Peter Bogdanovich and his film, "They All Laughed."
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Corman's World
Title: Corman's World
Character: Self - Film Critic
Released: December 16, 2011
Type: Movie
A chronicle of the long career of American filmmaker Roger Corman, the most tenacious and ingenious low-budget producer and director in the US film industry, a pioneer of independent filmmaking and discoverer of new talent.
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No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo & Vilmos
Title: No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo & Vilmos
Character: Self
Released: January 11, 2009
Type: Movie
The artistry, triumph and lifelong friendship of the great cinematographers Laszlo Kovacs and Vilmos Zsigmond. With film school equipment, they shoot the Soviet crackdown of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. As refugees they struggle in Hollywood, finally breaking into the mainstream with their pivotal contribution to the "American New Wave."
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Cary Grant: A Class Apart
Title: Cary Grant: A Class Apart
Character: Self
Released: June 1, 2004
Type: Movie
Documentary that explores the life and career of leading man Cary Grant through film clips and interviews. Produced as S18E03 of the long running series American Masters.
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Howard Hawks: Reporter's Notebook
Title: Howard Hawks: Reporter's Notebook
Character: Self
Released: January 1, 1999
Type: Movie
A review of Howard Hawks's work, focusing on "His Girl Friday".
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Quentin Tarantino: Hollywood's Boy Wonder
Title: Quentin Tarantino: Hollywood's Boy Wonder
Character: Self
Released: October 25, 1994
Type: Movie
A documentary profile on Quentin Tarantino broadcast by the BBC's "Omnibus" strand in 1994 to coincide with "Pulp Fiction" hitting UK cinemas.
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Visions of Light
Title: Visions of Light
Character: Self (uncredited)
Released: September 17, 1992
Type: Movie
Cameramen and women discuss the craft and art of cinematography and of the "DP" (the director of photography), illustrating their points with clips from 100 films, from Birth of a Nation to Do the Right Thing. Themes: the DP tells people where to look; changes in movies (the arrival of sound, color, and wide screens) required creative responses from DPs; and, these artisans constantly invent new equipment and try new things, with wonderful results. The narration takes us through the identifiable studio styles of the 30s, the emergence of noir, the New York look, and the impact of Europeans. Citizen Kane, The Conformist, and Gordon Willis get special attention.
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Grand Theft Auto
Title: Grand Theft Auto
Character: Reporter (uncredited)
Released: June 16, 1977
Type: Movie
A rich girl steals her dad's Rolls Royce and heads off to Las Vegas to get married. However, her angry parents, a jealous suitor, and a bunch of reward seekers are determined to stop her.
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Cannonball
Title: Cannonball
Character: Reporter at Finish Line
Released: July 6, 1976
Type: Movie
Coy "Cannonball" Buckman and his blazing red Pontiac enter the Trans-America Grand Prix, an underground road race spanning the continent in which there are no rules, no speed limits and no heed for the law. En route, Buckman jockeys with an international ensemble of racers for a $100,000 purse. But there are none more important than Cade Redman, his direct competition for a guaranteed spot on the elite Modern Motors racing team.
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Hollywood Boulevard
Title: Hollywood Boulevard
Character: Author
Released: April 25, 1976
Type: Movie
A Midwestern ingenue moves to Hollywood and rivals a B-movie queen in low-budget quickies.
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The Reality Trip
Title: The Reality Trip
Character: self
Released: December 31, 1969
Type: Movie
Documentary celebrating the centenary of cinema which looks at how technological innovations - from widescreen to 3D, Cinerama to Showscan and IMAX - have shaped our perception of reality. Featuring exclusive footage of the making of Hollywood's first 3D IMAX film, 'Wings of Courage', and rare interviews with and footage of many of cinema's key pioneers.