Alison Willmore

Alison Willmore is a film critic at Vulture and New York magazine. In past lives, she has been a culture writer at BuzzFeed News and the TV editor at IndieWire, and with Matt Singer hosted the Filmspotting: SVU podcast. She lives in Brooklyn with her dog, Sammo, who also has strong opinions about cinema, but prefers to keep them to himself.

Outlets: Vulture / New York magazine and, once a month or so, the radio show Press Play on KCRW

Instagram: Have been weaning myself off, though if anyone cares to follow Sammo, who is immune to social media-enabled psychic damage on account of having no thoughts in his head: @sammothedog

Location: Brooklyn, NY

Movie location I call home: Tony Leung’s apartment in Chungking Express

What was the film or experience that made you want to write about the screen?
Being fixated on the image of pasty, passed-out E.T. as a child and feeling a powerful urge to work those distressed feelings out somehow.

What do you think are the major issues facing contemporary film criticism?
The main issue is undeniably economic – tech-driven corporations continue to devalue criticism, writing, and creative work in general while extracting profits from it in the name of disruption.

How can film criticism stay vital in 2024?
By being sharper elbowed and more interesting and untethering itself from the marketing cycle whenever possible.

What's one piece of advice that you’d give an emerging critic today?
Your byline and voice are what matters, not the institutions that might employ you or buy a piece from you.

Who’s a critic that has inspired you? James Baldwin, Laura Mulvey

Who’s a critic that everyone should be reading right now? Andrea Long Chu, Nick Pinkerton

What’s the best thing you’ve seen this year so far? Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World

What’s your MIFF 2024 theme music? King Willonius, ‘BBL Drizzy’