Justin Chang: There's nothing 'normal' about moviegoing any more. But fall gives us reason to hope
Under normal circumstances, the fall season is an exciting time of renewal for regular moviegoers, an occasion to shake off the late-summer blahs and survey the cinematic scene with renewed anticipation and excitement.
Ambitious, provocative new movies are suddenly back in theaters, some of them arriving fresh from their buzz-stirring premieres at prime film festivals in Venice, Telluride, Toronto and New York. The blockbuster imperatives that typically govern Hollywood are temporarily shunted aside so that the more rarefied priorities of art — often signaled by name directors, tony literary material and showy feats of A-list acting — can take their place. An entire industry apparatus rumbles to life as Oscar campaigns are minted, screenings and Q&As are scheduled, and critical acclaim — in the form of glowing reviews, though year-end awards and top-10-list placements will do — is solicited, seized upon and trumpeted to the skies.
Like most professional furnishers of said acclaim (plus the occasional well-earned raspberry), I've long been content to play my minuscule role in this routine,
