ADAM ROSS AND "THE BLOG SLEEP"

As you undoubtedly know, there’s been an awful lot of speculation about the dark days of film criticism and film blogging going on lately. Mike D’Angelo is the latest to contemplate the end times, while Bill Gibron calls for a show of hands as to just who’s serious about this whole online film criticism thing and what to do about it. It should come as no surprise that one who has some well grounded observations about the whole situation is David Bordwell, whose consideration of the state of criticism, online or otherwise, is well worth indulging. But no assessment of the current atmosphere of uncertainty in the blogosphere is as trenchant, funny and inspired as Adam Ross’ noir-inflected “The Blog Sleep” (with no apologies whatsoever, as far as I could tell to either Chandler, Faulkner or Hawks). I recommend Adam’s keen piece because it’s well-observed and seriously obsessed, and not because of my own hard-boiled cameo. Honest. Adam takes us on a journey down the dark rain-soaked streets of an evaporating blogosphere (or does it just seem that way?) in search of a beloved blogger gone missing, only to discover that, just like that pesky Terminator, he’s back!

(If you didn’t know that Larry has returned, well, it still won’t spoil Adam’s tale. And speaking of my favorite ex-roundheaded shamus, he’s got a review of the latest book to make it to my must-read list, David Gilmour’s The Film Club, at the mothership site of The Palm Beach Post. Welcome back, L.A.!)