Elvis Mitchell

Infobox Person
name = Elvis Mitchell


caption =
birth_date = 1958
birth_place = Detroit, Michigan
other_names =
known_for =
occupation = Public intellectual, former film critic
nationality = American

Elvis Mitchell (born 1958 in Detroit, Michigan) is a former film critic for "The New York Times" (1998-2004).

Education and early career

Mitchel graduated in 1980 from Wayne State University , where he majored in English. Before arriving at "The Times", he served as a film critic for the "Fort Worth Star-Telegram", the "Los Angeles Herald Examiner" and "The Detroit Free Press".

tyle

In his reviews, Mitchell takes on a freewheeling—some might say stream of consciousness—approach, and threads a good deal of intertextuality into his work by referencing other films.

Television, film and NPR

In the late 1980s, Mitchell was part of a short-lived PBS show called "The Edge". On the series, he provided film commentary and general criticism. In one segment, Mitchell offered a quick run-down of all of director Oliver Stone's tropes, including "always keep that camera moving," which he said while moving a camcorder over a small model of a Vietnamese jungle and prison camp set up on a table.

In 2007, Mitchell appeared in an episode of the HBO series "Entourage", playing himself.Mitchell is currently producing "The Black List" with director Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, a film about race, culture and the seeds of success. The film includes Toni Morrison, Chris Rock and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar among others.

Mitchell is currently the host of KCRW's pop culture and film interview program "The Treatment". He is also an occasional film critic/commentator for "Weekend Edition" on NPR. In 2008, "Elvis Mitchell: Under the Influence" began airing on Turner Classic Movies. On the program Mitchell interviews actors and directors about their favorite classic films.

Academic career

He has recently been asked to serve as a visiting lecturer in film and African American Studies at Harvard University.

External links

* [http://www.kcrw.com/etc/programs/tt KCRW's The Treatment]
* [http://movies.nytimes.com/ref/movies/reviews/author/rev_auth_mitchell/index.html Movies reviewed for the New York Times]
* [http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/media/columns/media/n_1335/ New York Magazine article on Mitchell's departure from the New York Times]
* [http://www.tcm.com/2008/elvismitchell/index.jsp TMC's Elvis Mitchell: Under the Influence]