On 8 Jan 1997, Chris Calloway wrote:

> after bo dissed and i defended godfrey last week, i was reading the review of
> _the people vs. larry flint_ in _the spectator_. and it opened with the usual
> several paragraphs of subtle reminders that, yes, cheshire is the only
> non-new yorker elected to the new york critics circle. and then the rest of
> the review touched lightly on the film's flawed treatment of pornography.
> and i finished reading it and thought, well, that's, uh, -nice-.

If by "non-new yorker" you are referring to the fact that Godfrey was born
and raised (and began writing) in Raleigh, well then, OK.  But these days
he is about as "New York critic" as anyone writing for the _Voice_, _New
York_, or the _Times_.  Godfrey, who's been a NYC resident for some time
now, writes his film reviews primarily for his regular gig at the
alt.weekly _New York Press_.  Later (often weeks later) his _NY Press_
reviews are re-published in Spectator, the paper he helped to found in
1978.

It even appears that they are published word-for-word, even when a minor
word change would make a sentence more comprehensible to a non-NY reader. 
In his "Larry Flynt" review, for example, he refers to Donna Hanover (the
person who portrays Ruth Carter Stapleton) as "Mrs. Mayor", totally
overlooking the fact that most of us Spectator readers don't know that
Hanover is married to Rudy Giuliani (nor that she is a fairly prominent
local TV newscaster in NYC). 

Except for his NC Film Festival-related articles, I don't think Godfrey
has written anything *primarily* for the Spectator in about three years. 
(I think the reason the Spectator atypically ran his "Flynt" review well
in advance of the film's arrival in the Triangle is because there was
nothing else in the NY Press pipeline that was more timely and/or
relevant.)

Speaking of the NC Film Festival, I saw that article in the new _Reel
Carolina_ about how the 1996 Festival prize went to some Hollywood-wannabe
film that somehow skirted rules about the entry needing to be related to
NC filmmaking in some way (I think a gaffer's mother was born in Asheboro
or something).  What a scam.  The acceptance speech was mailed in on
videotape.  I'm glad I didn't pay my $28.50 to Ticketmaster for a Festival
ticket this year. 
..
Jeff (despite all I've said, I side with Hart and Calloway on Godfrey's
writing) Robins