Wesley Morris

Wesley Morris
Wesley Morris in 2013
Born1975 (age 48–49)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.[1]
EducationYale University (BA)
Occupations
  • Film critic
  • writer
Years active1993–present
EmployerThe New York Times
AwardsPulitzer Prize for Criticism (2012 and 2021)

Wesley Morris (born 1975)[2] is an American film critic and podcast host. He is currently critic-at-large for The New York Times,[3] as well as co-host, with Jenna Wortham, of the New York Times podcast Still Processing. Previously, Morris wrote for The Boston Globe, then Grantland.[4] He won the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Criticism for his work with The Globe and the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Criticism for his New York Times coverage of race relations in the United States, making Morris the only writer to have won the Criticism prize more than once.[5][6][7]

Early life

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Morris was born and raised in Philadelphia.[1] He attended high school at Girard College, graduating in 1993.[8] While a high school student, he wrote for the Philadelphia Inquirer's teen supplement, "Yo! Fresh Ink."[9] In 1997 he graduated from Yale University,[10] where he had been a film critic at The Yale Daily News for four years.

Career

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Morris joined The Boston Globe in 2002,[11] where he reviewed films alongside Ty Burr. Morris and Burr also made regular appearances on NECN to discuss the latest films and do the weekly Take Two film review video series on Boston.com.

Before joining the Globe, he wrote film reviews and essays for the San Francisco Examiner and the San Francisco Chronicle.[10] He is featured in the 2009 documentary film For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism discussing the impact of video store shopping on the importance of film criticism, and how critic Harry Knowles started a questionable revolution of amateurs writing film criticism.

In 1999, he was one of many film critics who temporarily co-reviewed films with Roger Ebert on his television program in place of Gene Siskel, who was ultimately replaced by Richard Roeper.[12]

From 2013 to 2015 Wesley Morris wrote for ESPN's website Grantland.[13]

In October 2015, Morris joined The New York Times as critic-at-large, contributing to the newspaper as well as The New York Times Magazine.[14]

In September 2016, Morris and Times colleague Jenna Wortham began hosting a podcast called Still Processing, produced by The New York Times and podcasting company Pineapple Street Media.[15] The podcast received enthusiastic reviews and was named in several year-end lists of the best podcasts of 2016.[16][17][18]

Preferences

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Favorite films

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Morris participated in the 2022 Sight & Sound critics' poll, where he listed his ten favorite films as follows:[19]

Awards

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In 2011, Morris won the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism for his work at The Boston Globe; the award cited "his smart, inventive film criticism, distinguished by pinpoint prose and an easy traverse between the art house and the big-screen box office."[5]

In 2015, Morris was a finalist for the National Magazine Award for Columns and Commentary,[20] recognized for his 2014 Grantland columns, "Let's Be Real," "After Normal," and "If U Seek Amy."[21]

In 2021, Morris won his second Pulitzer Prize for criticism, for a series of essays in The New York Times which the Pulitzer citation praised for “unrelentingly relevant and deeply engaged criticism on the intersection of race and culture in America, written in singular style, alternatively playful and profound."[22]

Personal life

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Morris lives in Brooklyn, New York.[23] [24] Morris is gay.[22]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Wesley Morris". The New York Times. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  2. ^ "Wesley Morris of The Boston Globe". The Pulitzer Prizes. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
  3. ^ Lehman, Susan (December 8, 2015). "New Critic at Large: 'Breathtakingly Funny, Absolutely Serious'". The New York Times.
  4. ^ Simmons, Bill. "Delighted to announce that Pulitzer Prize winner @wesley_morris joins @Grantland33 full-time and also starting January 1st". Twitter. Retrieved February 12, 2013.
  5. ^ a b "The 2012 Pulitzer Prize Winners: Criticism". The Pulitzer Prizes. Retrieved November 16, 2013. With short biography and reprints of nine works (Boston Globe articles April 12 to December 16, 2011).
  6. ^ LaForme, Ren. "Here are the winners of the 2021 Pulitzer Prizes". Poynter. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
  7. ^ "Criticism". pulitzer.org. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  8. ^ Wayne, Renee Lucas (June 24, 1993). "Meet The Gang Who Made Our Ink Fresh". philly-archives. Archived from the original on September 19, 2015. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  9. ^ Burton, Kyle (February 5, 2014). "Profiles in Criticism: Wesley Morris | IndieWire". IndieWire. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  10. ^ a b "Wesley Morris". Boston.com. Retrieved April 26, 2011.
  11. ^ Kahn, Joseph P. (April 17, 2012). "Globe film writer Morris win Pulitzer for Criticism". The Boston Globe. Retrieved April 18, 2012.
  12. ^ "The Sixth Sense/Mystery Men/The Thomas Crown Affair/Bowfinger/Dick", Siskel & Ebert. Buena Vista Television. August 7, 1999.
  13. ^ Kassel, Matthew (September 17, 2015). "Wesley Morris Named Critic at Large in Culture at New York Times". New York Observer. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
  14. ^ Hayden, Erik (September 17, 2015). "New York Times Hires Grantland Writer Wesley Morris". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
  15. ^ Doctor, Ken (September 6, 2016). "The New York Times gets serious about podcasting". Politico. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
  16. ^ McQuade, Eric; Standley, Laura Jane (December 18, 2016). "The 50 Best Podcasts of 2016". The Atlantic. Retrieved February 25, 2017.
  17. ^ Capewell, Jillian (December 21, 2016). "15 Notable Podcasts Brought To You By 2016". The Huffington Post. Retrieved February 25, 2017.
  18. ^ Greene, Steve (December 27, 2016). "The 50 Best Podcast Episodes of 2016 | IndieWire". IndieWire. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
  19. ^ "Wesley Morris | BFI". www.bfi.org.uk. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  20. ^ Sebastian, Michael (January 15, 2015). "ESPN's Grantland Earns Three National Magazine Award Nominations". Advertising Age. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
  21. ^ Bloomgarden-Smoke, Kara (January 15, 2015). "The Finalists for the National Magazine Awards Are …". New York Observer. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
  22. ^ a b Edmonds, Rick (June 11, 2021). "An essay about his mustache and much, much more propels the New York Times' Wesley Morris to the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism". Poynter. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  23. ^ Romano, Evan (March 13, 2017). "Brooklyn 100 Influencer: Wesley Morris, The New York Times". Brooklyn Magazine. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  24. ^ "Wesley Morris - The Root 100 - 2021". The Root. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
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