Hi Reddit! I'm Peter Travers, Rolling Stone's film critic. AMA.

On a scale of [1] to [10], how high were you and Christopher Walken during this interview?

I was high off his fumes

Has there ever been a review that you wish you could take back?

Yup. The Matrix. I didn't give it credit for being more than visual fun. The two sequels I still think are crap.

What is the worst movie you have ever had to review?

Almost everything by Michael Bay. At a screening of the last Transformers movie, I was told later that I screamed aloud: "Make it stop!"

Hi. Do you have any idea why The Thing by John Carpenter was recieved so poorly by the critics at that time? Everybody who have seen it now says that it is a masterpiece (including me). Did it happened because it was a horror / sci-fi movie, and those critics were expressing prejuidice, not prepared for a genius in this department?

Sadly, many critics look down their nose at genre films. Plus the first Thing in 1950 was considered untouchable. Carpenter had previously proved himself a master with Halloween and Escape From NY. He should have been treated more fairly. but ha, he gets the last laugh.

do you think Leonardo di Caprio deserves an oscar for "Wolf of Wall Street?

Yes, if McConaughey wasn't nominated

To you, what was the most memorable performance by an actor of all time? Do you have any favorite movies that are considered "bad"?

Excellent question. Daniel Day Lewis in There Will Be Blood is my all-time favorite though Al Pacino in Godfather 2 is unforgettable, especially at the end when he subtly shows us Michael Corleone turning to stone. I get in lots of trouble for repeatedly saying how good American Psycho is. People hate on that movie like nobody's business. Same with Fight Club. Wake up, people.

What was the first time you decided to work for something related to movies?

Puberty. I was 12 or 13 and begged the local paper in my town to print my ravings. They did. Bless, The Patent Trader. I'm still at it.

Any films you look back on and say, "Shit...I've should've rated that higher..."?

Flirting With Disaster. My head was in my nether regions on that one

What was this years biggest Oscar snub?

Robert Redford in All Is Lost Before Midnight as Best Picture

Any upcoming releases that have you really excited?

Inherent Vice from Paul Thomas Anderson. I'm chomping at the bit. That and David Fincher's Gone Girl. And Christopher Nolan's Interstellar

Hi Peter. What's it like working for rolling stone?

IT may sound cornball, but it's an honor. Readers who love rock & roll are invariably movie fans. And they let you know exactly how they feel.

What's your favorite Tarantino movie? Has to be reservoir dogs right?

It is, maybe because it's QT's first and the ear-slicing scene to "Stuck in the Middle" is classic. But Pulp Fiction is historic, and deserves to be.

Hey Peter, two questions:

• Why do you think Linklater got snubbed so hard at the Oscars this year? I agreed completely with your review of it--how small and perfect of a movie it is. Do you think it had anything to do with the distribution?

• Has it gotten easier or harder to think of all of the puns you always splice into your reviews? At this point, does it just come naturally?

Congratulations on probably getting featured on way more movie covers than any other critic of all time.

1. I think it's a blot on an already tarnished Academy that they ignore Linklater. His new movie Boyhood may jusy be his best.
2. I'm in pun rehab right now!

Just want to say thanks for your (sometimes brutally) honest reviews of films. You are absolutely my #1 guy I read before seeing a movie. How early do you usually get to review a film before it's public release? Do you review it in a room by yourself?

Kind words. I usually see a film at least 2 weeks before its release. But sometimes,when a studio has a dud, they show it the day before it opens. Too late to meet a print deadline. Thank the gods of cinema for the Web, I can call bull on a suck movie the day it opens!.

If you could spend an afternoon sitting around drinking with 3 actors/directors (at once) who would they be?

Scorsese, Paul Thomas Anderson, and the Coens.

Should Adam Dunn go to the oscars?

he put up money for Dallas Buyers Club so he deserves a ticket, don't you think?

What is the worst movie ever?

It changes over time. But After Earth will always have a place in my toxic heart

Thank you for taking the time to do this AMA. Your reviews have influenced my movie choices a lot since I've started reading them.

My question: What's your biggest guilty pleasure movie?

Monty Python & The Holy Grail is my holy grail of film comedy. People mock me for saying that. So what! It's a pleasure. No guilt on my part.

Hi Peter!

What movies in your opinion have influenced pop culture the most? (and why?)

In the modern era, meaning Easy Rider to Pulp Fiction, young directors and young audiences seized control from a dead-ass studio system. We need more of that revolutionary spirit today. New voices. Not tired sequels.

What was your reaction when Ryan Gosling started singing the My Little Pony song?

I thought I had died and gone to heaven

What newer filmmakers (writers/directors) do you feel have the potential to become the next GREAT filmmakers? Why?

Well, Paul Thomas Anderson is still, relatively new and I think he already belongs with the greats

Did you ever consider screenwriting or acting early on in your career?

I did act. There was a vote and I got dumped from the club. For good reason. But it gave me a real respect for the crraft

Are we currently in a Golden Age of American Movies? If not, when was THE golden age, in your opinion?

We're in a mini-golden age. 2013 was a terrific year. But the 1970s was the last real golden age, when The Godfather, Jaws, Star Wars , Network, Annie Hall, All the Presidents Men and Taxi Driver made popular art really mean something.

How do you prevent being analytical of a film from taking away your enjoyment of the film?

Hopefully I worded that question correctly!

Sometimes I can't. If a movie grabs me that hard I just let it wash over me. Then I go back and see it again to analyze. This never happens with the films of Michael Bay.

Hi peter! Just wondering what some of your favorite movies are?

Hitchcoc k'sVertigo is my personal favorite because its about voyeurism. About falling in love with something that isn't there. That's exactly what movies are.

What do you think makes a good teen coming of age film?

Rick Linklater directing. Or blunt honesty like in Superbad.

dream film? for example a sci fi directed by Quentin Tarantino

A James Bond film directed by QT. And I think he wants to do it. That would light a fire under that franchise

How do you determine your rating when it comes to wildly different films? In 2013 you loved Wolf of Wall Street as well as Gravity. Do you just say "this is the best/worst film of its genre"? Theoretically, could you give 4 stars to a comedy or parody film if it did its job perfectly?

I could. And American Hustle came close. But the number of films I give 4 stars to in a given year you could count on the fingers of one hand, sometimes less. For example, This Is Spinal is definitely a 4-star comic parody

Hi Mr. Travers. I'm a huge fan (you're my go-to critic). As someone who's an aspiring review, do you have any advice? And how do you consider everything when you're reviewing something?

EDIT: Also I completely about Jeremy Renner being snubbed for American Hustle. He's the best part about that film.

Thanks RKitch2112. In print, space constraints make it impossible to consider every aspect of a film. So I consider what affected me the most. It's a good rule of thumb. Let's form a Jeremy Renner Appreciation Club

Do you think Terry Gilliam will ever (re)gain any Hollywood traction as a director, or has he gone too far off the reservation?

Going off the reservation is Gilliam's thing and I'll always join him on his trip. If he did nothing but Brazil, he'd still be in cinema heaven.

Hi Peter,

Out of the films nominated for the Oscar for best film this year which, if any, do you think will be revered decades from now?

Edit: syntax

12 Years a Slave, for sure. It's a time capsule movie.

Hi Peter,

I don't really read too much rolling stone, on account of I don't have the time with all of my school work. But what would you say to people who may want to get into film critique/writing?

ps. I read your Oscar win list...very good read

Fnd some place to publish you in print or online. Don't expect a financial windfall. Just get yourself out there. And keep a journal of your feelings and opinions. It will be very useful later. What's in your head at the time won't stay there.

what do you think of the movie clean,shaven 1993 directed by lodge kerrigan starring peter greene

I think it's quietly devastating. A movie I always mention when people ask what's a great movie they never heard of.

Has there ever been a comedy sequel that improved on the original?

Adams Family Values comes to mind. And Terminator 2

Hi Peter, Do you think there will be any big upsets at the Oscars? What would you consider a big upset this year?

If Jared Leto lost Best Supporting Actor to Barkhad Abdi for Captain Phillips. The Academy is always pulling stuff like that.

Whats your opinion on the movie "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas"??

It's a mess, but a damn fine mess.

Stinky, Dinky, Donkey or Monkey?

Dinky, always

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the stinkiest dink

If you had Citizen Kane, Vertigo, Casablanca and La Regle de Jeu in a room and had to shoot two so the other two could live, what would you do?

Vertigo, no question. It's the film I never tire of seeing.

Peter, what is your favorite zombie movie, and why do you think so many people have such an affinity for zombies?

Come on, the first Night of the Living Dead. "They're coming for you!" Jeez

Hi Peter,

Do you think it ever possible to love a movie while also deploring/fiercely-disagreeing with its underlying message? Any examples?

I think Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch actually revels in the violence it depicts. That being said, it's still a masterpiece.

Which of this years best picture nominees do you think will be forgotten by audiences quickest?

Though it's fine for what it is, Philomena

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Do what you love, and you'll never work a day in your life

Lupita Nyong'o or JLaw?

I won't holler about either one. But Lupita broke my heart

What happened to the podcast? And the scum bucket?

Still alive & well. Next Scum Bucket podcast is March 6. Look out for it.

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The Americans is really growing on me