 | |
Type of site | Online magazine |
|---|---|
| Owner | Pitchfork |
| Editor | Scott Tobias |
| URL | www |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Registration | No |
| Launched | July 10, 2013; 12 years ago (2013-07-10) |
| Current status | Inactive |
The Dissolve was a film review, news, and commentary website which was operated byPitchfork and based inChicago, Illinois. The site was focused on reviews, commentary, interviews, and news about contemporary and classic films.[1] Its editor was Scott Tobias, the former editor in chief ofThe A.V. Club.[1] Editorial director Keith Phipps announcedThe Dissolve's closure on July 8, 2015.[2]
After Phipps parted fromThe A.V. Club, he felt he wanted to focus his career on writing about film opposed to the wide-ranging topics thatThe A.V. Club discusses.[3] The site launched on July 10, 2013.[3][4] In the first two weeks of publication,The Dissolve was set to present the following regular articles:The Conversation, which is a weekly discussion betweenThe Dissolve's writers about current films and aMovie of the Week feature, where the staff focuses on a film of their choosing for several days.[4]
On July 8, 2015,The Dissolve announced its closure with editorial director Keith Phipps stating, "Sadly, because of the various challenges inherent in launching a freestanding website in a crowded publishing environment, financial and otherwise, today is the last day we will be doing that."[2][5][6][7][8] Scott Tobias—in an interview withIndiewire—stated, "This was simply a case of everyone trying their best to make something great and the economics not being kind to those efforts."[9][10][11] FormerThe Dissolve writers Scott Tobias, Keith Phipps, Genevieve Koski, and Tasha Robinson later went on to develop the Next Picture Show podcast.[12]
Aside from Phipps,The Dissolve's original staff comprised five of his formerA.V. Club colleagues: Scott Tobias,Nathan Rabin, Genevieve Koski, Tasha Robinson, and Noel Murray.[1][13][14] Staff members Noel Murray leftThe Dissolve to write freelance status in September 2014, and news editor Matt Singer left to contribute toScreenCrush in November.[14] Critic Nathan Rabin left the site in May 2015.[14]
The staff also included news editor Rachel Handler, replacing Matt Singer,[15] and contributorsMike D'Angelo and Sam Adams.[16][17]
The Dissolve's film rankings in comparison to other film reviews tended to be more harsh in their 1,555 reviews aggregated byMetacritic, who stated that on average, the website grades films 8.9 points lower than other critics from a 0–100 scale. Their average score is 56. Out of all the reviews, 566 were considered positive, 770 were considered mixed, and 219 were considered negative.[18]
| Year | Film | Director | Nationality | Top 5 Films | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Her | Spike Jonze |  United States |
| [19] |
| 2014 | Boyhood | Richard Linklater | United States |
| [20] |