L.A. Times names Amy Nicholson as film critic

The following announcement is sent on behalf of Film Editor Joshua Rothkopf, Deputy Editor Matt Brennan and Entertainment and Arts Assistant Managing Editor Craig Nakano:

Amy Nicholson, a veteran Los Angeles-based film critic, journalist and podcaster, will become the paper’s film critic after an extensive months-long search.

“Hollywood is my joy, my fuel and my home,” Nicholson said. “I’m honored to shoulder the Los Angeles Times’ legacy as the paper’s new chief film critic. And I’m eager to take a front-row seat as today’s creatives prove the enduring power of the big screen.”

“Our readers take film criticism seriously and my commitment to showcasing the best in that field is unwavering,” film editor Joshua Rothkopf said. “I’m thrilled to have Amy, a writer of dazzling insight and style, come aboard.”

Nicholson joins a team that has won three Pulitzer Prizes for criticism in the past 10 years, including her predecessor in the role, Justin Chang, who won this year’s prize for his work at The Times in 2023.

Honored by groups including the Assn. of Alternative Newsmedia, the SoCal Journalism Awards and the National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards, Nicholson previously served as chief film critic at LA Weekly beginning in 2013, then at MTV News starting in 2016. She has written for publications including the New York Times, Variety, the Washington Post, the Guardian and Rolling Stone. She is a member of the Los Angeles Film Critics Assn. and the National Society of Film Critics, and has served on the juries for Sundance and SXSW, as well as the FIPRESCI juries for the Moscow International Film Festival and Cairo International Film Festival, among others.

Alongside comedian Paul Scheer, Nicholson co-hosts the podcast “Unspooled,” which seeks to create a list of the 100 best movies of all time. She is a proud Lakers fan and won the blue ribbon at this year’s L.A. County Fair for her sugar cookies.

She starts in her role Monday.