''The Dissolve'' was a film review, news, and commentary website which was operated by

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

and based in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. The site was focused on reviews, commentary, interviews, and news about contemporary and classic films.{{cite web, url=http://pitchfork.com/news/50949-introducing-the-dissolve-a-new-film-site/, work=

, access-date=April 14, 2014, date=May 30, 2013, title=Introducing The Dissolve, A New Film Site Its editor was Scott Tobias, the former editor in chief of ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...

''. Editorial director Keith Phipps announced ''The Dissolve'''s closure on July 8, 2015.{{cite web , url=http://thedissolve.com/news/6187-the-end/ , publisher=The Dissolve , title=The End , access-date=21 June 2017 , date=8 July 2015 , last=Phipps , first=Keith , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150708130121/http://thedissolve.com/news/6187-the-end/ , archive-date=8 July 2015

History

After Phipps parted from ''The A.V. Club'', he felt he wanted to focus his career on writing about film opposed to the wide-ranging topics that ''The A.V. Club'' discusses.{{cite magazine, url=http://entertainment.time.com/2013/06/03/qa-keith-phipps-talks-about-pitchforks-new-movie-site-the-dissolve/, magazine=

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...

, access-date=April 14, 2014, title=Q&A: Keith Phipps Talks About Pitchfork's New Movie Site, The Dissolve, author=Subramanian, Courtney, date=June 3, 2013 The site launched on July 10, 2013.{{cite web, url=http://pitchfork.com/news/51424-pitchforks-film-site-the-dissolve-to-launch-this-wednesday/, work=Pitchfork, access-date=April 14, 2014, date=July 8, 2013, title=The Dissolve, Pitchfork's New Film Site, Set to Launch This Wednesday In the first two weeks of publication, ''The Dissolve'' was set to present the following regular articles: ''The Conversation,'' which is a weekly discussion between ''The Dissolve''{{'s writers about current films and a ''Movie of the Week'' feature, where the staff focuses on a film of their choosing for several days. 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."{{cite web , url=http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20150708/NEWS07/150709865/pitchfork-media-shutters-movie-website-the-dissolve , title=Pitchfork Media shutters movie website The Dissolve , publisher=Crain's Chicago Business , date=8 July 2015 , access-date=8 July 2015 , first=Ally , last=Marotti {{cite web , url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/pitchfork-movie-site-dissolve-shuts-807303 , title=Pitchfork Movie Site 'The Dissolve' Shuts Down , publisher=The Hollywood Reporter , date=8 July 2015 , access-date=8 July 2015 , first=Chris , last=O'Shea , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150708180843/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/pitchfork-movie-site-dissolve-shuts-807303 , archive-date=8 July 2015 {{cite web , url=http://www.rogerebert.com/chazs-blog/the-dissolve-2013-2015 , title=The Dissolve: 2013-2015 , publisher=Chaz's Blog - Roger Ebert , date=8 July 2015 , access-date=8 July 2015 , first=Matt , last=Zoller Seitz , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150708182106/http://www.rogerebert.com/chazs-blog/the-dissolve-2013-2015 , archive-date=8 July 2015 {{cite news , url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/act-four/wp/2015/07/08/intermission-a-eulogy-for-the-dissolve/ , title=Intermission: A eulogy for the Dissolve , newspaper=

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

, date=8 July 2015 , access-date=8 July 2015 , first=Alyssa , last=Rosenberg Scott Tobias—in an interview with ''

Indiewire IndieWire (sometimes stylized as indieWIRE or Indiewire) is a film industry and review website that was established in 1996. The site's focus was predominantly independent film, although its coverage has grown to "to include all aspects of Hollyw ...

''—stated, "This was simply a case of everyone trying their best to make something great and the economics not being kind to those efforts."{{cite web , url=http://blogs.indiewire.com/criticwire/editors-keith-phipps-and-scott-tobias-on-the-end-of-the-dissolve-20150709 , title=Editors Keith Phipps and Scott Tobias on the End of The Dissolve and the Future of Film Criticism , website=Criticwire (Indiewire) , date=9 July 2015 , access-date=9 July 2015 , first=Sam , last=Adams {{cite web , url=http://scotttobias.tumblr.com/post/123549397881/acknowledgments , title=Acknowledgments , website=Sweet Emulsion , date=8 July 2015 , access-date=13 July 2015 , first=Scott , last=Tobias {{cite web , url=http://noelmu.tumblr.com/post/123891879019/week-in-review-7-6-15-7-12-15 , title=Week in Review 7/6/15-7/12-15 , website=Hey Hey in the Hayloft , date=12 July 2015 , access-date=13 July 2015 , first=Noel , last=Murray Former ''The Dissolve'' writers Scott Tobias, Keith Phipps, and Tasha Robinson later went on to develop the Next Picture Show podcast.

Staff

Aside from Phipps, ''The Dissolve''{{'s original staff comprised five of his former ''A.V. Club'' colleagues: Scott Tobias,

Nathan Rabin Nathan Rabin (; born April 24, 1976) is an American film and music critic. Rabin was the first head writer for '' The A.V. Club'', a position he held until he left the ''Onion'' organization in 2013.

, Genevieve Koski, Tasha Robinson, and Noel Murray.{{cite web, url=http://thedissolve.com/features/special-feature/12-a-letter-from-the-editor/ , title=A Letter from the Editor , publisher=The Dissolve , date=2013-07-10, access-date=2013-07-10, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150211110122/https://thedissolve.com/features/special-feature/12-a-letter-from-the-editor/, archive-date=February 11, 2015 Staff members Noel Murray left ''The Dissolve'' to write freelance status in September 2014, and news editor Matt Singer left to contribute to

ScreenCrush Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wit ...

in November.{{cite web, url=http://blogs.indiewire.com/criticwire/nathan-rabin-leaves-the-dissolve-20150501, publisher=

, title=Nathan Rabin Leaves The Dissolve, access-date=May 19, 2015, date=May 1, 2015, last= Adams, first=Sam Critic Nathan Rabin left the site in May 2015. The staff also included news editor Rachel Handler, replacing Matt Singer, and contributors

Mike D'Angelo Mike D'Angelo (born April 9, 1968) is an American film critic. He has written reviews for '' The A.V. Club'', ''Las Vegas Weekly'' and ''Nerve'', and maintains a personal website, The Man Who Viewed Too Much. He lives near Los Angeles. One of t ...

and Sam Adams.{{cite web, url=http://thedissolve.com/authors/sama/, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150413114939/http://thedissolve.com/authors/sama/, archive-date=April 13, 2015, title=Our Writers: Sam Adams, publisher=The Dissolve , date=2013-07-10, access-date=2014-05-09

Ratings

''The Dissolve''{{'s film rankings in comparison to other film reviews tended to be more harsh in their 1,555 reviews aggregated by

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, 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.{{cite web, title=The Dissolve's Scores, url=http://www.metacritic.com/publication/the-dissolve, url-status=live, access-date=December 8, 2021, work=

''The Dissolve'' Film of the Year

{, class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" ! bgcolor="#efefef" , Year ! bgcolor="#efefef" , Film ! bgcolor="#efefef" , Director ! bgcolor="#efefef" width=125px, Nationality ! bgcolor="#efefef" class=unsortable , Top 5 Films ! bgcolor="#efefef" class=unsortable , {{Abbr, Ref., References , - , align="center",

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

, ''

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'' ,

Spike Jonze Adam H. Spiegel (born October 22, 1969), known professionally as Spike Jonze, is an American filmmaker, actor, musician, and photographer. His work includes commercials, film, music videos, skateboard videos and television. Jonze began his ca ...

, {{USA , {{smalldiv, * 2nd: '' 12 Years a Slave'' dir.

Steve McQueen Terrence Stephen McQueen (March 24, 1930November 7, 1980) was an American actor. His antihero persona, emphasized during the height of the counterculture of the 1960s, made him a top box-office draw for his films of the late 1950s, 1960s, and 1 ...

* 3rd: '' Inside Llewyn Davis'' dir.

Joel and Ethan Coen Joel Daniel Coen (born November 29, 1954) and Ethan Jesse Coen (born September 21, 1957),State of Minnesota. ''Minnesota Birth Index, 1935–2002''. Minnesota Department of Health. collectively known as the Coen brothers (), are American film ...

* 4th: ''

Frances Ha ''Frances Ha'' is a 2012 American black and white comedy-drama film, directed by Noah Baumbach and written by Baumbach and Greta Gerwig. Gerwig also plays the title role, a struggling 27-year-old dancer. The film premiered at the Telluride Film ...

'' dir.

Noah Baumbach Noah Baumbach () (born September 3, 1969) is an American film director and screenwriter. He is known for making witty and intellectual comedies set in New York City and has often been compared to writer-directors such as Woody Allen and Whit Sti ...

* 5th: ''

Upstream Color ''Upstream Color'' is a 2013 American experimental science fiction film written, directed, produced by, and starring Shane Carruth. The film is the second feature directed by Carruth, following his 2004 debut '' Primer''. It stars Amy Seimetz, C ...

'' dir.

Shane Carruth Shane Carruth (born 1972) is an American filmmaker, screenwriter, composer, and film actor, actor. He is the writer, director, and co-star of the prize-winning science-fiction film Primer (film), ''Primer'' (2004), which was his debut feature. Hi ...

, align="center", {{cite web , title=The best films of 2013 , url=https://thedissolve.com/features/2013-in-review/330-the-best-films-of-2013/ , publisher=The Dissolve , access-date=18 December 2014 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402150804/http://thedissolve.com/features/2013-in-review/330-the-best-films-of-2013/ , archive-date=2 April 2015 , - , align="center",

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, '' Boyhood'' ,

Richard Linklater Richard Stuart Linklater (; born July 30, 1960) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is known for films that revolve mainly around suburban culture and the effects of the passage of time. His films include the comedies '' ...

, {{USA , {{smalldiv, * 2nd: ''

The Grand Budapest Hotel ''The Grand Budapest Hotel'' is a 2014 comedy-drama film written and directed by Wes Anderson. Ralph Fiennes leads a seventeen-actor ensemble cast as Monsieur Gustave H., famed concierge of a twentieth-century mountainside resort in the fiction ...

'' dir.

Wes Anderson Wesley Wales Anderson (born May 1, 1969) is an American filmmaker. His films are known for their eccentricity and unique visual and narrative styles. They often contain themes of grief, loss of innocence, and dysfunctional families. Cited by so ...

* 3rd: '' Under the Skin'' dir.

Jonathan Glazer Jonathan Glazer (born 26 March 1965) is an English film director and screenwriter. Born in London, Glazer began his career in theatre before transitioning into film. Over the course of a career spanning nearly three decades, Glazer's directing ...

* 4th: ''

Whiplash Whiplash may refer to: * The long flexible part of a whip * Whiplash (medicine), a neck injury ** Whiplash Injury Protection System (WHIPS), in automobiles Film and television * ''Whiplash'' (1948 film), a US film noir about a boxer * ''Whiplas ...

'' dir.

Damien Chazelle Damien Sayre Chazelle (; born January 19, 1985) is an American film director, screenwriter and producer. He is known for his films ''Whiplash'' (2014), ''La La Land'' (2016), and '' First Man'' (2018). For ''Whiplash'', he was nominated for the ...

* 5th: ''

Only Lovers Left Alive ''Only Lovers Left Alive'' is a 2013 fantasy comedy-drama film written and directed by Jim Jarmusch, starring Tilda Swinton, Tom Hiddleston, Mia Wasikowska, Anton Yelchin, Jeffrey Wright, Slimane Dazi and John Hurt. An international co-producti ...

'' dir. Jim Jarmusch , align="center", {{cite web , title=The best films of 2014 , url=http://thedissolve.com/features/2014-in-review/857-the-best-films-of-2014/ , publisher=The Dissolve , access-date=18 December 2014 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150320190225/http://thedissolve.com/features/2014-in-review/857-the-best-films-of-2014/ , archive-date=20 March 2015

References

{{Reflist

External links

The Dissolve
(official website; still online, but no longer updated) {{DEFAULTSORT:Dissolve Film magazines published in the United States Online magazines published in the United States Defunct magazines published in the United States Defunct American websites American film review websites Magazines established in 2013 Magazines disestablished in 2015 Magazines published in Chicago Internet properties disestablished in 2015