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Film reviewer Claudia Puig took a buyout from USA Today and left the paper on Friday. She reviewed movies there for 15 years and says she will continue to talk about film on KPCC, where she has been a regular on FilmWeek. She was allowed to say goodbye to readers on the USA Today website — I don't know, maybe it was in the print paper too. "For 15 years I've had a dream job," Puig wrote. "I've had the extraordinary pleasure of spending countless hours in darkened theaters, watching universes unfold. I've absorbed and pondered what I've seen, and let these visual tales percolate, marinate and get under my skin." Puig, who used to be a reporter at the Los Angeles Times, is among 55 USA Today staffers who took the buyout.
In her second to last review for USA Today, Puig calls "Mad Max: Fury Road" "an operatic extravaganza of thrilling action and nearly non-stop mayhem...exhilarating, deranged and exhausting in almost equal measures."
Couple of related tweets:
Just came out of Mad Max with adrenaline on high alert. Suddenly realized I was going 84 and counting on the Ventura freeway.
— Claudia Puig (@claudiapuig) May 12, 2015So with Pitch Perfect 2 tonight I have seen my last movie for USA Today. Am hoping this means the future will be acca-awesome. More to come
— Claudia Puig (@claudiapuig) May 13, 2015
On Friday, LA Times film critic Betsy Sharkey also said farewell to the movie reviewing beat.
