Bill Muller
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William S. Muller (1964–2007) was an American journalist and film critic, primarily for ''
The Arizona Republic ''The Arizona Republic'' is an American daily newspaper published in Phoenix. Circulated throughout Arizona, it is the state's largest newspaper. Since 2000, it has been owned by the Gannett newspaper chain. History Early years The newspap ...
'' newspaper. He switched positions from reporter to film critic in 2000.


Background and career path

Bill Muller was born in
New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
, grew up in
Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
and
Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
, and received a degree in
political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...
from the
University of Texas at Arlington The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA or UT Arlington) is a public research university in Arlington, Texas, United States. It is the second oldest university in the University of Texas System and was founded in 1895. It was in the Texas A& ...
. He began his
journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree of accuracy. The word, a noun, applies to the journ ...
career at the '' Dallas Times Herald'' as a crime reporter. Then, he worked at the '' News and Observer'' in
Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...
, for two years. In 1994, he joined ''The Arizona Republic'', where he was an
investigative reporter Investigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, such as serious crimes, racial injustice, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend ...
, and, starting in 2000, a
film critic Film criticism is the analysis and evaluation of films and the film medium. In general, film criticism can be divided into two categories: Academic criticism by film scholars, who study the composition of film theory and publish their findin ...
.“Arizona Republic film critic Bill Muller dies”
Associated Press (2007-09-07). Retrieved 2008-06-18.
He resided in
Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...
, with his wife Deborah, a former movie studio publicist, and their two children. Muller covered public utilities during the late 1990s for the ''Republic'', including the issue of power industry
deregulation Deregulation is the process of removing or reducing state regulations, typically in the economic sphere. It is the repeal of governmental regulation of the economy. It became common in advanced industrial economies in the 1970s and 1980s, as a ...
. His credits also include an award-winning profile of U.S. Senator
John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American statesman and United States Navy, naval officer who represented the Arizona, state of Arizona in United States Congress, Congress for over 35 years, first as ...
, articles exposing public corruption, and a regular column devoted to fantasy football.Wagner, Dennis.
“Film critic loses cancer battle”
''The Arizona Republic'' (2007-09-07). Retrieved 2008-06-18.
Later, as a film critic, "Some of Bill's reviews were more entertaining than the actual movies”, according to movie theater owner Dan Harkins.


Reporter

Muller’s profile of John McCain won first place in the Arizona Press Club’s 1999 Awards for the Best Journalism in Arizona in government/politics reporting. The Arizona Press Club described Muller's "The life story of Arizona's maverick senator" as follows:
This story soared above the competitors. This entry was written masterfully and thoroughly. The reporting was excellent as the writer drew from a myriad of sources and materials. No stone was apparently left unturned in providing insight into the real John McCain. This is the story to read for anyone wondering who John McCain is but wanting a fair, unbiased accounting. Particularly impressive was the section on the complicated Keating Five scandal, which is often written about in confusing, hard-to-understand terms. The scandal was portrayed accurately, but the details were not skimped on in making it easy to understand for those unfamiliar with it.
Bill Muller's profile of John McCain originally appeared in ''The Arizona Republic'' and on azcentral.com on October 3, 1999. Reporter Dan Nowicki subsequently updated and revised the biography with additional material in January 2007.


Film critic

Several years after Muller transformed himself from a reporter into a film critic, he wrote a review of the 2004 film
Catwoman Catwoman is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, she debuted as "the Cat" in ''Batman (comic book), Batman'' #1 (spring 1940). She has become one of the superhero Batman' ...
. His movie review took the form of a fictitious letter from the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., with the stated goal of adva ...
to the movie's star,
Halle Berry Halle Maria Berry ( ; born Maria Halle Berry; August 14, 1966) is an American actress. She began her career as a model and entered several beauty contests, finishing as the first runner-up in the Miss USA pageant of 1986 and also placing six ...
, who had previously won an
Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
in 2002. An excerpt of the letter follows:
While we at the Academy pride ourselves on having open minds and a strict noninterference policy concerning the roles chosen by our previous winners, we're forced to make an exception in your case. If you would consult the paperwork that arrived with your statuette, I would direct you to section E, subsection 2b, in which the Academy can, in limited circumstances, rescind an award and request return of the statuette. The specific language in question refers to winners who bring "shame, ridicule or derision" upon the Academy through "wanton, reckless and repeated dramatic incompetence." Given your consistent overacting and mugging in "Catwoman" (not to mention your previous work in "Gothika"), I think it would be difficult to argue this codicil does not apply. So, at this time, we'd like to ask for our award back.
For this, Muller received a 2004 award from the Arizona Press Club for best film, video and television criticism. The Press Club described his review of Catwoman as follows: “A review so fresh and clever that it's worth reading to the end, even knowing that the movie is a dog.”"2004 Arizona Press Club awards competition for the Best Journalism in Arizona"
, Arizona Press Club (2004). Retrieved 2008-06-18.


Planned scholarship in his honor

Bill Muller was diagnosed with
kidney cancer Kidney cancer, also known as renal cancer, is a group of cancers that starts in the kidney. Symptoms may include blood in the urine, a lump in the abdomen, or back pain. Fever, weight loss, and tiredness may also occur. Complications can include ...
in March 2006, and died on September 6, 2007, from
heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to Cardiac cycle, fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF ...
caused by the disease, at the age of 42. The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at
Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...
announced plans to create a scholarship in honor of Muller. According to the dean of the Cronkite School, “In many ways, Bill represents what we want our students to achieve….He was a reporter who upheld the highest standards of accuracy, thoroughness and thoughtfulness.”“Scholarship to Honor Arizona Republic Film Critic”
Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (2007-09-20). Retrieved 2008-06-18.


Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Muller, Bill American newspaper reporters and correspondents American film critics 1965 births 2007 deaths