3. Pauline Kael
Pauline Kael was one of the most influential movie critics of her time. She most famously wrote for the New Yorker and had an incredibly non-conformist opinion on films that would go on to inspire contrarians like Armond White. Kael would evaluate films on a level beyond other critics. She saw them as important deliveries of messages that reach mass audiences, and for instance, she criticized movies like Dirty Harry for being "fascist." Naturally, her high regard among other critics and the public and her political bent made her few friends in Hollywood. Warren Beatty "hired" Kael in 1979 to work as a consultant at Paramount Pictures where he had an overall deal. Legend has it that Beatty offered the job as a joke concocted by him and friend Jack Nicholson as a way to get back at Kael for some of her harsher reviews. At Paramount, Kael was given an office and a paycheck but was contacted by almost no one and given no projects to work on. After only a few months, Kael left the position and went back to reviewing movies.