Post by greylon on Oct 12, 2007 10:10:42 GMT -5
Just on the off chance someone is new to my reviews, welcome. Every critic, heck, every person has their opinion on what makes a good movie. For some, its a deep character driven piece. Others love a technically sound and well-directed flick. Hey, there's even a few that rate movies according to frequency of female nudity.
And critics use so many systems. You can find thumbs up and thumbs down, four stars, five stars, five skulls, five bombs, 1-100, 1-10, phrase ratings, and on and on.
But, here's how I roll. The two primary facets of movies, in my never humble opinion, are:
There's countless different aspects of a movie, such as acting, directing, plot, et al. But, all of those things are only parts of the sum that creates those two facets.
The Movie's Intention
Did Paramount aim for a low-brow comedy? Did IFC distribute a story-driven tragedy? Was the love story in that action flick, a part of the movie, or just movie executive marketing filler pap? I don't care if the movie is meant to be stupid or a "triumph of the human spirit." Did it do what it set out to do, without colluding itself with worthless filler. In a simple analogy, is the movie an unmolested prime steak, or an "everything on the slaughter house floor" hot dog?
If it's a wacky comedy, don't puss out in the final 30 minutes and try to make the movie have a "point." If the movie is supposed to be an adrenaline rush action flick, don't dilute with a hour of teen angst. You know why there were no fart jokes in Schindler's List? Guess!
Repeat-Worthy
And between the two facets, this is the most important. I can't count the number of movies I have seen that, despite being a technically sound movie and good in its own right, is not a movie I would want to see again. It is my firm belief that the best of movies are the ones you can see more than once, and still be entertained.
A special note: This means that sometimes, a truly awful movie can receive a good rating. Why? Because sometimes, a movie is so bad it's fun in a whole other way. Bad movies created by earnest directors that are untintentionally funny are the primary culprits of this phenomenon. Plan 9 From Outer Space is the best example. So bad, it's funny, done by a director that thought himself brilliant.
Final Score
Final summary score is 0 through 10, with a 10 being perfection. In my life, I have only ever rated one movie a total zero (Manos: The Hands of Fate), and have never given a 10.
A 10 score, in my fullest belief, is impossible. When I mean it has to be perfect, I don't mean "it's as great as it could be." A 10 trescends it all. A 10 means true perfection, the final movie, the film so perfectly entertaining there's no need to ever see another. This is the only movie you'll ever want to watch, no matter how long you live, eschewing any other movie new or old. I've yet to even witness a 9.5.
So, that's how I do my critiques. I'll be kicking out some reviews this weekend, so be watching for them.
And critics use so many systems. You can find thumbs up and thumbs down, four stars, five stars, five skulls, five bombs, 1-100, 1-10, phrase ratings, and on and on.
But, here's how I roll. The two primary facets of movies, in my never humble opinion, are:
- The movie's intention, and what it actually achieved
- How much I would enjoy watching it again
There's countless different aspects of a movie, such as acting, directing, plot, et al. But, all of those things are only parts of the sum that creates those two facets.
The Movie's Intention
Did Paramount aim for a low-brow comedy? Did IFC distribute a story-driven tragedy? Was the love story in that action flick, a part of the movie, or just movie executive marketing filler pap? I don't care if the movie is meant to be stupid or a "triumph of the human spirit." Did it do what it set out to do, without colluding itself with worthless filler. In a simple analogy, is the movie an unmolested prime steak, or an "everything on the slaughter house floor" hot dog?
If it's a wacky comedy, don't puss out in the final 30 minutes and try to make the movie have a "point." If the movie is supposed to be an adrenaline rush action flick, don't dilute with a hour of teen angst. You know why there were no fart jokes in Schindler's List? Guess!
Repeat-Worthy
And between the two facets, this is the most important. I can't count the number of movies I have seen that, despite being a technically sound movie and good in its own right, is not a movie I would want to see again. It is my firm belief that the best of movies are the ones you can see more than once, and still be entertained.
A special note: This means that sometimes, a truly awful movie can receive a good rating. Why? Because sometimes, a movie is so bad it's fun in a whole other way. Bad movies created by earnest directors that are untintentionally funny are the primary culprits of this phenomenon. Plan 9 From Outer Space is the best example. So bad, it's funny, done by a director that thought himself brilliant.
Final Score
Final summary score is 0 through 10, with a 10 being perfection. In my life, I have only ever rated one movie a total zero (Manos: The Hands of Fate), and have never given a 10.
A 10 score, in my fullest belief, is impossible. When I mean it has to be perfect, I don't mean "it's as great as it could be." A 10 trescends it all. A 10 means true perfection, the final movie, the film so perfectly entertaining there's no need to ever see another. This is the only movie you'll ever want to watch, no matter how long you live, eschewing any other movie new or old. I've yet to even witness a 9.5.
So, that's how I do my critiques. I'll be kicking out some reviews this weekend, so be watching for them.