Movies are made to tell stories that the directors and the producers feel inspired to tell. And unless they are a Marvel or DC movie, they aren’t always meant to appeal to every audience member, and it’s childish to think that movies should always cater to your every whim-- especially when people are so goddamn quick to judge things others worked really hard on so goddamn harshly.
And before the “but mah money, tho!” shit-- that’s fucking capitalism, and not unique to movies.
Not every movie is going to be to your taste, and that’s cool. What’s not cool is shitting on a movie just because you didn’t like it or it didn’t make sense to you.
Reviews are meant to help you choose which movies you want to bother watching. Using the terms in the green column is helpful in giving the reader a sense of what to expect from a movie while avoiding a negative personal impression.
The red column is very reflective of modern online critiques:
Harsh.
Impulsive.
Thoughtless.
Black & white.
Often made without fully engaging with whatever is being critiqued:
“I haven’t watched the movie, but based on the trailer I bet it’s trash.”
“I hate Darren Aronofsky movies because they don’t explain what is happening and they’re stupid.”
“I heard this movie was great, but I watched it and it sucked. Therefore, everyone else is wrong.”
To clarify, my comment specifically is about superficial movie reviews, critiques, & recommendations.
Criticism within the context of a movie discussion, presuming everyone involved actually engaged with the movie, is part of healthy dialogue & idea exchange.
I’ve had my point of view changed plenty within such discussions, and brain dead people do not usually bother to participate in such forums so it’s a win-win.
That isn’t an incorrect critique of Aronofsky. His shit really doesn’t hold up after the critics stop climbing over each other to laud his obtuse cinematography and incoherent plots as genius.
Movies are made to tell stories that the directors and the producers feel inspired to tell. And unless they are a Marvel or DC movie, they aren’t always meant to appeal to every audience member, and it’s childish to think that movies should always cater to your every whim-- especially when people are so goddamn quick to judge things others worked really hard on so goddamn harshly.
And before the “but mah money, tho!” shit-- that’s fucking capitalism, and not unique to movies.
Not every movie is going to be to your taste, and that’s cool. What’s not cool is shitting on a movie just because you didn’t like it or it didn’t make sense to you.
Reviews are meant to help you choose which movies you want to bother watching. Using the terms in the green column is helpful in giving the reader a sense of what to expect from a movie while avoiding a negative personal impression.
The red column is very reflective of modern online critiques:
Harsh. Impulsive. Thoughtless. Black & white.
Often made without fully engaging with whatever is being critiqued:
“I haven’t watched the movie, but based on the trailer I bet it’s trash.”
“I hate Darren Aronofsky movies because they don’t explain what is happening and they’re stupid.”
“I heard this movie was great, but I watched it and it sucked. Therefore, everyone else is wrong.”
If you don’t like or don’t get a work of art, it is entirely reasonable to shit on it.
The emperor has no clothes.
Yeah, nobody is going to stop me from shitting all over Ayn Rand novels and film adaptations.
Not should anyone, honestly. They are a travesty.
To clarify, my comment specifically is about superficial movie reviews, critiques, & recommendations.
Criticism within the context of a movie discussion, presuming everyone involved actually engaged with the movie, is part of healthy dialogue & idea exchange.
I’ve had my point of view changed plenty within such discussions, and brain dead people do not usually bother to participate in such forums so it’s a win-win.
That isn’t an incorrect critique of Aronofsky. His shit really doesn’t hold up after the critics stop climbing over each other to laud his obtuse cinematography and incoherent plots as genius.
But can we still shit on Michael Bay?
I think blatant cash grabs are fair game for harsh criticism.