Somebody asked me the other day why I've given positive reviews to almost every movie so far on Getafilm. I had to think about it. Do I normally think so many movies are good? No way. Were the summer movies so disappointing that everything seems so much better now? Well, yes, but that doesn't seem like an explanation.
I answered, "I guess I just don't go to bad movies." Is that true? Have I become so perfectly selective that I don't see anything bad? That can't be. First of all, it's all relative, and maybe some people have hated what I've loved. Secondly, I've seen some really bad movies this year, none worse than The Invasion. Lastly, just because I've given mostly A's and B's doesn't mean that all of those movies are amazing - they're just above average and good, but not necessarily excellent (A+) or even Oscar-worthy. So far, only Into the Wild and The King of Kong have received "Best of 2007" labels, joining Once and The Namesake (I'm not going to post reviews of movies I saw prior to when I started this in September).
To summarize: I typically avoid bad movies, so I'm not going to be handing out a lot of D's and F's unless I totally get burned by something. And, a B isn't necessarily a glowing grade - look for the A's and A+'s.
Of course, that doesn't mean you shouldn't see bad movies. Please, if anyone can post reviews of License to Wed or Mr. Woodcock, go right ahead - no excuses necessary. I think they would be funny.
Well, I saw two pretty bad movies with you. I guess they were probably before the blog. Sunshine was decent until the Hollow Man cameo. Then it was awful
ReplyDeleteResurrecting The Champ was poor as well, however going in my expectations were low enough that I ended up thinking it was ok. Not ok, I like it. More like, ok, I didn't throw up all over myself.
I liked Matt's obvious summation of Jackson's "Oscar-caliber" performance, something like: "It was alright until Jackson opened his mouth and Tyone Biggums came out."
I'd also like to add an out of place comment on Eastern Promises. I thought History of Violence was terrible. I talked to Matt later and I think I "got it", and still thought "it" was crap.
So I guess my point is you still have the ability to attend a bad movie, its not that. I think it is just Oscar season.
ReplyDeleteYou're right. I think I subconsciously block out some bad movies right after I see them, too, so that doesn't help. One thing about Oscar season - the expectations are that much higher, so there is a huge risk for disappointment.
ReplyDeleteRegarding A History of Violence, I don't really know what the lesson was meant to be. Apparently Cronenberg has this idea about showing the reality of violence so we understand how serious it is. But then he makes it almost cartoonishly over-the-top. Go figure.