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Lasereth · 10-05-2003, 05:40 AM

My views on good movies/entertaining movies are hard to explain. Let's see...I could use examples I suppose. Let's take Independence Day, for example. Was that movie entertaining? Of course it was. Was it a good movie? No. It was cheesy, the acting was pathetic, and the plot had way too many loopholes. How about the Shawshank Redemption. Is that a good movie? Yes. It has well-developed characters, a realistic plot, good use of foreshadowing, and a ton of atmosphere, even if it does take place at a prison.

Is Army of Darkness entertaining? Yes! I laughed my ass off really hard the first time I saw it, and I still bring it up every now and then to watch the famous quote scenes. But let's face it...can it be compared to The Green Mile, LA Confidential, Apollo 13? What about The Fugitive, Schindler's List, Forrest Gump, or Pulp Fiction? It can't be compared to these, because it doesn't have the foundation for it. The movie was written with a script for dorks (stop flaming me for saying this, I'm a dork obviously, and I never said it was a bad thing), the acting is terrible, and the plot is incredibly cheesy.

The Boondock Saints is the exact reverse. It has literary merit. The movie is actually trying to accomplish something, leaving the viewer with a bigger message for them to figure out. The characters in the movie are all acted with incredible personality, helping to bring a real-life problem to the screen. It may not be entirely realistic, but it does have the qualities of a good movie.

I know that most people out there consider a movie "good" if they enjoyed watching it, but I don't.

I know that I'm obsessed with game and movie reviews, but I can't help it. I can't stand when people say that Adaptation and Black Hawk Down suck, and that Freddy Got Fingered or Dude, Where's My Car? are the best movies of the year. I feel a need to judge movies based on the same criteria, and I do. You don't have to agree, but it is obvious that the general public thinks of movies differently than some. My girlfriend gets annoyed when I tell her whether a movie or videogame is good just based on the reviews that the people I trust gave it (Electronic Gaming Monthly, Imagine Games Network, Roger Ebert, Rotten Tomatoes). She asks, "How do you know it sucks? You've never seen/played it." I just reply with, "I don't need to see it, EGM says it's a bad game. Their reviews match my personal opinion, so that saves me a lot of time and wasted money."

-Lasereth

10-05-2003, 05:40 AM	#24 (permalink)
Lasereth Knight of the Old Republic Location: Winston-Salem, NC	My views on good movies/entertaining movies are hard to explain. Let's see...I could use examples I suppose. Let's take Independence Day, for example. Was that movie entertaining? Of course it was. Was it a good movie? No. It was cheesy, the acting was pathetic, and the plot had way too many loopholes. How about the Shawshank Redemption. Is that a good movie? Yes. It has well-developed characters, a realistic plot, good use of foreshadowing, and a ton of atmosphere, even if it does take place at a prison. Is Army of Darkness entertaining? Yes! I laughed my ass off really hard the first time I saw it, and I still bring it up every now and then to watch the famous quote scenes. But let's face it...can it be compared to The Green Mile, LA Confidential, Apollo 13? What about The Fugitive, Schindler's List, Forrest Gump, or Pulp Fiction? It can't be compared to these, because it doesn't have the foundation for it. The movie was written with a script for dorks (stop flaming me for saying this, I'm a dork obviously, and I never said it was a bad thing), the acting is terrible, and the plot is incredibly cheesy. The Boondock Saints is the exact reverse. It has literary merit. The movie is actually trying to accomplish something, leaving the viewer with a bigger message for them to figure out. The characters in the movie are all acted with incredible personality, helping to bring a real-life problem to the screen. It may not be entirely realistic, but it does have the qualities of a good movie. I know that most people out there consider a movie "good" if they enjoyed watching it, but I don't. I know that I'm obsessed with game and movie reviews, but I can't help it. I can't stand when people say that Adaptation and Black Hawk Down suck, and that Freddy Got Fingered or Dude, Where's My Car? are the best movies of the year. I feel a need to judge movies based on the same criteria, and I do. You don't have to agree, but it is obvious that the general public thinks of movies differently than some. My girlfriend gets annoyed when I tell her whether a movie or videogame is good just based on the reviews that the people I trust gave it (Electronic Gaming Monthly, Imagine Games Network, Roger Ebert, Rotten Tomatoes). She asks, "How do you know it sucks? You've never seen/played it." I just reply with, "I don't need to see it, EGM says it's a bad game. Their reviews match my personal opinion, so that saves me a lot of time and wasted money." -Lasereth __________________ "A Darwinian attacks his theory, seeking to find flaws. An ID believer defends his theory, seeking to conceal flaws." -Roger Ebert Last edited by Lasereth; 10-05-2003 at 11:43 AM..