"Why waste your time with this? Does critiquing movies really matter, anyway?"
I don’t believe I am wasting my time. And yes, critiquing movies does matter. I’m so damn tired of being disappointed by seeing the slop that passes for big screen entertainment these days. I’m fed up and want a change!
I decided to start this blog out of shear frustration. I am tired of seeing mind-numbing cinematic messes. I want to do something about it. I have long been a reader of movie reviews, and rarely have I seen what I thought were good, balanced ones. So I decided to help fill the niche!
"How will you be grading the movies you critique?"
On the oh-so-familiar A-F basis. An A- or A+ is a virtually perfect movie, the reflected equivalent of 4 stars. An F is…well…an F! The central components by which each movie will be judged (in no particular order of importance) are…
* Plot logistics and believability
* Character development
* Genre advancement and identity
* Factual accuracy
* Choreography
* Cinematography
* Acting
* Flow and pace
* Dialogue
For more on how I grade movies, click here.
"Can we request a certain movie to be reviewed?"
Um, sure! :-)
"Are you recruiting writers for this blog?"
No. This is a solo project. Who knows if that will change in times to come.
"Come on now! Isn’t this just your opinion?"
No. Good movie critiques are very much objective, not just personal. Just because I didn’t “like” a movie won’t necessarily have anything to do with its value as a movie. There are plenty of movies I don’t like merely because they don’t interest me in subject matter or movie type, but they may be good movies in and of themselves. I will always judge a movie on its merits only.
"What are your ideas of good and bad movies?"
Good: The Game, Fight Club, The Illusionist, American Beauty, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, 310 to Yuma, Unforgiven, Tommy Boy, The Matrix, The Bourne Identity series, Shawshank Redemption, Slingblade, and Step-brothers.
Bad: Shark Attack 1,2,3, Epic Movie, Fear.com, Beloved, Showgirls, Battlefield Earth, Manos: The Hands of Fate, Mission to Mars, and Sea of Fear.
Mediocre: Superman Returns, Untraceable
Good, but under-appreciated: Unbreakable, V for Vendetta
"What do the three astericks *** mean when next to the title of an article?"
That means that the movie being reviewed is a B-movie, an independent film, or else has been released straight to DVD and never made theatres, and should be judged by lesser standards than the major, big screen releases.
"I'm noticing that a number of movies in theaters aren't here. Why is that?"
I don't do this full-time yet, and as a result, I can only dedicate so much of my time to it. Hopefully, that will someday change.
"Can you name some of your favorite movie critics?"
That I can. Most successful critics read and have their own favorites list of other critics. Mine include MaryAnn Johanson, Justin Putman, Roger Ebert, and Michael Medved.
"What separates you from other movie reviewers?"
There are many great reviewers out there. I'd like to think I am one of them, but in general, I think what separates me from some is my devotion and objectivity. More specifically, my emphasis as a critic is on the intellectual soundness of movies, as well as on scientific and factual soundness in the eyes of a more discerning and critical (skeptical) audience. My goal is to answer the question that should be answered by every movie critic: Does the film make it or break it in what it was set out to achieve? A comedy must be funny, a horror movie must be scary, a drama must be heartfelt, etc. What I am interested in determining is whether or not the movie succeeds or fails in its genre.
(JH)
I don’t believe I am wasting my time. And yes, critiquing movies does matter. I’m so damn tired of being disappointed by seeing the slop that passes for big screen entertainment these days. I’m fed up and want a change!
I decided to start this blog out of shear frustration. I am tired of seeing mind-numbing cinematic messes. I want to do something about it. I have long been a reader of movie reviews, and rarely have I seen what I thought were good, balanced ones. So I decided to help fill the niche!
"How will you be grading the movies you critique?"
On the oh-so-familiar A-F basis. An A- or A+ is a virtually perfect movie, the reflected equivalent of 4 stars. An F is…well…an F! The central components by which each movie will be judged (in no particular order of importance) are…
* Plot logistics and believability
* Character development
* Genre advancement and identity
* Factual accuracy
* Choreography
* Cinematography
* Acting
* Flow and pace
* Dialogue
For more on how I grade movies, click here.
"Can we request a certain movie to be reviewed?"
Um, sure! :-)
"Do you ever walk out of movies you can't stand?"
Never! To stay and tough out the bad stuff is what makes movie reviewing necessary. People don't want to waste their money on something that stinks. I see the bad so that YOU don't have to!"Are you recruiting writers for this blog?"
No. This is a solo project. Who knows if that will change in times to come.
"Come on now! Isn’t this just your opinion?"
No. Good movie critiques are very much objective, not just personal. Just because I didn’t “like” a movie won’t necessarily have anything to do with its value as a movie. There are plenty of movies I don’t like merely because they don’t interest me in subject matter or movie type, but they may be good movies in and of themselves. I will always judge a movie on its merits only.
"What are your ideas of good and bad movies?"
Good: The Game, Fight Club, The Illusionist, American Beauty, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, 310 to Yuma, Unforgiven, Tommy Boy, The Matrix, The Bourne Identity series, Shawshank Redemption, Slingblade, and Step-brothers.
Bad: Shark Attack 1,2,3, Epic Movie, Fear.com, Beloved, Showgirls, Battlefield Earth, Manos: The Hands of Fate, Mission to Mars, and Sea of Fear.
Mediocre: Superman Returns, Untraceable
Good, but under-appreciated: Unbreakable, V for Vendetta
That means that the movie being reviewed is a B-movie, an independent film, or else has been released straight to DVD and never made theatres, and should be judged by lesser standards than the major, big screen releases.
"I'm noticing that a number of movies in theaters aren't here. Why is that?"
I don't do this full-time yet, and as a result, I can only dedicate so much of my time to it. Hopefully, that will someday change.
"Can you name some of your favorite movie critics?"
That I can. Most successful critics read and have their own favorites list of other critics. Mine include MaryAnn Johanson, Justin Putman, Roger Ebert, and Michael Medved.
"What separates you from other movie reviewers?"
There are many great reviewers out there. I'd like to think I am one of them, but in general, I think what separates me from some is my devotion and objectivity. More specifically, my emphasis as a critic is on the intellectual soundness of movies, as well as on scientific and factual soundness in the eyes of a more discerning and critical (skeptical) audience. My goal is to answer the question that should be answered by every movie critic: Does the film make it or break it in what it was set out to achieve? A comedy must be funny, a horror movie must be scary, a drama must be heartfelt, etc. What I am interested in determining is whether or not the movie succeeds or fails in its genre.
(JH)
