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Originally Posted by Miss Vicky
I also used a particular word that should've been a big tip off as to who the intended target was.
Yeah I know, but I was throwing it around too. Could very well have been misinterpreted. *shrug*

Originally Posted by Miss Vicky
But I do think that when anyone over analyzes films, they take the fun out of watching them.
Different movies have different levels of complexity. Wreck-It Ralph's pretty simple on the surface, but there a lot of different little ways I think it compromises that.

As I said, the main reason I went so overlong with it was because it got so much praise and I'm clearly an exception. It's just my inclination to balance. If 9 people just say, "I really like it, it's good.", then I think 1 person going into 9 times the amount of detail if they disagree is justified.

Originally Posted by Miss Vicky
I'd rather be a lowly pleb who can just sit back and enjoy a movie than some arrogant ass who nitpicks every little thing
I wasn't nitpicking. If you're emotionally engaged and I'm not, then there's a disconnect somewhere and it's worth exploring what that is. I didn't go into the movie with the intention to pick it apart, I sincerely wanted to enjoy it.

I actually got really good vibes at the very beginning of the movie when we first see the Power Strip area. All those different video game icons and that music instantly reminded me of Namco Museum which really turned up my nostalgia.

The feeling... just didn't last.

Originally Posted by Miss Vicky
Whereas I feel there's no such thing as a bad movie, just movies that appeal to different audiences for different reasons.
Not even movies with a specific goal that they fail accomplish? If a movie is intended to be scary and it scares no one, isn't it fair to say that it's bad scary movie? What about a comedy that no one laughs at? Or a childrens' movie that doesn't even appeal to children?

That movie might be exactly what I'm looking for if my goal is to find movies no one likes, but if we're judging a movie by the standards we can reasonably assume it set out for itself, then it's fair to say whether they did a good or bad job achieving those standards.

You might disagree and say that you're only rating them in terms of your enjoyment, but you also said Wreck-It Ralph had a message and you believe it conveyed that message effectively. That's tantamount to saying it was good in that regard. The opposite is also true. Calling a movie "good" or "bad" generalizes everything that makes that movie, yes, but we can reasonably assume that you're judging it in that way based on your interpretation of it.

Hypothetically, I could say Wreck-It Ralph is a terrible horror movie. Would I be totally wrong?

Originally Posted by Miss Vicky
Please don't. You tear apart movies that I love.
*laughs*
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As I said, the main reason I went so overlong with it was because it got so much praise and I'm clearly an exception. It's just my inclination to balance. If 9 people just say, "I really like it, it's good.", then I think 1 person going into 9 times the amount of detail if they disagree is justified.
Okay.


I wasn't nitpicking. If you're emotionally engaged and I'm not, then there's a disconnect somewhere and it's worth exploring what that is. I didn't go into the movie with the intention to pick it apart, I sincerely wanted to enjoy it.
You were nitpicking the technical/gamer aspect of it.

Not even movies with a specific goal that they fail accomplish? If a movie is intended to be scary and it scares no one, isn't it fair to say that it's bad scary movie? What about a comedy that no one laughs at? Or a childrens' movie that doesn't even appeal to children?
I don't think these movies you speak of actually exist. Every movie has its fans.

You might disagree and say that you're only rating them in terms of your enjoyment,
Which is the only way you really can rate art. It's all subjective. I can say that I think the movie conveyed its message effectively, sure, but someone else can just as easily say it was a ham-handed effort and they wouldn't be wrong to say so.

Hypothetically, I could say Wreck-It Ralph is a terrible horror movie. Would I be totally wrong?
Would you be wrong in saying that a children's comedy is a terrible horror movie? Yes.



Originally Posted by Miss Vicky
You were nitpicking the technical/gamer aspect of it.
You mean the whole villain thing? They're pre-established characters, it's worth considering their existing personalities for how they would predictably operate in this setting. I mean, M. Bison supposedly needs a support group and yet all anyone has every seen him do is fly around, bicycle-kick people into the sky, and triumphantly monologue about how he's going to take over the world with his PSYCHO POWER. It just makes me wonder why Ralph isn't similarly invested.

OR are you referring to what I said about how glitching is portrayed? I just feel like that was a missed opportunity to do something really neat and different. Plus it's... riddled with plotholes. It baffles me the same way that it would if Maximus from Gladiator was suddenly able to make his sword grow longer.

Originally Posted by Miss Vicky
I don't think these movies you speak of actually exist. Every movie has its fans.
Unfortunately.

Originally Posted by Miss Vicky
Which is the only way you really can rate art. It's all subjective. I can say that I think the movie conveyed its message effectively, sure, but someone else can just as easily say it was a ham-handed effort and they wouldn't be wrong to say so.
They could also be right, though. A message conveyed through circular logic or similar fallacies can be a totally objective criticism.

Originally Posted by Miss Vicky
Would you be wrong in saying that a children's comedy is a terrible horror movie? Yes.
But see? You had to specify the intent. Otherwise, I could be right.



You mean the whole villain thing? They're pre-established characters, it's worth considering their existing personalities for how they would predictably operate in this setting. I mean, M. Bison supposedly needs a support group and yet all anyone has every seen him do is fly around, bicycle-kick people into the sky, and triumphantly monologue about how he's going to take over the world with his PSYCHO POWER. It just makes me wonder why Ralph isn't similarly invested.
But if we're accepting the premise that these video game characters are basically real people, then we must also accept the possibility that their villainous behavior may be something of a facade. Real people hide their real feelings all the time.

In any case I was referring more to things like you complaining about the way code was portrayed in the movie with King Candy going into the vault where Sugar Rush's code is kept. And, yes, also the glitching.

I don't think you can liken the movie to Maximus suddenly making his sword longer. Wreck-It Ralph is fantasy. Gladiator is historical fiction. Glitching is portrayed in the film as if it were a tic that occurs randomly, but that the afflicted person can have some control over if they concentrate. Sure it takes a degree of suspension of disbelief, but this is an animated movie about video game characters, so a large degree of suspension of disbelief comes with the territory.

They could also be right, though. A message conveyed through circular logic or similar fallacies can be a totally objective criticism.
It's all opinion and therefore neither right nor wrong.

But see? You had to specify the intent. Otherwise, I could be right.
Regardless, though, you said that if a scary movie fails to be scary, then it's a bad scary movie. But how does one even gauge that? Things that scare me might have no effect on another person and vice versa. So if a scary movie fails to scare me, but scares someone else, is it bad? I don't think so.



I'd rather be a lowly pleb who can just sit back and enjoy a movie than some arrogant ass who nitpicks every little thing or namedrops exalted arthouse directors to make themselves feel superior.
And I'd rather be weird than either of you.
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Originally Posted by Miss Vicky
But if we're accepting the premise that these video game characters are basically real people, then we must also accept the possibility that their villainous behavior may be something of a facade. Real people hide their real feelings all the time.
So if none of them are really villains like Ralph, then why are they villains?

Originally Posted by Miss Vicky
In any case I was referring more to things like you complaining about the way code was portrayed in the movie with King Candy going into the vault where Sugar Rush's code is kept.
Removing those couple scenes or adding in one last one to show how it works would've solved that issue.

Originally Posted by Miss Vicky
I don't think you can liken the movie to Maximus suddenly making his sword longer. Wreck-It Ralph is fantasy. Gladiator is historical fiction.
Both NEED internal consistency regardless of their genres.

Originally Posted by Miss Vicky
Glitching is portrayed in the film as if it were a tic that occurs randomly, but that the afflicted person can have some control over if they concentrate.
I guess, but I've never heard of glitches that you can control at will or tics that let you break the laws of physics.

Originally Posted by Miss Vicky
Sure it takes a degree of suspension of disbelief, but this is an animated movie about video game characters, so a large degree of suspension of disbelief comes with the territory.
Again, that's writing off a LOT. If Vanelope's ability to totally control her glitching was foreshadowed or implied to be possible in the slightest it wouldn't have been a blatant Deus Ex Machina.

Originally Posted by Miss Vicky
It's all opinion and therefore neither right nor wrong.
1+1=3 is still wrong. And calling that a mistake or inferior to 1+1=2 isn't wrong either. You can say that all movies have their fans, but you can also say that the majority of people on the planet are completely nuts. There's a fair degree of objectivity that you can take from any form of art, movies or otherwise.


Originally Posted by Miss Vicky
Regardless, though, you said that if a scary movie fails to be scary, then it's a bad scary movie. But how does one even gauge that? Things that scare me might have no effect on another person and vice versa. So if a scary movie fails to scare me, but scares someone else, is it bad? I don't think so.
That's why movies are rated by consensus, but again it's entirely worth noting that the criticism of cliches for example, which are a HUGE part of movies, is only valuable to genre-savvy viewers. Someone who's never seen a certain cliche before won't be bothered by what they see onscreen, but more experienced movie-goers will be able to call out hack writing and the like more effectively. Your ability to judge is always affected by the scope of your judgment.

Ultimately what I'm saying is that if your argument is there are no absolutely good or absolutely bad movies, you're right, it's all RELATIVE, but relative judgment is not necessarily SUBJECTIVE judgment. Just as there are varying levels of skill, there are varying levels of quality.



Honestly this discussion's getting a bit tired and I don't feel like giving a lengthy response.

I will say this though: If movies are rated by consensus and the consensus is that Wreck-It Ralph is a very good movie, then by your own argument it is a very good movie despite your dislike of it.



If movies are rated by consensus and the consensus is that Wreck-It Ralph is a very good movie, then by your own argument it is a very good movie despite your dislike of it.
You've completely missed my point.





Lilo & Stitch (Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders, 2002)
Imdb

Date Watched: 03/30/16
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: Just felt like watching an old favorite
Rewatch: Yes


Disney films often miss the mark for me whether they're traditional animation or CG. I've never cared for films like The Lion King or Beauty and the Beast. What humor they have falls flat and I find their characters more irritating than endearing. The fact that many of them are musicals doesn't help the situation for me either.

Such is not the case for Lilo & Stitch. Music and dance play an integral part in the film, but the characters never break into song. As much as I enjoy children's films, I don't actually like children and often dislike child characters. Oddball Lilo, however, is actually quite funny and lovable even when she's throwing a tantrum. And then there's Stitch. Never has a destructive and sometimes violent alien been so freaking adorable.


But beyond the humor and cavity inducing cuteness, the film is just a joy to look at with its vibrant colors and gorgeous scenery. It's apparent that the filmmakers took care to be respectful to the native Hawaiian culture and to the natural beauty of the islands.

The film does fall into a few tired cliches (orphans AGAIN?!), but with all its warmth it's easy to forgive any flaws.






Silver Linings Playbook (David O. Russell, 2012)
Imdb

Date Watched: 4/06/16
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: I was bored and it was on Netflix
Rewatch: No


I've heard lots of great things about this movie, but there just wasn't anything there that piqued my interest so it wasn't exactly a priority. While I think Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Deniro have talent, neither has ever been a deciding factor in whether or not I want to watch a film. I'm indifferent to Bradley Cooper. As to David O'Russell? I've watched two of his other films - I Heart Huckabees and American Hustle - and hated them both. Though the casting of Marky Mark in the former and Christian Bale in the latter didn't help the situation for either one.

The cast was kind of a mixed bag for me. Lawrence turned in a solid performance (Oscar worthy, though? I don't know about that). Robert DeNiro was excellent in his more understated role and, ultimately, I found his character as a father struggling to juggle the stress of his own problems and those of his bipolar adult son to be the most likable. The best I can say for Chris Tucker is that he wasn't too annoying and was mostly forgettable as the token black man (telling Bradley Cooper to dance "with soul" and "black it up." Seriously? ). Cooper himself was as bland as the raisin bran he orders for dinner. I felt nothing at all for his character beyond how his actions affected his father and Tiffany. How he managed an Oscar nomination for this is beyond me. But the academy generally sucks anyway.

Ultimately, this little romance about two really f---ed up people who find love (while being surrounded by a bunch of only slightly less f---ed up people) was entertaining enough for a single watch - and was miles better than either of the other two O'Russell films I've subjected myself to - but aside from a couple of performances, I really don't understand the praise that is lavished on it. Oh well.

+



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Nice Reviews . I really enjoyed Wreck It Ralph and Inside Out.
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I haven't seen Silver Linings Playbook, and it doesn't really peak my interest. I don't particularly like where Lawrence's career went after Hunger Games.



Silver Linings Playbook...I really don't understand the praise that is lavished on it.
I don't understand all the praise either. I heard nothing but great things about this movie, so I watched it. Or make that, I tried to watch it.

I found the two leads to be 'too beautiful' to be real, they looked like brand name stars pretending to be two messed up people. And all that little stuff that happened in the film, seemed old hat and way cliche. I could not buy into the characters or their story, so I shut it off after 15 minutes.

Oh, in those 15 minutes I thought both Cooper and Lawrence was Raisin Bran bland.



Oh, in those 15 minutes I thought both Cooper and Lawrence was Raisin Bran bland.
Yeah, I didn't care at all for Lawrence in the beginning of the film, but I felt she got better as the story progressed. Cooper on the other hand, did not.



I didn't hate SLP, I just didn't really like it.

I hate American Hustle and I Heart Huckabees. No desire to watch anything else he's done.



Welcome to the human race...
Another MV review where I agree with the words but would still rate it lower. Considering the words you wrote, I'm surprised that you rated it as highly as you did.
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