What makes something a good movie?

To answer the question, gratuitous sex and violence.

The story, without a single shadow of a doubt. To suggest anything else is more important is just ridiculous.

I completely agree with this. When a film pops into your head at a completely random time, or when you think about a character or song or imagine being in a place, you definitely have a sign of a good film.

For me, films that stay with me are the ones that tend to have cohesion; you can tell the director had a hand in things and pulled all the aspects of the film together. With some films, the guiding hand can be the producer (think Casablanca), but there has to be someone pulling it together. Everything about the film can be great: acting, cinematography, music, writing, etc., but if everyone is doing their own thing, it will probably be a bad movie.

Just to play devil's advocate, I don't really think that you have to like a movie for it to be good. I really enjoyed watching Megashark vs. the Giant Octopus, which probably doesn't qualify as a good movie. I had a hard time watching Requiem for a Dream, but I did think the film itself was fantastic. So I think there can be a dissociation between subjective personal enjoyment and a more objective overall quality.

Completely agree with this. For me though, the films that stay with me are the films I enjoyed watching, the films that had me engrossed in the story.

I guess its a personal thing.
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I have to say, id be pissed if the moderators came and changed one of my thread titles to something that sounds wrong.

What makes "SOMETHING" a good film?

"What makes a film good?" surely.

what makes a good film for me is this - if I can lose myself for the whole time it's on and never get pulled out of the flow by even one moment of bad acting. If I can listen to the dialogue with all of it ringing true. If I can see even things that cannot possibly exist and believe in them. If I can watch and notice no editing cockups or silly plot holes, then Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, and - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

And puppies... or kittens. Sure fire hit right there.

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We are both the source of the problem and the solution, yet we do not see ourselves in this light...

The repeatability of a film has to be mentioned. A good movie in my opinion is normally one that you can watch over and over again. And most of the criteria comes from what we have previously talked about before.

But I also said A lot of people would say that, for example, Eye of the Killer was a bad movie. I could definately see where they were coming from, probably without even an explanation, but I really enjoyed it. Therefore, I consider it a good movie. It's a very opinional thing. Lou's question was what do I think makes something a good movie. If I enjoy it, I will most likely consider it a good movie. The film may be well directed, acted, etc, but if I don't enjoy it, I probably won't say it's a good movie. I don't think I ever catch myself saying, "That was good movie, but I didn't like it."

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For me, writing is key. Someone on this thread mentioned that good actors can improve a bad script. Definitely true. But I also believe that good actors covet good scripts. That being said, those that fall into the category of say a Eric Roth or Allan Ball, are a must in film for me. Throw in those directors that have a love for the art of cinematography (the late, and very great Stanley Kubrick or say a Danny Boyle), now....Now, you got yourself a movie.

What make a good movie? Tough. It depends on every movie. I notice some top actors "saved" bad movies. Some movies have excellent screenplay with bad actors. Some top actors are "victims" of flop movie.

I would pick orders:

1. Writing a good screenplay - I believe it's the key for making a good movie
2. Acting - It's a must for actors with excellent quality/skills to make a good movie.
3. Directing - I think it's important to have a good combination of everything to make a good movie. It's about leadership.
4. Cinematography - What makes a good movie is to get right moods of what story is about.
5. Art Direction/Set Decoration - It depends on what movies are about. I think it depends on how good screenplays are.
6. Music - Who cares? I dont care.

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www.timetravelmovie.com

I do think music can add a lot to the film, but I rarely make that part of my judgement.

A good movie for me is something I enjoy watching over and over without it getting old.

Really CQ. Titanic was a great movie. Do you think it would have been the same without that score from James Horner? Forget Celine Dion, she was just at the right place at the right time, an after thought (could have been left out IMO). That score by Horner was amazing.

The scores of movies don't actually make or break the movie, but rather they help the flow of the movie such as Titanic. In turn if the flow of the movie is good then most likely it will keep the audiences attention and making the film much more memorable.

Depending on the type of movie that it is I believe that the score is important. The score made movies like The Shawshank Redemption, Silence of the Lambs, Mystic River, and Man on Fire that much better for me.

I think most of the movies that looked good as an idea on paper, but sucked on screen have to do with the writing. You might have yourself a decent story, but if the dialogue and pacing of the story/plot is not well done, no amount of directing, acting, music, or anything will save it.

A film's script is the blue-print and tells the story and dialogue where to go. I don't care how good of acting is in your movie, if the story and dialogue are garbage the film will be as well. I can think of many great performances in poor movies because the characters were written poorly and not given much to do. I do in part agree with the auteur theory, but even Alfred Hitchcock had stinkers. All great directors, with the exception of Kubrick, have had bad films.

Script is the skeleton and without a good one, I don't believe a film can stand as a general rule. And yes of course there are exceptions.

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Yes musical scores can add tension, romance, atmosphere, and all around emotion that heightens an already great scene. Take for instance the "Romance on the Train" score by Bernard Hermann in North by Northwest... excellent scene, made brilliant by the great composer.

I can't argue that, Lou. That music takes me back every time to when I used to watch it a lot more. It just sticks with you, haunts you even maybe. Horner's composed for a lot of my favorite movies (I think. I know a few off hand) but I think Henry Mancini and Ennio Morricone's in The Untouchables may be even better than he.

Memorable dialogue, especially if a few lines earn a "Most often quoted" status.

Excellent scenery & costumes really help move things along.

I favor linear plots, nothing too convoluted (I prefer books for that).

Depending on the genre, a good jolt is nice here and there.

A musical score which practically tells the story itself is an absolute plus.

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"The dog is the god of frolic." ~ Beecher

"Exit, pursued by a bear." ~

How do you know when you have a good screenolay? People in Hollywood don't know. The screenplayfor Radio Flyer was fiercly bid on by competing studios, sold for a huge sum, and the finished film was a box office dud.