Confession time: I have lousy taste in films (1 Viewer)

[Patrick Sun]

Going back to BHD, there are some problems in that the book has way too many characters (from what I've gleaned in reading the comparisons from it to the film), and the character composites that the film tries to craft doesn't really make me, the viewer, connect with many of our guys in the ill-fated FUBAR that occured due to our lack of leadership at the time of crisis (I will not go down that road, though).

Make no bones about it, the action sequences are top-notch, it's the characters that break the film for me.

 

[Andrew_Sch]

Pat, despite your dislike of IMHO the two best films from last year, you really have nothing to worry about. I have friends who hail every Saving Silverman, Orange County or Blue Streak as the greatest movie ever made, yet refuse to watch more than five minutes of Spinal Tap and call that the worst movie ever made.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Andrew, you need new friends: "This is Spinal Tap" is a classic! I own both of their albums.

 

[Michael Reuben]

It just floors me when I see a film that is universally praised, and yet that same film doesn't do it for me.

Happens to me all the time. I don't let it bother me. Often I can see what people are praising, but it just doesn't move me (In the Bedroom was a prime example).
Hyperbole has been part of the movie business almost from the beginning. Today, between the studio publicity machines and the ever-expanding population of reviewers, both pro and amateur, it's almost inevitable that a movie with anything to recommend it gets overpraised in some quarters, only to be subject to the inevitable backlash. As individual viewers, each of us is just a small part of a giant ebb and flow of opinions that will sometimes be flowing with us and sometimes against us.
That's why I usually don't bother to write up my reactions to major releases. My opinions don't amount to much on a film that millions are seeing anyway. I confine myself to the limited releases where it may be of some use to a handful of people to get advance word from a non-professional. Even then, I usually only write about films I enjoyed (with the notable exception of Waking Life ).
M.

 

[Mark Pfeiffer]

Back off Waking Life Michael!
Patrick, I think the hype machine has in many ways damaged people's expectations. For example, I found Insomnia to be a highly engaging exploration of the line separating the cop and the killer (not an original idea by any means). It may not amount to much more than a very well made mainstream film, but I thought it was thrilling nonetheless because it is so much better than its cinematic brethren in performance, cinematography, editing, and theme. Maybe it isn't a life-changing experience, like Kiesloski's Three Colors trilogy, but those come along rarely.
Insomnia seems to be one that the critics have praised and general audiences have been underwhelmed by. It may come down to the difference in experience. As a critic, I see a lot of movies each year (400-500 if including what I see on DVD). Not to sound like I have some magic decoder capabilities, but what I consider to be the best tend to stand out when surrounded by a lot of bad films. So an Insomnia or an About a Boy really connects after sitting through months of films like Exit Wounds and The Wedding Planner.
It certainly appears that you see a decent mix of pictures. The more you see, the more you'll begin to finetune your preferences whether they match critical tastes or popular tastes. Tastes change through time. I have a higher tolerance for more oblique films than I did when I first started reviewing. It doesn't necessarily mean I was "wrong" when I looked at some of them then; I've changed and so has my knowledge base.
And your taste could be much worse.

 

[Chris Lock]

> Magnolia was two and a half years ago.
He started watching it back then, and it finally ended. (At least it seemed to be at least two years long.)
I think by definition, everyone's taste is perfect for him/her. (It's only bad/lousy taste to someone else.) It's all opinion anyway, even though so many of you are often wrong.

 

[Tom Ryan]

I think a better judge of taste would be the list of films that have impacted you permanently. Rather than the flavors of the week, what are your top ten films of all time? My five (right now) are:
1. Star Wars
2. Fight Club
3. The Godfather
4. Jaws
5. The Matrix
The rest of the top ten I am unsure of, but I know Lawrence Of Arabia is in there somewhere

 

[Patrick Sun]

Mark, you may be right, perhaps I need to re-adjust my expectations (but I swear I do my best to watch each film with an open mind, and allow my reactions guide me in giving it some sort of review/rank that encapsulates most of that time spent on the film). I do find that I am more aware of the techniques and shorthand/language of film, the more I try to be cognizant of what is being shown, and how the info is being conveyed to us, the viewers.

 

[Michael Reuben]

Back off Waking Life Michael!

No way! That one little rip got more reaction than anything else I've ever posted on HTF.
M.

 

[Ron-P]

Pat, I looked across your list there, where's From Hell
Peace Out~

 

[Patrick Sun]

I'm too busy watching Scooby Doo! I'll get to From Hell soon enough...

 

[Patrick_S]

You are right; you do have lousy taste in films.
What kind of response do you expect when you throw such an obvious softball to the plate.
If you think you have lousy taste then why should I correct you?
It's a lot like drinking wine, enjoy what you enjoy and don't bother with what others have to say.

 

[LennyP]

I don't think your taste is "lousy" either, it is actually pretty standard with the majority out there.

Now the films I like tend to be even hated by others, with passion.
I absolutely love:
Resident Evil
Mean Guns (like Battle Royale, only criminals instead of children and it came first)
Angel's Dance & Retroactive & Separate Lives (with James Belushi)
The 6th Day
Escape from LA
Ghosts of Mars
Vanilla Sky
Thirteenth Floor
Very Bad Things
New Blood
3000 Miles to Graceland, etc. Just take a look in my favorites links you'll see all the things most people call "crap" but I love those movies.

I don't care, and you especially shouldn't either.

 

[SteveGon]

Patrick, seeing as how I mostly agree with you on the films that we've both seen, I'd say you have excellent taste in movies!

 

[Patrick Sun]

Steve, you're scaring me!

 

[MatthewA]

You're entitled to your own opinions.

Dome, never link John Waters' name with Pauline Kael's (out of respect for the FORMER) if we ever meet face to face. Just a request.

 

[Tom Ryan]

You're entitled to your own opinions.

Dome, never link John Waters' name with Pauline Kael's (out of respect for the FORMER) if we ever meet face to face. Just a request.

Are you serious about this? What's the beef? I have no clue...

 

[Dome Vongvises]

Dome, never link John Waters' name with Pauline Kael's (out of respect for the FORMER) if we ever meet face to face. Just a request.

Hey MatthewA, lighten up.

 

[Scott Weinberg]

Heck, I'm a paid & published film critic and I freely admit to liking shit like Armageddon, Resident Evil, Deep Rising and Deep Blue Sea. I believe I mention use the word 'crap' freely in every one of those reviews, tho.
I think you have good taste in movies, Pat. More importantly, you know WHY you like what you like.
I couldn't care less if I write the ONLY positive review for a movie; if the movie entertains me, it's "quality" enough for a recommendation.
As pedantic as this may sound, movies are like ice cream: you may love pistachio ice cream and eat it every day. Me? I think it's nauseating. Which of us is right?

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Matthew,

I don't know how you meant that comment,
but I also request that you please lighten
it up.

Thanks