DVD Review HTF Review: What A Girl Wants (Highly Recommended) (1 Viewer)

[Adam Tyner]

I think that may have been a compliment....

Ha! Sorry if I came off as really argumentative before -- I know it takes a bit for a reviewer to get his or her footing, and since you started reviewing on one of the highest profile forums possible...it's not the most enviable position to be in. I think you took the criticism well, and your reviews are more well-rounded as a result.

 

[TonyD]

to get an idea of what
a top notch review reads like
just read one of rons reviews.
they are the bar to reach for,
and even to emulate. PLEASE.

i think it is very important to review the extra features as they are part of the dvd as a whole.
i want to know what quality the commentaries meet. (ouch).

if it has additional or deleted scenes it's very important to do a synopsis of these scenes.
the more details on what is on the dvd the better.
when it comes to dvd reviews on HTF very thorough is very good.
this wasnt even close to a dvd that i would highly recommend to anyone.
more like a little throw away movie that was just ok. watch it once or twice, thats enough.

one thing i was wondering about in the movie.
one character picks up the phone and calls another, twice, this leads me to think that they were in touch all along, but it never seems to be made clear.
what did i miss on that?

 

[Ronald Epstein]

to get an idea of what
a top notch review reads like
just read one of rons reviews.
they are the bar to reach for,
and even to emulate. PLEASE.

This is not a fair statement to make.

Understand that most of these new reviewers that
have just been brought aboard have NEVER written
a professional review like this before.

The idea was to bring in enthusiasts as reviewers.

I agree that Herb's reviews need to concentrate
more on the supplements. This is something that
has already been discussed with Herb, and if you
look at some of his latest reviews you will see
he is now reviewing supplemental material.

Please give all the reviewers here time to refine
themselves. It took me quite a few months (and
quite a bit of criticism) before I was able to
find my niche.

Thank You

 

[Steve K.H.]

Hi Steve, thanks for your comments. Are you suggesting that we should not be including a brief synopsis of the movie, prior to discussing the DVD and it's technical merits...? Or is your concern the placement of the review itself?

Ummm... neither.

I totally agree that reviewed titles should be offloaded to a separate "archived review thread" after a short duration.

Searching for a review within the software thread can churn out a lot of false hits. This is a great idea from Ron. Are we going to include unofficial HTF reviews in there though? A topic for another thread.

I totally agree with a "BRIEF" synopsis of the film. I disagree with a full blown review of the film. This is not the MOVIE forum.

A Software Review does require an introduction of the film. The reader requires an idea if this is or is not well:
-directed,
-adapted to screen from a book,
-musically scored,
-colorful,
-acted,
or whatever the case may be. I suggest comments need only be made if there are peaks or valleys.

It shouldn't be too difficult to stay clear of writing a novel when presenting the overview or introduction of the film / product. If there is no history on the film (i.e. released direct to DVD), or if there is new footage (e.g. Dances with Wolves EE, LOTR EE), certainly more in-depth discussion is appropriate.

I think the clear test is what does the reader remember from the review? Did it ramble on regarding the film or did it define what the DVD may provide the prospective purchaser/renter?

And did the review help the reader decide if this film, in its DVD format, is of interest to the reader.

Software Forum... discuss the Software.
Movies Forum... discuss the Movies.

 

[Adam Tyner]

I totally agree with a "BRIEF" synopsis of the film. I disagree with a full blown review of the film. This is not the MOVIE forum.

Out of curiosity, do you dislike the approach to the reviews found on sites like DVD File or The Digital Bits, or are you basing your comments solely on the fact that the HTF's DVD reviews are posted in the Home Theater Software forum?

The reviewers have been doing a pretty solid job clearly delineating where comments on the movie begin and end, so if you don't find such notes about the content useful, it should be reasonably easy to skip to the area of interest. A DVD review with next to no comments about the content would make them considerably less useful, as would any sort of absurd splitting of review content across multiple forums.

If it were put to a vote or something similarly silly, I would absolutely be in favor of reviewers tackling the content as well as the presentation, and I would hope a number of other HTF users would feel the same way.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Absolutely, without doubt, a review SHOULD contain a slightly more than a
synopsis of the film.

Why you ask? Let me put myself as an example....

There are films being reviewed on this forum
that I have never heard about before. When I
read a review of an unknown title, I want to know
what the film is about, or perhaps even some
background about a particular actor, director
or event that is related to the making of this film.
Even moreso, I'd like to know what the reviewer
and the responding membership thinks of the film.
After all, some of us are persuaded by good reviews
and turned away by bad.

What good does it do any of us to read a review
based on VIDEO and AUDIO merit without knowing
what the film is about? The icing on the cake
comes when a reviewer highly recommends a title
or tells you it isn't worth your time. Members
who respond in a thread like this often confirm
or argue the reviewer's opinion.

This thread should never have turned into the
dilaogue that it now has. I'm partly to blame
for that. This a thread about a soon-to-be-released
title, and I hope to further discussion on it.

 

[Steve K.H.]

My apologies for this going off track Ron.

I'll end with stating that I enjoy the way this review was put together. None of the recent reviews or any of Ron's original reviews lost sight of the fact that the Software is to be reviewed in the Software Forum.

And yes, to get there, character development is important to the storyline.

I'll stop here and start a new thread... maybe.

 

[TonyD]

one thing i was wondering about in the movie.
one character picks up the phone and calls another, twice, this leads me to think that they were in touch all along, but it never seems to be made clear.
what did i miss on that?

 

[Greg_L_C]

I bought this move for my daughters, and after reading Herb's review decided I would watch it with them. I was very surprised! Cute story, good DD audio track, and great picture.

Greg

 

[Angelo.M]

...I am reviewing the DVD.

You ought to consider it a review of both the DVD and the film. Would one "highly recommend" a DVD that had a spectacular transfer and a bone-shaking soundtrack if the film were impossible to sit through?

I think a few words outlining your reaction to the film are not out-of-the-question and, perhaps, absolutely required.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Good points here.

 

[Darren Haycock]

Not too interested personally, but it looks like they're sticking with the edited cover. I thought that they might just go with the original now that some time has passed, but seeing as how similar the two covers were, I suppose it wasn't a big deal.

 

[Yumbo]

I agree with the recommendation.
great movie (not fantastic), good picture, pretty good sound except for slight dialnorm.

the score by Rupert Gregson-Williams deserves praise. his brother Harry would be proud.