Saturday, December 8, 2007

Why another critic?

So why do we need yet another movie critic? Quite frankly, I think somebody needs to critique the critics. That's because too many of them seem to evaluate movie's from a purely subjective point-of-view, and that really doesn't do much good for anyone. I mean, what good is their subjective opinion, unless you happen to think and feel just like they do? No, in order for a critique to be of value, it needs to be as objective as possible so that each person can do their own objective-to-subjective mapping.

As a simple illustration of this basic idea, let's say I turn the hot water on and put my hand under the faucet. I immediately pull my hand out and scream "Ouch! That's hot!" You at first believe my "critique," but decide to touch the flow yourself, at which time you say "Hey, that's not hot!" From that moment on, you secretly (or not so secretly) believe that my critiquing abilities are dull at best. Now, in a world of more useful critiquing, I would instead give you an objective view of the water, telling you that my temperature measurement is 102 degree Fahrenheit. Then you could decide for yourself if the water was hot or not. After all, you may have thick leathery alligator skin, and I may have the skin of a man who doesn't know the meaning of physical labor. I think you get my point.

Another complaint I have about most movie critics is that they often compare apples with oranges, paying little if any attention to a film's genre and budget. Action films should be evaluated in terms of what makes a good action film, and dramas should be critiqued by the standards of a good drama film, etc. Likewise, a small-budget film should not be held to the same production standards as a big-budget Hollywood blockbuster.

Each week I will endeavor to objectively critique one or more movies, in accordance with the film's genre and budget, providing a brief analysis and objective scoring of the story, acting, settings, cinematography, sound, and music.

This is the way I think critiquing should be done.

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