Ryan McNeil
The information age is an amazing thing. It allows anyone who wants to the opportunity to climb up on the soapbox and scream their opinions to the masses (guilty, your honour).
Where it comes to movies, I’m starting to notice a little trend. It seems as though every once in a while, people feel the urge to feel like a brave little salmon swimming upstream. This isn’t a bad thing, as fellow blogger Univarn recently put it – the more differing opinions, the livlier the discussion. However, there’s a moment that instatly turns me off any would-be pointmaker. Six magic words actually…
“I haven’t seen the movie, but…”
I’ve heard that lead in when discussing everything from Michael Moore to THE HURT LOCKER. And whether the following point is good or bad, it always irks me. It’s admitting one’s own uninformed position, but still arguing the position. I’m equally irked and perplexed by this.
Don’t get me wrong – I’ll never say that everybody should see everything, just in case it comes up in a moviegoing argument. I just wish that people – those that wish to push their opinions to the masses especially – would be content to allow wiggle room for where they could be misled.
What do you say folks? Ever come across people who want to tell you something will be amazing, or will suck, even though they haven’t seen it for themselves? Am I the only one this bothers?
Take a look at the link below. The Daily Mail is a national daily newspaper in the UK. In the article it calls for the movie Antichrist to be banned. If you look at the fifth paragraph of the carefully constructed article it says “I haven’t seen it myself”
[url]http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1200742/CHRISTOPHER-HART-What-DOES-film-banned-days.html[/url]
The national press is as guilty if not more so than bloggers!
Well I haven't read this blog per say, but I think it's the worse blog ever written. At college I've done, on lots of occasions, the "well I haven't had that teacher but I've heard some nightmare stories." Though I do my damnedest to follow that up with "but what is your take on them?" I don't always though…
This is very true though. Pick an upcoming movie, any one should work. Go to Rotten Tomatoes and find an early negative review. If the movie has had any press I guarantee between 2 and 20 comments picking apart, screaming, insulting, the critic by people who've yet to see the movie.
They'll use insults you'd expect to be directed at the scum of the earth. It's disturbing.
Though I'll admit there's some movies I see the commercials for and go… "well no chance in hell I'm going to see that." It's not the best stance for a film blogger, but if the movie doesn't entice me, it'll take lots of good reviews to persuade me. What I lack is money and time, if I can avoid wasting either one, I'm going to.
It's a deplorable trait…but I did it with Year One for example…and I have no regrets.
Yeah I have heard people say this before, it kinda makes me stop as how can they continue to talk about a movie if they have not seen it? Thats second hand knowledge.
The beauty of discussing movies is that everyone has different opinions and pick up different things so there really is no use in using what someone else thought about a movie. Thats why I do not read reviews of movies that I have no seen yet, I try not to be influenced by someone else and get my own opinion on the movie.
@ Fandango… Couldn't seem to find the piece you were talking about, but I think it's a cop out for a major media outlet to pull a "I haven't seen it, but…"
@ Univarn… Yeah, I've noticed that with RT – I think it comes from some desire to be one of the first few to have a say.
Don't get me wrong, there are lots of movies that don't appeal to me one lick…but by and large, those are usually the ones that I don't write about. I could rail on for one thousand words about how NEW MOON will probably be about as enjoyable as a Fran Drescher marathon…but instead, I choose the more responsible track and simply ignore it.
@ Andrew… Really? You're proud of a deplorable moment?? How deplorable of you!
@ Caz… I hear ya. I actually get a small bit of satisfaction when I can convince someone to see something they weren't interested in, even if it's only so I can debate it with them later.
A Fran Drescher marathon? You cruel cruel person… don't go giving people any ideas! As for New Moon… I caved in and gave Twilight a shot, it'll take one heck of a woman to get me to go see New Moon.
I know the recent trend is to make Vampires more emotional, but my god do they have to glitter in the daytime? Is there anything less scary than an emotionally insecure glittering vampire? Sure, he might kill me, but I'm going out laughing.
@ Univarn… Thank you fo that. That might well be the funniest comment anyone has ever left me, and it's worthy of a post all its own.
I'm guilty of this on an innocent level. No, I'd never write negatively about a movie that I hadn't seen or call for anything like a banning that so many hypocrites do, but if I'm asked about my opinion about a film yet to be released or something, I'm more than happy to share it, blasting the cast or directors if need be. But it's more of the Scary Movie/Freddy Got Fingered types of films – I don't really need to see them to know that they're bad.