“In criticism I will be bold, and as sternly, absolutely just with friend and foe. From this purpose nothing shall turn me.” – Edgar Allen Poe
In the age of social media – where everyone’s opinion can be heard, no matter an expert or a novice on the subject – the skills of discussion and debate have become a lost art. Instead of using sound reasoning or empathy to understand another individual or groups point of view, many people have resorted to having the loudest voice and most extreme opinions in order to be heard and “win” the argument. Whether on Twitter, Facebook or even in person, people ascribe to the notion that the opposing argument must be utterly asinine in order for their opinion to be correct – which contradicts the definition of an opinion. What lies at the root of the hostility on social media and in casual entertainment discussion is the lack of understanding that nearly all forms of entertainment are subjective and not objective.
Their is no perfect movie for everyone and that movie you just watched and loathed is someone’s favorite film. Genres in music arose because someone was not a fan of the music they heard and created a new type of music. There’s a reason some people fall asleep every time they read an assigned classic novel from a literature course, but enjoy reading the funnies out of the newspaper every morning. People are complex, but more importantly, unique individuals with different personalities, beliefs, experiences and perspectives that shape the way they digest and consume entertainment.
The way humans consume food is remarkably similar to how we consume television, film, music, literature, and numerous other forms of content. Our taste buds cause us to enjoy different types of food based on things like texture, flavor, temperature, and many other factors. Some people love spicy foods, while others aren’t able to enjoy the food through the heat. Some people have a low tolerance for salt, and some people shower their pretzels with it (guilty). Because of this no one likes the exact same food. This is the same way we consume entertainment, or for the purpose of this article, how we enjoy movies.
Our personalities, life experiences, and beliefs shape our overall “taste buds” for movies. Some people love action flicks, and others shudder at the thought of blood and violence. Some people enjoy a raunchy, vulgar comedy, while others prefer a cleaner, more family-friendly tone. If you ask almost anyone they have a restaurant that they frequent very often because it has food that appeals to their taste buds the most. Just like a favorite restaurant, most people have a film that they go back and watch time and again because it appeals to their movie taste so much. What’s more fun than finding a favorite restaurant? Finding other people who love it too! We are so excited when we learn that someone else loves the same food as us and it creates a bonding moment within the friendship. Much like food, people love to enjoy their favorite films with others who have the same adoration for the movie as they do.
Now imagine this scenario: You tweet out a picture of a burger from your favorite restaurant with a caption saying, “I loved this cheeseburger from [insert restaurant]. It was one of the best I’ve ever had. I recommend anyone go eat there.” Regardless about how you feel about foodies instagraming their meals all the time, this is a harmless tweet to express your enjoyment of a burger. You get a couple likes and retweets and then some replies with this: “You are a f*cking dumb*ss. I ate that burger and it was a piece of sh*t. Only f*cking retards eat there. Enjoy your sh*t sandwich idiot.” A slightly unfair response at the least I would say. While the language and vocabulary may be exaggerated – only slightly – this is a representation of how we talk to people about movies. The rude responder in this scenario probably only disliked that burger and never really had a strong opinion on the matter, but when he saw someone who really enjoyed the burger he resorted to insulting and humiliating the individual for liking the burger. It seems utterly ridiculous to chastise someone so harshly for enjoying a meal, but people often resort to this kind of dialogue when discussing movies. I think this is a result of 2 misconceptions about film and how we talk about it.
First, we have confused passion with being extreme and one-sided. For example, last year La La Land came out and received critical claim from film festivals and critics in early reviews. Thus, it had a lot of hype surrounding its wide release in theaters. This energy led people to react in a way that is sadly too common. If you don’t love it, you have to hate it. The narrative about how people felt about the movie became less and less about the film and the experience people had seeing it and more about being on the “right side”. While that approach can be beneficial in an area of objectivity like science, mathematics, and other quantitative subjects, it is not pertinent to film discussion and debate.
The goal of discussing film should not be to win an argument, but to empathize and gain perspective from others about a film. That is not to say that friendly debates about movies are pointless. Having constructive arguments with other film goers allows us to develop our knowledge and understanding of film by forcing us to think more critically and intelligently about films. However, we do not gain further enjoyment from movies if every time we discuss them we dig in our heels and force our own perspective and ideas on others. If you truly want to inform others with your opinion and in turn enrich your movie watching experience with their perspective and thoughts, then we must begin approaching film discussion from a communal place of teaching and learning from each other.
Secondly, one of the most beautiful and interesting parts of film is the fact that it is NOT black and white, but is on a wide spectrum of all colors. The fallacy that films are black and white is absurd for insisting that their has to be opposing sides. It shouldn’t even be seen as a gray scale with different shades between black and white. This somehow says to the audience that they have two sides and two perspectives to choose from about the movie and film is so much more than that. It is a fluid and open ended experience that does not have an A or B outcome. It’s not even limited to A-Z, but is instead an infinite number of possible perspectives and feelings about a film based on the audiences “taste buds”. We so often want to grade films on a scale: a letter grade, how many stars, a score out of 10, etc. While this makes it quicker to summarize how a critic, friend, or co-worker felt about a film, it waters down the art of film into a binary formula without letting an individual express the emotions, ideas, and experience they had while watching it.
The king pin of movie reviews since the turn of the century has been Rotten Tomatoes. It created a single source for a plethora of movie opinions and knowledge. Instead of having to visit 8-12 websites looking for movies review you can now find them all organized neatly in one database. The invention of such a wonderful resource for film fans was ingenious and offered an opportunity for film discussion and debate to take a step forward. Unfortunately, this wonderful tool has hurt the film community more than it may have helped it. What was meant to be a way to bring together the collective thoughts and opinions of the world’s most knowledgeable and entertaining film critics was reduced to just two words: Rotten or Fresh. The database turned all of these individuals’ insights, understanding of symbolism, appreciation of superior acting, and expertise in film making into a formula that tells you if a movie is good or bad. To those who just want to get out of the house and away from the kids on a Saturday night, this serves as a quick way to decide which movie to see as you’re leaving the restaurant. For those who use it to decide what movie to see I urge you to think more critically and independently about your trips to the movie theater. If you are not comfortable in deciding which movie to see on your own yet, please watch this video first before deciding to continue to use Rotten Tomatoes.
This is not a bash on Rotten Tomatoes. As someone who loves learning about film I frequently check Rotten Tomatoes’ numerous “all-time” lists to find films I should check out from the past. However, I do not let Rotten Tomatoes sway me from seeing a movie. I’ve gone to the movie theater this year more than I ever have. I have seen some amazing films this year. I have also seen some terrible movies. In the past I did not see many movies I didn’t like because I played it safe and only saw movies that had moderate to high RT scores. One day it dawned on me though: I’ve seen movies that had good RT scores that I did not like at all and there have been plenty of movies from the past that I love that have mediocre to terrible RT scores. Film critics are here to provide insight and give their own opinion of the film. They will never be able to tell you if you will like the movie or not, that is your experience and opinion to have.
To come full circle, no one will ever be able to tell you how a movie made you feel, made you think, taught you, or sticks with you. All those personal experiences are tailored to you as an individual. What film discussion can do is add to that experience by learning others ideas and feelings from their experiences. When we compare top-10 lists and argue about the better director, actor, or movie it is okay to try to prove our choice is “better”, but remember that film is an art form, subjective to its audience and means something different to everyone. As a film community, and even as the larger community of entertainment consumers, we should always be seeking to bring about interest, knowledge, and appreciation for our favorite works of art.
I write all this not as an expert in film or sociology, but someone who wishes to live in a world where people can freely discuss and express their love for their favorite pieces of entertainment without having to undergo persecution for what they feel.
Arts And Farts Reviews 