Death to film critics! Hail to the CelebCult!

[Horendithas]

[COLOR="Indigo"][FONT="Arial"]If you haven't read this yet: [URL="http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2008/11/death_to_film_critics_long_liv.html"][U]Death to film critics! Hail to the CelebCult![/U][/URL] Go and check it out. Beth forwarded the link to it to me and after reading it, I got to thinking about how on some levels, it's so true. As it points out near the end:[quote][FONT="Arial"]The celebrity culture is infantilizing us. We are being trained not to think. It is not about the disappearance of film critics. We are the canaries. It is about the death of an intelligent and curious, readership, interested in significant things and able to think critically. It is about the failure of our educational system. It is not about dumbing-down. It is about snuffing out.[/FONT][/quote]It does seem like our news and information that we get on a daily basis is essentially dumbed down and lacking substance. I'm not saying everything is like this, but sometimes I go to read a review or article and end up going... [I]hunh[/I] at the lack of decent coverage of the topic. A good example of this comes from the article itself here:[quote][FONT="Arial"]Why does the biggest story about "Twilight" involve its [I]fans?[/I] Do we need interviews with 16-year-old girls about Robert Pattinson? When was the last time [I]they[/I] read a paper? Isn't the movie obviously about sexual abstinence and the teen fascination with doomy Goth death-flirtation?[/FONT][/quote]I found that amusing since everything I've read does focus on the fans instead of the movie. I'm sure there are good critiques out there but I would have thought the fan bit would have been an after thought, not the main focus.

Anyway, your thoughts? What do you think? Or what examples do you have that are similar or that would indicate otherwise? Are we really dumbing down as it implies? =P[/FONT][/COLOR]

[Mr. Blonde]

[quote name='Indi'][COLOR="Indigo"][FONT="Arial"]Are we really dumbing down as it implies? =P[/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE]

Yes.


There are two types of coverage when dealing with films, entertainment coverage, and critical coverage. Myself, I don't even bother to read anything but a couple reviews pertaining to films I have interest in from a select group of critics I don't believe have their heads up their arse.

However some people of the teenage persuasion might not feel the same way. The film "Twilight" for instance, it's target audience is young teenage girls; hence why they interview them. Those girls want to know that "someone just like me" likes the bubblegum movie as well.

The poison has enveloped all branches of filmed entertainment. We talk more about celebrities outfits and hairdos then the film they're in. It's sad, and shows the slow decline of our culture in certain pockets. But I see it this way: the people that are going to wrap themselves in that nonsense are probably mindless idiots anyway, so if the coverage was actually informational based, they would turn it off, or put it down. Entertainment coverage is a business now as well, and most people who watch "E television" and what not are these people, so they have to appease their target audience.

These have been the people that have always been too self absorbed and moronic too comprehend anything outside the universe of stickers and rainbows. I say... let them melt their minds, it just makes the rest of us want to be unlike them even more.

I don't know if you have ever watched the "Reelz" network, Indi, but they have good film coverage without the celebrity spin. They cover all the major festivals and premieres from a film stand point. Sadly I moved to another state and do not get the station any longer... *sigh*

[Korey]

[FONT="Franklin Gothic Medium"]People are just now realizing that the media is more marketing "news as entertainment" rather than "news as information"? That's what happens when the media is owned by companies that make these sorts of films (Disney, for example, owns ESPN, ABC, Buena Vista....etc.)

While it may be [I]better[/I] to talk about the films as they are and their critical acclaims and faults, it's not what you're gonna see from these guys who work those stories. They often spin them in the "bizarre and unusual" news value, trying to see the hidden message, trend or weird attribute of a given story. That's why you'll see all sorts of squee-ing girls being interviewed while waiting in line to see Twilight instead of people actually looking at the film and saying what it is and what it's not. People are more interested in the PHENOMENA that is Twilight, not the actual movie or series of novels it's based on. [/FONT]

[Allamorph]

[FONT=Arial]And people wonder why I don't read or watch the news anymore.

Half of the issue is that, like many other facets of this country, news is now a Business. The primary motivating goal is the making of money. If a company can get more patronage through running 'popular' stories, instead of informative stories, then the popular wins out.

This is not a new phenomenon. Colleges are the same way. Insofar as I've taken the science courses required for most students this semester, I have yet to hear one item that was not covered in high school courses. I literally slept during classes, on the front row, because I merely needed to be reminded of what I already knew—and I would wake up to make a counter-point to the professor or provide an alternate view on a particular concept.

And in parallel with the movie [I]critics[/I], the advertised [I]movies[/I] have also plummeted in in quality. Where were the trailers and promos for [I]A Scanner Darkly[/I]? I learned of its existence a full year and a half ago by seeing it lying on my roommate's desk, and it is one of the single best movies I've ever watched. The movies I do see advertised I barely have to think for. [I]Jumper[/I] was transparent from the first preview; [I]Wanted[/I] was the same; [I]Beowulf[/I] looked so blended with [I]300[/I] that I no longer recognised it; and let's just not get into [I]Indiana Jones and the Screenplay of Fail[/I].

(I may rant about this elsewhere later.)

I'm not surprised by the article at all. And the truest point?

[QUOTE][FONT="Arial"][I]It is about the death of an intelligent and curious, readership, interested in significant things and able to think critically.[/I][/FONT][/QUOTE]

Hail Dionysus.[/FONT]

[Nerdsy]

[quote name='Allamorph'][FONT=Arial] Where were the trailers and promos for [I]A Scanner Darkly[/I]? [/FONT][/QUOTE]

[color=deeppink]Everywhere? I was 'bout sick and tired of hearing about it back around the time of it's release. It was one of those "let's air this commercial [i]every break![/i] kind of things.[/color]

[Mr. Blonde]

The amount of advertising coincides directly with how much money the studio thinks the film will make. A lot of times the less the budget of the film, the less promos you will see for it.

And A Scanner Darkly was feverishly advertised, I don't know where you were Allamorph...

I love that film.

R. D. Jr is great.

[Horendithas]

[COLOR="Indigo"][FONT="Arial"][quote name='Mr. Blonde]I don't know if you have ever watched the "Reelz" network, Indi, but they have good film coverage without the celebrity spin. They cover all the major festivals and premieres from a film stand point. [/QUOTE]No I haven't watched it. I'll have to see if we get it here or not.[QUOTE=Korey][FONT="Franklin Gothic Medium"]People are just now realizing that the media is more marketing "news as entertainment" rather than "news as information"? [/FONT][/QUOTE]I don't know about others, but I've already noticed it. Which is why I found the article so interesting. It mirrors what I've thought for years.[QUOTE=Korey][FONT="Franklin Gothic Medium"]While it may be [I]better[/I'] to talk about the films as they are and their critical acclaims and faults, it's not what you're gonna see from these guys who work those stories. They often spin them in the "bizarre and unusual" news value, trying to see the hidden message, trend or weird attribute of a given story. That's why you'll see all sorts of squee-ing girls being interviewed while waiting in line to see Twilight instead of people actually looking at the film and saying what it is and what it's not. People are more interested in the PHENOMENA that is Twilight, not the actual movie or series of novels it's based on. [/FONT][/quote]Oh I know, I had to actually read Twilight to find out what the deal was. Something I probably wouldn't have even bothered to do if not for getting the book as a well meant gift. If they tried to sell it based on what it is... it has no real merits to stand on. So going the other route of dumbing it down or using the fans makes sense... from a business point of view, which is what we are seeing here. Sadly.[QUOTE=Allamorph][FONT=Arial]And people wonder why I don't read or watch the news anymore.

Half of the issue is that, like many other facets of this country, news is now a Business. The primary motivating goal is the making of money. If a company can get more patronage through running 'popular' stories, instead of informative stories, then the popular wins out.

This is not a new phenomenon. Colleges are the same way. Insofar as I've taken the science courses required for most students this semester, I have yet to hear one item that was not covered in high school courses. I literally slept during classes, on the front row, because I merely needed to be reminded of what I already knew?and I would wake up to make a counter-point to the professor or provide an alternate view on a particular concept.[/FONT][/QUOTE]I don't really watch or read like I use to, since I can quickly scan the papers or sites and get the general gist of what's going on. Instead of wasting my time by bothering to actually watch the news. Seriously. And yes it's not new. [quote name='Allamorph][FONT=Arial]And in parallel with the movie [I]critics[/I], the advertised [I]movies[/I] have also plummeted in in quality. Where were the trailers and promos for [I]A Scanner Darkly[/I]? I learned of its existence a full year and a half ago by seeing it lying on my roommate's desk, and it is one of the single best movies I've ever watched. The movies I do see advertised I barely have to think for. [I]Jumper[/I] was transparent from the first preview; [I]Wanted[/I] was the same; [I]Beowulf[/I] looked so blended with [I]300[/I] that I no longer recognised it; and let's just not get into [I]Indiana Jones and the Screenplay of Fail[/I'].[/FONT][/quote]I no longer trust trailers or other means of reviews for movies. So many of them are simply hyped up instead of being critically looked at. I've lost count of the times I went to something that was supposed to be so well done only for it to be junk.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[Sabrina]

[FONT="Tahoma"]What stands out the most to me about this article is this bit here:[quote] It is about the death of an intelligent and curious, readership, interested in significant things and able to think critically.[/quote]It really feels that way with how hard it is to find a decent film to watch. The reviews for movies often paint it as if it's the most incredible thing ever when so many times... it's not.

One of my friends wanted me to go with her to see Twilight, so I did. It was mind numbingly dull. She kept whispering to me in the movie to explain points that were in the book, making it clear that it was a movie to cater to fans. I don't think I'll bother to see it again. It did not live up to the hype that I've seen surrounding it. At all.

I think the news is the same too. It's all about what's going to grab people's attention instead of what's going on in the world. I have to hunt around online and check more than one source to get a good picture of what's going on and even then... it's still lacking. [/FONT]

[Rachmaninoff]

[quote name='Allamorph][FONT=Arial']Half of the issue is that, like many other facets of this country, news is now a Business. The primary motivating goal is the making of money. If a company can get more patronage through running 'popular' stories, instead of informative stories, then the popular wins out.[/FONT][/quote]That sums it up completely. Intelligent, thought provoking... not if it won't make money! [/sarcasm] News, movies, it's all tailored to make money and if that requires dumbing it down and sensationalizing it, so be it.

It's part of why I rarely watch the news or bother to go to movies. It gets old to go and see one only to be disappointed. I use to go to the theater a lot more, but now I tend to look more carefully into stuff before I pay to see it.