Why are some people bashing movies? I just got back from watching Bad Boys 2 and I really enjoyed it. I came back and got on to DVD Talk to read if others had anything to say. According to this thread, people can't stop saying that it's a bad movie.

My rant is this...aren't we gathered at here at dvdtalk.com to express our LOVE for movies and not saying that a particular movie is a "train wreck", or "a waste of time". I'm sure that everyone here has a "unique" taste to movies. Some might enjoy such titles as "Amelie", "Moulin Rouge", or "The Hours" while some just enjoy titles as "The Hot Chick", "Pearl Harbor", or "Balde 2". What is wrong with that? I can personally say that I own all 6 of those movies and I enjoy them all.

So why are people saying such mean things about a movie? Even though it's one person's opinion, can't it be expressed in a nice way?

Just a thought...

Well, with a medium like the internet, where you are pretty anonymous, people are bound to get carried away (and I'm just as guilty of this as anyone). But if someone spent their time watching a movie and didn't like it, they have every right to say that it was "a waste of time."

There will never be something with universal appeal, and you will never find anyone that you agree with 100% of the time. So the sooner you accept the fact that everyone isn't going to like the same things you like all the time, the better off you'll be.

And I know exactly what it feels like when you love something and want to share it with others, and you get nothing but negative reactions. It sucks. But you just have to step back and realize that you can go right on enjoying it, and their opinions really don't mean much in the grand scheme of things.

Raiders of the Lost Ark

Um, no.

People get mean and pissed off, because they had to navigate through a sea of cars to find a parking space, pay almost 10 bucks per ticket, get overcharged for popcorn, sit through 20 minutes of ads (which always suck) and trailers (which can be hit or miss), and then spend 2 hours watching the thing. So if a movie sucks, all that time and money has been wasted. And if Bad Boys II sucks (Michael Bay is a retard with ADD after all), you want to encourage people not to waste their time. There are so many great movies that are on DVD, so many great films to discover at art houses that you're better off avoiding the multiplex if the recent Hollywood releases suck.

Variable697

I can understand that if a movie is bad in your eyes, doesn't mean that its ALL bad to others. So some 'critics' say that Bad Boys 2 is pointless or beyond bad, but would you seriously take thier word for it? What if I took movies like Raging Bull, Yojimbo, Casablanca, Gone With The Wind, or Citizen Kane and said that it was boring, it's in black and white, or "a waste of my time" simply because I didn't want to sit through it?

I have never gone out to tell anyone that a movie is pointless or beyond bad just because it's not in my range. I would just simply say something like "It's OK" or "It wasn't my thing". I wouldn't go as far as spoiling it for anyone just because I wasn't entertained.

That's just me though...

Quote:

Originally posted by gongon78
Why are some people bashing movies? I just got back from watching Bad Boys 2 and I really enjoyed it. I came back and got on to DVD Talk to read if others had anything to say. According to this thread, people can't stop saying that it's a bad movie.

My rant is this...aren't we gathered at here at dvdtalk.com to express our LOVE for movies and not saying that a particular movie is a "train wreck", or "a waste of time". I'm sure that everyone here has a "unique" taste to movies. Some might enjoy such titles as "Amelie", "Moulin Rouge", or "The Hours" while some just enjoy titles as "The Hot Chick", "Pearl Harbor", or "Balde 2". What is wrong with that? I can personally say that I own all 6 of those movies and I enjoy them all.

So why are people saying such mean things about a movie? Even though it's one person's opinion, can't it be expressed in a nice way?

Just a thought...

I guess i'm probably the only one on here who doesn't give a damn what someone else thinks about something.

That's not to say I don't read what they've said, but the majority of things on here [regarding movies] I take with a grain of salt.

I've seen the Bad Boys II threads on here. I haven't read 'em.

Same with Pirates Of the Caribbean.

I didn't read them because i'm sure it was going to be bashed twelve days to Sunday, but simply because i'm too sensitive where spoilers are concerned. [Which bit me on the ass since I wasn't forewarned to stick around until the credits ended on Pirates]. But once I see BBII, i'll chime in with my opinions and disagree with someone else's if necessary.

I plan on seeing Bad Boys tomorrow since I loved the first one, but I have NO expectations for it whatsoever. In fact, i'm going in there with the "sequel" mentality and adding up all the promotion and wondering if it's going to be a "soundtrack" movie since the all wise, all important P. Diddy was responsible for the soundtrack and there's this whole dramatic backstory regarding how it came about blah, blah, blah. Of course, all this might affect my enjoyment of BBII, but i'll decide for myself.

It's gotten to a point where [for myself] I can judge whether or not i'm going to like a movie based on what they've shown. Of course, you should realize this only pertains to me. What another individual gets out of my opinions/what I say is another thing ENTIRELY.

F'rinstance, when the Pirates Of the Caribbean was first discussed here...well, SEE for yourself...I kept an open mind since i'm a Disney fan. And i'm doing the same regarding "the Haunted Mansion". Yet, there are some that are quick to judge since they might not like Disney or allow them a certain lattitude based on past experiences/the actors-directors involved/or just cuz they're plain miserable.

And that applies to movies in general here, there & most everywhere. Take your pick. And don't let it get to you..

1. There is no such thing as a movie where 100% of its viewers will like/hate it.

2. The anonymous nature of the Internet brings out a lot of losers and freaks who have nothing going for them in life and happiness actually causes them pain, so they bash everything in a futile attempt to raise themselves above those who actually make an effort to do something with their lives.

3. If criticism is wrong, then so is praise because they're two sides of the same coin.

You just said it yourself. What does it matter if some people speak negatively of it, if in the end you like it? It seems like all you want is for people to speak positively of the movie just because you enjoyed it.

You are right in the sense that some people will like movies that you hate. It's ok to be less emotional and say "It wasn't my thing." But if a movie, in your opinion sucks big time, it is not ok to say "It's OK." It wasn't "ok," it was a waste of time and money. The opinion of a single person hardly matters, unless that person is a critic or friend who has an influence on you. When looking for movies to avoid, I try to get a sense of what most people are saying. I usually check out Metacritic. If most critics are saying that a movie sucks, I probably won't go see it. Obviously there are some movies that are critic-proof and even word-of-mouth proof if their is some hook that I'm personally interested in. That hook may be a director, a star, a genre, or a story. A friend saw Matrix Reloaded and told me to go see it. I respect my friend's opinion on movies, so I go see it. I didn't care for it which was disappointing because I liked the first one. Now, if the situation were reversed and I saw it before my friend and told him to avoid it, he probably wouldn't take my advice. And that's ok, the anticipation for Reloaded was huge.

I don't know what people are saying about Bad Boys II, I haven't read the thread, I haven't read the reviews. I'm not interested in a Michael Bay movie. But I see nothing wrong with people bashing it. Skipping the Hulk and Charlie's Angels to re-watch or to discover Spartacus and Stolen Kisses is great advice in my opinion. In regard to your list of "classics," you're right: some people will object to those movies. Pauline Kael (a critic who has influenced my thinking on film) panned Raging Bulls, but I watched it anyway because of all the praise it got. For some people it might have been too brutal or distasteful. For those type of people who like soft, genteel movies, Raging Bulls is a waste of time. For kids with ADD who hate black & white and who diss sincere romance, Casablanca is a waste of time. Those kids deserve crap directed by McG. As for myself, for some reason, I hate the Western genre. So I am missing out on the "great" John Ford and Howard Hawks westerns like the Searchers and Rio Bravo. But I would rather re-watch the Maltese Falcon or Mildred Pierce than "discover" those cowboy movies. Tastes change and one day someone might convince me to give those movies a try.

The Internet can amplify a person's word-of-mouth influence. The downside is that you don't get the opinion in context of the person. If I hate Westerns, watch Kevin Costner's Open Range and then proceed to bash it, you can't trust my opinion. But if I love the genre, but hate Open Range, then my opinion will have more credibility. With friends, you can get an understanding of what they like, and you can take or dismiss their advice accordingly. It's much more difficult to do that on the Internet.

Like I've always said, I wouldn't buy the A.I. DVD if I was on fire and it came with a free bucket of water.

I think it’s partly because bashing movies (or anything for that matter) is fun. And because it’s easier to criticize with a clever turn of phrase than to praise.

More than bashing, what grates on me is the omnipresent exaggeration and overuse of superlatives, as in ______ best movie ever!!!!” or ______ worst movie ever!!!!” and the perennial ______ ugliest/skankiest ‘ho actress ever!!!!” Face it; most movies are average—neither great, nor awful, just mediocre. Even more annoying are the unfounded comments (pro or con) by those who have not seen the movie in question……I don’t have to see it; I know it sucks. Grrrrrr.

People love to complain. It's human nature. People are more likely to take time out of their day to get online and bitch about something, than to get online and praise it in many cases.

That's why you see so much negativity about movies, music, HT equipment, etc. on the internet IMO.

I agree 100% with audrey -- movie bashing is fun! Especially when the movie is a sacred cow like The Piano or The Thin Red Line. As long as you are sincere in your opinion and not just trolling... hey, nobody ever said that I had to agree with your opinion.

Example:
Many people on the forum said that Matrix Reloaded sucked. They were wrong.
Many people on the forum said that T3 was the summer's best movie. They were mistaken.
Raiders of the Lost Ark is one of the greatest movies of all time. Matt925 is an idiot.

jk Matt!

I'm not sure i get it... how are you supposed to have a discussion if people are not free to voice their criticisms?

Is your objection actually to the way in which the criticisms are phrased? It might seem to harsh to you, but that might actually be the way the person feels.

Although, i always take the fact that I'm on the internet into account, which tempers the amount of praise and criticism a movie receives (as well as makes me laugh when people use excessive verbage to try and sound like a critic).

I don't mind movie bashing as long as the person has actually seen it and gives reasons for disliking it. Comments on a trailer are fine and all, but there are some people that like to tear up a movie with almost no basis at all.

Why are some people bashing movie bashing? I did not go to see Bad Boys 2 since it got so bad reviews and I really enjoyed not going to see it. I did not came back frustrated from the experience and got on to DVD Talk to read if others had anything to say. According to this thread, people can't stop saying that it's bad to bash movies.

My rant is this...aren't we gathered at here at dvdtalk.com to express our LOVE for movie bashing and saying that a particular movie is a "train wreck", or "a waste of time"? I'm sure that everyone here has a "unique" taste to movie bashing. Some might enjoy such titles as "Amelie is a piece of crap", "Moulin Rouge is the worst movie ever", or "The Hours was a waste of time" while some just enjoy titles as "The Hot Chick is full of *****", "Pearl Harbor sucks big time", or "Balde 2 made me wanna puke". What is wrong with that? I can personally say that I read all 6 of those movie bashing threads and I enjoy them all.

So why are people saying such mean things about movie bashing? Even though it's one person's opinion, can't it be expressed in a nice way?

Just a thought...

"Why are people bashing the bashing of movie bashing?..."

Variable697

Thanks for responding. It's just so frustrating to hear things, that's all. I've been a registered member of DVD Talk for a while now and I've read a lot of threads. There's always someone trashing someone's favorite movie. It comes to a point where it's just enough.

It's pretty absurd to have someone sitting through an action flick when they love dramas. Of course they will say the movie sucks. I've seen a great amount of movies and own only about 500 DVDs. There are a lot of great movies and there are some that just isn't up to my taste. That does mean the movie is bad, it's just not appealing to me.

I started this thread only release some steam of my own. I know that there will never be a perfect movie for all, not even Spider-Man. It's just hard to except the fact that people can be so critical about things.

The internet provides that outlet you really only find at comic stores.

Please. I call this the hypocritical "fanboy argument" If you are going to sit around and complain about the complainers in such a manner, I suggest you stop generalizing. There are plenty of people on the Internet and on this board with perfectly happy lives, family, friends, activities

But I do agree with you to a point. I don't understand when people bash other people for their hobbies..The threads I hate most are the people that bash other people for their hobbies..like this one:

http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthr...5&pagenumber=1

This guy seems to have a relatively normal life, wife and kids, but he has decided he loves Donkey Kong and so he got called a loser and made fun of. Ridicoulous.

Bashing movies is part of the territory. You evaluate movies all the time as you watch them, and the Internet allows you to discuss it (or bash it or praise it). It seems that most people are bashing Bad Boys 2 - from people here to Roger Ebert, that insane man!

So do you think there is no such thing as a bad movie? And anyway, the definition of bad is (according to The American Heritage Dictionary): Disagreeable, unpleasant, or disturbing. I've certainly encountered many movies that fit that description.

Yeah, that's pretty far from being anywhere near "the perfect movie for everyone." YOU like the movie, and it IS popular, but why do you feel that everyone else should like it as well. How popular do you think it would be among 70 year old women from Bangladesh? Or 40 year old men from Nigeria? But of course, their opinions don't count. So what about the 300 million Americans. Do you really think that Spiderman has something that appeals to ALL of them? Again, just because you think something is perfect, doesn't make it so for everyone else.

My point is that you are implying that you have the perfect taste. As long as you are pleased by a movie, everyone else should be as well. Just accept the fact that not everyone is you, and not everyone will look at things the same way. You are more than welcome to enjoy what you enjoy, but don't cry just because others are looking for something else.

Quote:

It's just hard to except the fact that people can be so critical about things.

Why? If something is good, I'll say so. If something isn't, I won't hesitate to say it as well. That's what message boards are all about.

EXCELLENT POST!

i hate people who bash movies because they compare it to an older movie or it didnt have a deep story.

i want to be entertained.

period.

if the movie does it, it was good (maybe great).

if people want to be all critical and hate 9 of 10 movies...thats THEIR problem. too bad they dont get to enjoy it.

its like at my old school newspaper - every week they did a movie review and every damn time they had to bash it and give it a bad grade. every time. why? because if they say it was good, those who thought it sucked will laugh at them - its an image thing. you cant like it unless it was totally 'cool' and had a 99% approval rating. so instead they try to sound all professional and bash everything - acting, editing, directing, story, etc. such BS.

i admit i dont like many movies but its generally a certain genre of movies (westerns, horror, anime...) because i never got into it.

so again, awesome post. i love the fact that im not overly critical or picky and can enjoy many movies. those who dont for whatever reason are the ones who miss out and i laugh at that.

btw im going to see bad boys II and im going to love it. i know it. bad boys 1 is one my top 5 films ever. i dont give a **** what people here or critics think of it. i will love it.

besides, i have avoided all bad boys threads here just in case there is a spoiler. im dying to read them though.

Gee, where were you guys when Britney Spears' Crossroads was getting slaughtered before even being seen? Or Mariah's Glitter? Oh, that's right. You didn't like or care about those movies, so there was no complaint. Heck, maybe you even joined in.

Every time one of these big, ultra divisive popcorn movies (and by ultra divisive I mean hugely popular with the mainstream yet the reviews and many online geeks express pure, unbridled hate) come out, there's always a post 'innocently' wondering about the utility of negative criticism or some other ridiculous faux naive BS. Give me a break. If you know enough to come to a website to talk about movies, you've probably lived long enough to know that it's natural, normal, and maybe even healthy to want to vent online and talk **** about things (ie, movies). You've probably done it yourself. So why not just tell the truth: You don't like it when others bash a movie that you enjoy. Just come out and say it and don't try to make it about anything else.