retrogametruck

Why is it that movie bashing and harsh opinions of movies is the "cool" thing to do? when I look at certain reviews, it is hard to believe that "adults" can have these opinions. words like suck and crap are used, movie bashing in peoples sig, trolls popping in just to say somthing "sucks". i have 2 movies Im talking about that i will mention lateer but I want to know why people think its cool just to fit in with bandwagon movie bashing.

Groucho

Could it be possible that the movies in question do, in fact, suck?

Ash Ketchum

THE BAND WAGON is a great movie. Why should anyone bash it?

The Valeyard

I think Retro Game Trucks suck. Retro is crap.

mrcellophane

Seconded. Order in some curry, open a bottle of wine, and double feature The Band Wagon and Easter Parade. You've got an excellent evening.



If regards to the OP's question, I think a lot of it has to do with knee-jerk reactions and the accessibility of platforms provided by the Internet. Not only does anonymity and/or surrogate communication inhibit some people's filters, it also distributes opinions easily and to a larger audience. Negative opinions are conducive to the types of social media that are popular. They are often more fun to read for the audience and get a more immediate response for the author. On many message boards, the most commented on remarks are the meanest.

Also, I feel that it is more acceptable to voice opinions on the extreme ends of the spectrum. You either love a film and it is the best film ever made or it is an absolute piece of shit and the worst film every made. There often isn't room for middle ground on social media, and hyperbole seems to be the trend. For example, I was listening to an episode of the "Yeah, It's That Bad" podcast, and a woman equated TRON: Legacy with an abortion. So a boring film with some dubious CGI is really as bad as a hotly debated, invasive medical procedure that deeply effects all involved? Really?

davidh777

I totally thought this was going to be a Ganesh compendium thread.

Yep! Great double feature of Fred Astaire's later career. Though honestly I think The Band Wagon is a little overhyped.

People feel more driven to comment at the extreme ends as well. If they're meh about a film, they probably won't bother to weigh in.

retrogametruck

when people use the shock factor just to try and make a point, sit and think about the worst things possible to get reactions, are the same type of people who take "selfies" and beg for attention. when i see how people "hate" Micheal Bay, but yet, his movies makes billions. not questioning the movie, but it shows that people lie just to fit in with popular opinion. I know some of those millions of viewers are the same ones on message boards bashing the movie.

Groucho

Here is a selfie of me giving the finger to Michael Bay:

[img]C:/pics/fuckyoubay.jpg[/img]

Ash Ketchum

LOL, that finger doesn't look a thing like you, Groucho.

ntnon

There's certainly that, yes!

ntnon

As to the second part of your point - trolls trolling and one-word opinions - I think that's the necessary effect of the Internet being ubiquitous and people being people.

Living in a word bubble, and with so many people facebooking and being twitts every minute of every day, a large group of people a) feel like they have to say something to have an existence, b) think their opinion is THE opinion, as they are the centre of the[ir] universe and c) want people to "like" and read their opinions.

Add to those factors the erosion of logic, argument, spelling and sense caused by TXTing, the death of news(papers) and the isolationism of popular opinion caused by seeking out like opinions (groups, message board, imaginary friends; ever-more-biased and tabloid-y 'news' sources) and you wind up with people unable - or unwilling - to qualify any opinion they feel the need to share.

Hence, people popping into a thread/message board merely to share with the world that they care enough about a subject to write 'I don't care about this subject', or similar.

It is useful to have - and share, and particularly to seek out - differing opinions, particularly if they are your own and moderately well-formed. It is not necessarily helpful or wise to share these opinions with everyone, and it is decidedly unhelpful to reduce them down to: "it sucked".

Shannon Nutt

If the great Roger Ebert did it, why can't the rest of us?

digidoh

Lyrics from The Bandwagon:

We walk alike
We talk alike
and what is more we hate each other very much.

Alan Smithee

All I ask from those who bash movies is that they've actually SEEN said movie. How many people out there have voted for Glitter, From Justin to Kelly, or Gigli as "worst movie of all time" without having actually SEEN them?

Jory

I try to be honest about this. If I criticize Twilight, for example, I'll be sure to add "based on the few minutes of clips I've seen" or something to that effect. No matter how certain I am that it's a wretched and laughable movie from start to finish, I'm not going to lie by implying that I've watched the whole thing. And I certainly won't be calling it the worst movie of all time, or some such nonsense. Anyone who honestly believes that Gigli is OMG TEH WORST MOVIE EVAR LOL needs to see more fucking movies.

I've found myself defending quite a few movies over the years that I felt were victims of the "I haven't seen it but I know it sucks" attitude. Alien vs. Predator is the most recent example I can think of. It's got a miserable reputation, but I've lost track of how many people I've encountered who spent years badmouthing it but then grudgingly admitted that they enjoyed it after they actually watched the damn thing. If someone has seen it and still hates it, that's one thing; but if they haven't seen it and they're just leaping aboard the Trendy Internet Hate Train, they should probably just stop watching movies altogether.

davidlynchfan

It's high time..

retrogametruck

im talking about Prometheus and all the Transformers movies. i understand the Alien purist but overall, its a good movie.

Mr. Salty

Tranformers, no matter how you look at it, is not.

Also, this thread should be in Movies since it has nothing to do with DVDs.

Jory

Prometheus I can actually mount a defense for, despite all its obvious flaws.

Transformers not so much. And there's bandwagon-jumping on both sides: for every one person criticizing it, there's another bending over backwards to defend it with lame excuses like, "It's just a stupid action movie! What did you expect? It's not supposed to be Shakespeare!"

PhantomStranger

Some get pleasure in joining a hatefest. Humans enjoy sharing like-minded emotions together, whether they are positive or negative.