Why I Critique Films the Way I Do

Why I "critique" the way I do

Intro

Often my peers accuse me of being too hard on movies or of thinking too deeply when it comes to films. Well, here's what I have to say about that.

1: Ask yourself...who in the world goes to the movies and doesn't think? It would be bizarre for someone to never think about what has been presented in front of them. Most people know if they are witnessing a really bad movie because they notice things going differently than they do in good movies. This can commonly be if a line of dialogue confuses you or leaves you wondering if humans actually speak that way. This can be when the plot goes in a nonsensical direction or even when the film goes against things already established as definitive in the expositional stage of the film. 2: Not all movies are great.

This seems like it would be obvious but this must be explained apparently. Statistically, only 5-10 films will be competing at the Oscars every year for Best Picture. About half the films that come out are either average or below average critically. This is merely how film works as the best writers and talent aren't available for all film-makers at any given moment. Trust me, if every film had access to Steven Spielberg and James Cameron to direct and guys like Daniel Day Lewis and Denzel Washington to star, they would all be decent, but unfortunately, that's not the case. 3. Film is Subjective...to an Extent The idea that film is subjective does not exactly mean that there is no such thing as a good/bad movie like most think. Those who think this are either misunderstanding the concept or justifying their failure to expose themselves to better art. This may sound very bold, but let me explain. Those who believe there is no truly good/bad movie don't understand that there are holes in this belief. This idea of subjectivity works perfectly in the realms of comedy and horror movies. This is not only because each individual has their own personal sense of humor and own sense of fear but is also because these films merely have one objective. A comedy's objective is to be funny and a horror film's objective is to be scary. This is why these two genres are not commonly represented at the Oscars or Golden Globes. Comedies can be unfunny for some and absolute knee slappers for others. Therefore, it becomes harder to objectively assess the merits of these films.

The area where the subjectivity of film becomes harder to defend however is in the genre of drama. In drama films, the goal is to tell a story that evokes ethos and pathos. This can only be done effectively based on how the film's elements are developed. It can become glaringly clear if an actor is performing exceptionally well or horribly based on how convincing they are in their respected role. Is this not objectivity? Also, films can be accessed by how well the story and the message is developed. If the pacing of the story is too fast for the audience to understand it or too slow for the audience to stay engaged, then it's probably a sign that the story is not developed very well. Fast pacing is often caused by the screenwriter's desire to hit too many beats in one screenplay. This has become very common in blockbuster films as they are often in a hurry to get through exposition so that they may set up their major action set piece. This was done in Joss Whedon's Avengers: Age of Ultron (a film I actually enjoyed) with the character of Ultron instantly becoming a world threat just five minutes after he is born. The film even had an offshoot scene with Thor exploring the fate of Asgard as the film attempted to set up the next Thor film within the story. Slow pacing can often be caused by the script setting aside unnecessary amounts of time to explain obvious or irrelevant details. An example of this is the M. Night Shyamalan film The Last Airbender. In the film, the characters find themselves over-explaining things to the audience thus causing the pacing to suffer. The job of the characters is not to sound like living, breathing encyclopedias, because it assumes the viewers are stupid and can be incredibly annoying.

This is why I'm hard on Christian movies. To explain, Christian movies use beliefs that we have already bought into and exploits them to develop the films theme. This approach is too over dependent and makes the jobs of the screenwriters remarkably more easy. This often results in the films being predictable and preachy as the subtlety of the message is lost. This gives nothing for the audience to fish for ultimately cheapening the story. Secular films with Christian undertones are preferable as they allow the audience to try to fish through the allegories of the film and find a message. This is what made analyzing Star Wars fun for many, as audiences made strong connections between the films and The Bible without the films having to say it. A major example of manipulative Christian films are Tyler Perry's original films. His films are drenched in stereotypes, negativity, and far too much Madea, but utilize Christianity to garner the support of black audiences. Perhaps one of Tyler Perry's biggest blunders is Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor. The film chronicles the split of young married couple Brice and Judith, as Judith has an affair with Harley, a businessman, and slowly becomes deviant. This story concept in itself is not a horrible one, but the problem stems from how it is executed. For starters, after she turns him down several times, Harley rapes Judith on his private jet. From there she inexplicably becomes infatuated with him, even allowing him to introduce her to hardcore-drugs, much to the dismay of her sanctified-Baptist mother. This is problematic because it suggests to women that they are immoral and to blame for being raped. Not only is that nonsensical, but it is a highly insensitive move as a writer. The worst problem is that the film throws Christianity into the mix attempting to religiously shame her character. I watched as audiences bought into this horrible story because of their own agreement with Christian beliefs.

Films can also suffer because of tonal ambiguity. If a film's tone is established , it makes no sense for it to detour from that unless it makes sense. This is where editing becomes important. The job of the editor is to chronologically arrange the scenes in a way that properly tells the story. Often scenes compliment the tone of the scene prior. If the scenes don't fit together and seem clunky, then it will hurt the film. 4. Films can be Problematic in Their Messages One must understand that writers, and directors have their own motives and beliefs that can sometimes creep into their films. An example is The Butler by Lee Daniels. On the surface, the film seems like a story about a black male living through many decades of racial unrest while working for whites. Truly, the film is drenched with subliminal messages that suggest to blacks that they should not speak out against injustice and inequality. The film slowly misconstrues the purposes of The Black Panthers, sit-down strikers, and other blacks that historically influenced change to promote being a butler as the pinnacle of black existence. This is a negative message that miseducates audiences on civil rights. In the beginning scene of farcical stupidity, Cecil, the protagonist, witnesses his dad killed while working as a sharecropper. Immediately after, the landowner's wife tells Cecil "C'mon inside. I'm gonna teach you how to be a house nigger". This is grimace worthy as the film spends the next two hours glorifying butlers while simultaneously refusing to address other black heroes in a positive light. Based on his own disagreement with the Black Panthers, Daniels refuses to show their significance. It's no secret that they are a controversial part of American history but one can't dispute their progressive influence on race relations. This results in a misrepresentation of history causing the film to under-achieve. Conclusion

With all of these things that can go wrong, it's no surprise that most films aren't exceptional. At the same time, if these things are done very well, then the story will be developed better and the film will be better.