I more often than not find myself disagree with Roger Ebert's film reviews. However, I recognize and respect him as an absolutely brilliant source of film lore, and when he's talking about the industry or movies in general, I find him quite interesting.
His most recent blog post talks about his latest review, in which he reveals (at the end, of course) that he only sat through the first eight minutes of the film. It's an interesting post (apparently, Caligula is the only other film he's walked out on), but I found the first paragraph was the best part, and I wish he'd continued on in that direction instead.
If you ever intend to read my review of "Tru Loved," please read it now. This is so essential that I'm taking a risk by posting this blog entry on the same day the review goes up. The review brings into focus a belief that is at the core of my critical approach. I have cited it many times. Please forgive me for repeating it. As the critic Robert Warshow wrote, "A man goes to the movies. The critic must be honest enough to admit that he is that man." In other words, whatever you saw, whatever you felt, whatever you did, you must say so. For example, two things that cannot be convincingly faked are laughter and orgasms. If a movie made you laugh, as a critic you have to be honest and report that. Maybe not so much with orgasms.
I found it interesting because it fits with what we've always tried to do here. Sure, sometimes we might come across as over-analyzing some movies, but for the most part it's all about how a movie makes us feel. We see movies to be entertained. Sometimes an entertaining movie means "fun;" other times it means "thought provoking." But regardless, it's all about how (or what) a movie makes us feel.
Of course, his point is in regards to being up-front about having walked out of the film within the first eight minutes -- and I credit him for being honest about that. For me, however, I see it as a reminder that we need to be honest about how a movie makes us feel. Cloverfield wasn't a great movie, for example, but I had a lot of fun watching it. There's nothing wrong with admitting that.
After reading this, I feel a little better about my first impressions of films, which are often more forgiving than my later opinions.
For the entire post, click here.
