question of the day: Can a movie ruin a good review?

I've definitely enjoyed some movie reviews of yours far more than the movies themselves (in the case of bad movies), and in the case of good movies, I have gotten some additional enjoyment from films after noticing positive aspects you've pointed out that I might have missed otherwise, or even from contemplating different interpretations after the fact when I don't agree with something you've said about the film but are interested in that separate angle. Thoughtful film criticism definitely adds value to my experience as a moviegoer.

I tell ya, after watching it recently, The Princess Bride is so overrated.

I watched "REPO: The Genetic Opera" based on a couple of reviews I had read. One of them panned it mercilessly saying how awful and over-the-top it was, and the other praised it for how over-the-top and humorous it was.

Between those two reviews I was prepared (more-or-less) to see something over-the-top and that I was free to choose how I felt about it. In the end I embraced the camp and let myself be entertained by the music, acting, and joy that the creators poured into the film liberally without spending a lot of angst on logic, science or reality. It became for me a film about just that - embracing what you love and letting it be what it has to be.

There have been films, however, I was glad I never read reviews for. An example is "Children of Men"; because I am afraid it would have scared me off had I caught a hint of how bleak it was (despite the hopeful notes in it) I would have likely skipped it (and missed a fantastic film).

Other films I was excited to see and reviews killed all the joy of seeing them: "Land of the Lost" looked to be goofy fun with a cherished childhood TV program, but every review I've seen has put that expectation to rest as wishful thinking. Too bad.

Your review of "The Taking of Pelham 123" has made me interested in seeing that film even though I had fully intended to give it a miss as another needless Hollywood remake. You've hinted that it might bring some unique perspective to a classic tale (which is what redeems a remake).

My only complaint about reviews is that some reviewers seem to revel in spoiling it for the viewer - revealing critical plot points or just summarizing the plot (which isn't necessary to tell what it is about a film that makes it good). The fact that you don't is one of the reasons I keep coming back here to read your reviews. Well done!

It all depends on who is doing the reviewing. I pay attention to MaryAnn's reviews because I know she understands nerdy fandom. Other critics, let's say the traditional intellectual type, do not cotton to the fanboy/girl ideal. Sometimes their reviews feel more like a college thesis than an actual review, ignoring the more important visceral reaction great cinematic experiances create.

Usually it's me reading a review (or a bunch of reviews) that's so negative that my expectations for a movie becomes so lowered that when I actually see the film, it's not so bad.

Examples: Transformers, Terminator Salvation. And I can't think of anything else for some reason.

But the latter especially. People were calling it the worst thing ever, you included, so I was prepared to see the worse thing ever. And it wasn't. So I was happy.

this guy is putting way too much importance on movie reviews, to quote Bard Bird: "even the worst piece crap is more important in itself than the review calling it so", a piece of film criticism is NOT kind of like an adaptation

critics think too much of themselves as a group, they think that a movie they universally dismissed can not posible be relevant

and that's the point, it wouldn't be groundbreaking if a bunch of critics that hold the old movies that drove them to the profession in such a high regard would like it

critics didn't like metropolis, casablanca, 2001, dr strangelove, a clockwork orange, star wars, blade runner, fight club, being john malkovich or watchmen, and yet those are the movies that drive the industry foward

very few people would mention that their favorite movie is one that was released when they were over 40m it's the same with critics

it would take at least another 20 or 30 years for critics to embrace the greatness of movies like Eyes Wide Shut or The Shawshank Redemption (the AFI put is on their top 100 for the first time last year on on rank 73)