Why There Are Some Films I Refuse To Review…
As a film blogger (I can’t call myself a critic, because I’m not being paid to do this) and fan, I see a lot of films through the year. A lot.
As a film blogger (I can’t call myself a critic, because I’m not being paid to do this) and fan, I see a lot of films through the year. A lot. Not as many as some (Dan over at Dan The Man’s Movie Reviews, I salute you, sir!), but as many as working a full time job, and spending time with two small children, and supporting my wife’s small business, will allow. I’m often asked by folks how I choose which films I will and will not watch – since I am relatively free-time poor due to family commitments, I must make choices as to which films I’ll spend an hour or two with, and which ones I won’t.
It will come as no surprise that some of my choices are fairly easy – I refuse point-blank to watch any Adam Sandler film in which he co-stars with either Rob Schneider, Kevin James, or even Sandler himself (has anybody reading this even seen Jack & Jill?). I refuse to watch terrible film remakes of classic television cartoon series – Yogi Bear, The Chipmunks and The Smurfs, you’re all under the gun. Some films are a given that they’re not worth my time to sit through, even on a so-bad-it’s-good level.
But sometimes I’ll have to forgo even a good film, in order to get to a better one.
Often, though, what drives my film watching is – and I’m a little ashamed to admit it – whether or not a review I write on a film will get hits on this site. Is it wrong to want to skip over Grown Ups 2 in favor of watching, and then reviewing, a film like Elysium, or Fast & Furious 6? Watching Adam Sandler mug his way through yet another inane fart comedy (and I use the term “comedy” in its broadest possible sense) is cinematic anathema. At least Elysium tries for some kind of social commentary, or Fast & Furious doesn’t pretend to be serious in its endeavor to thrill and entertain, and has action scenes to thrill to. I know people will read a review on Elysium, and a whole host of other films, and I’m inclined to think that I’ll attract more readers to a quality film (or potentially quality film) than one which is so obviously a shoe-in for a “Worst Film Of All Time” award, so is it wrong of me to skip a patently shitty film in order to review better ones and get more readers to my site?
Now, I have no editorial bias to most films, in as much as I try and give every film I see a chance to prove itself. Yet, even in spite of myself, I can’t help but abhor the dreck coming from Hollywood’s lower tiers of production, the kind of money-grabbing squash-crock that scoops up oblivious punters’ cash and robs them blind, leaving them poorer and no wiser. Should I be reviewing these kinds of films in order to warn people off them, or skip them in favor of quality material? It’s easy to write a review that rips into some new cinematic turd, giving it the bottom-thwacking critical enema it deserves, and those reviews are often cathartic to write. But by skipping the obvious crud for the hopefully better options, perhaps I am not as unbiased as I like to think, at least in terms of reviews I’m prepared to write.
Obviously, this site is my personal viewpoint on the films I watch. You can agree with me, disagree if you like, or vehemently oppose my opinion, as is your right. I’ll never denigrate you for having an opinion, as long as it’s the right one! 😉 But admitting that I pre-edit what I watch/review to ensure I have higher viewing numbers on “good films” that I review, is this a bad thing? I would love to review every film, but I’d hate to have to watch every film.
Let me know what you think in the comments section below!
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I can't blame you one bit. But sometimes those Adam Sandler movies can generate a good hate-filled post.
My recent post Justified Season 4, Person of Interest Season 2
Well sod me, that's actually a positive to come from Adam Sandler!!! LOL!!!!
I also skip movies I know will be crap and even if I do occasionally watch a horrible movie it does not mean I will review it. I do pick and choose which movies I will write about.
My recent post The Monday Question: Most watched movie!
Glad to know there's other people who knowingly skip rubbish films! 😉
I have a feeling that relates more to the Oscar statue pictured next to it, rather than the steaming turd.
Spot on, my friend. Sometimes having to choose between films such as 12 Years a Slave and Grown Ups 2 isn't a tough one….
It's definitely not a bad thing to do this. It's a hobby, something to make you happy, so you shouldn't feel bad for not wanting to review whatever you don't care about seeing. I do think it's healthy to challenge yourself and step outside the comfort zone every once in a while, though.
Modern comedy is a genre I mostly avoid myself simply because comedy is so subjective and I hate virtually all modern comedies. There's no point to put myself through that and I don't think anyone really cares to read it either. Trying to review everything just burns you out and makes it so that you don't want to review anything.
I was hoping for some clarification on why 12 Years a Slave was represented alongside things like Yogi Bear and Sandler. It's supposed to be one of the best movies of the year! Hardly comparable to Grown Ups 2! I'm not trying to talk you into watching it, I just feel like placing it there makes a statement that you never substantiated in the text.
My recent post Finger of Doom (1972)
I have made a promise to myself to try and step out of my comfort zone more in 2014, to watch and review older (pre 1060) films, which I normally don't have time for. Which was partly why I wrote this article, in a way.
I think comedies are the most disheartening films to come out of Hollywood, largely because, as you say, they it's such a subjective genre that you either "get" the jokes, or not. At least in an action film, the explosions are all the same, and cars always explode with one bullet fired into their fuel tank. You know going in what to expect. I guess one could argue the same about an Adam Sandler film (in that you know what you're going to get), but I don't understand how people willingly give that man their money so they can watch him fart and cuss through a whole film. Each time.