About Critics (Part 1)

[Jumplion]

Conversely, when it comes to things that people openly don't like but that I keep right on doing, please rest assured that it's not because I'm not hearing the criticism - I'm ignoring it, an important distinction.

I think that's worse than not reading any comments. At least when you don't read the comments you don't know what you're doing wrong and thus can't change anything. When you ignore comments it makes you come off as an even bigger egotistical prick if you read opinions on how some things are wrong with your show/opinions/whatever and yet you don't do anything about it or take anything from it.

As with the whole critics stuff, I always take any opinion with a grain of salt. I look at some reviews for movies or games and formulate a general consensus of the movie/game. Does one critic say that the jokes were a riot yet everyone else said they sucked? Yeah, I'll probably heed the others. Conversely, if many critics say that the story is not structured well, I'll take heed to that but will most likely see the movie or whatever anyway if I feel like it.

 

[tigermilk]

As I am researching my Masters thesis into film audiences and sub-cultural theory this makes fo interesting reading (the replies more than the article).

 

[Quizza]

Oh, so Bob apparently reads the comments and cares about the views. Well, I think this is a good occasion to tell him something I wanted to tell him:

You are a biased fanboy incapable of giving reliable, interesting or in-depth analysis of the stuff you review. I have never been a fan of your movie reviews but hey, I watched them, it's not like they were gonna hurt me. Then The Big Picture came and I stopped watching your stuff after that retarded "Halo master race" bullshit, and I haven't even ever played Halo! When something is stupid beyond help, it doesn't matter if it's against your favourite movie or series, or if it's about something you don't care about. If it's bullshit, it's bullshit, but you must be physically incapable of understanding that (Other M, spoiler alert).
I haven't read the whole article because I'm sure that I'm not missing much. The only thing that counts is that you read the comments and get buttmad if the pageviews go down. Well, enjoy your pageviews then.

 

[GundamSentinel]

Hmmm, here I was thinking a critic's job was to explain whether or not a movie is worth watching... That gets rather difficult if the critic thinks he ought to strive for higher standards (whatever those might be).

Probably the reason why reviews by professional critics are interesting but useless and reviews by amateurs are useful but not very interesting.

 

[Dogstile]

"Let me be blunt: If we weren't so jaded, things would almost never get better. That, in the end, is our job - nay, our duty."

So erm, bobbo, can we add an inflated sense of self worth to that list (I do say this in jest, don't worry, but it could have come off as high and mighty)

However, I do disagree with one thing you said. You said you don't hate popular things unnecessarily. This is fair enough, but you, alongside other critics, have a habit of using the popular ones as examples. I realise you need to have something we're familiar with, but the obscure example wouldn't hurt once in a while.

 

[Harbinger_]

To be perfectly honest Bob I don't think you're a terrible person/critic. I just think that you have an array of opinions and tastes that come nowhere near my own. Are yours right and mine wrong? Of course not because they are tastes and opinions.

 

[grigjd3]

"I am obsessed with my own "comment counts," be they for this column, Escape to The Movies or The Big Picture, and I'm known to become genuinely unnerved when the count is low. It makes me feel feel like I've failed, in that the ability to provoke a response is my primary unit of measurement." I bet this is actually very common. I keep a blog on gamespot and I am certain to notice every single comment I ever get (granted, far fewer than you see). It's completely normal for people to seek comfort in seeing the reception of their commentary. It's called being sensitive. Can you imagine what kind of sociopath it takes for someone not to care one bit what people think of their work?

 

[Sodoff]

"I am obsessed with my own "comment counts," be they for this column, Escape to The Movies or The Big Picture, and I'm known to become genuinely unnerved when the count is low. It makes me feel feel like I've failed, in that the ability to provoke a response is my primary unit of measurement." I bet this is actually very common. I keep a blog on gamespot and I am certain to notice every single comment I ever get (granted, far fewer than you see). It's completely normal for people to seek comfort in seeing the reception of their commentary. It's called being sensitive. Can you imagine what kind of sociopath it takes for someone not to care one bit what people think of their work?

A regular sociopath?

 

[Grabbin Keelz]

Stop appeasing haters! Appease me! :3

Although I have to argue on one bit. As smart and well experienced in movies and tons of other stuff, I still think even you have little faults and biases and simply being a movie critic doesn't change that. But I don't take your advice on movies because your a movie critic, I watch your stuff because your smart, experienced, and entertaining.

Also I gotta say I really did like Pirates 4. I was in the mood to watch Jack Sparrow do silly things and thats exactly what I got, even if there were a few complete logic bullshight errors (How does an entire army go through a tiny magic puddle in just a few seconds without anyone noticing? And WHY does she cut herself removing the sword when she could have just pulled the handle?) but watever

 

[Deathninja19]

As Bob said, it's the critic and critic types like me who are the only thing that allow for ANY movies like District 9, Toy Story, Terminator (the first 2, and the 3rd, to some extent), Alien (the first 2), The Lord of the RIngs, Iron Man, Thor, Schindler's List, and prevent production companies from making lazier and lazier movies until this is the blockbuster that everyone goes to see

Hey dude don't be so pretentious and insulting, and think about what you are saying for a minute. For one don't you think two can audiences overlap, some people love action films and some people love deep stories. In Terminator James Cameron made a film about time travel, casuality and paradox but he also made a film about a killer robot sent from the future to kill a young woman who then falls in love with her protector, it can be seen as both of these things because it is both of these things.

In this modern world everyone with half a mind can analyse film themes and approach things critically because of the amount of material we read on the internet, media studies and editorials and the like but some people don't have the time or inclination to read up on this and think like a critic so don't inult them for having other lives and ideas about film than us. Don't act like you're better than them, you're not you're just different.

Some producers do make films for the wrong reasons but think about it you're putting millions of money up front to hopefully make some back wouldn't you do safe bets every now and then. But please don't insult people who make the films, any of them, they do what they do because they really love their jobs, if they didn't they'd find new carers. It takes a hell of a lot of hard work and effort to make even a simple romantic comedy and you are doing a diservice to everyone of them by calling their work lazy.

 

[Brainstrain]

You read at the gym? Your workout must not be severe enough if you can focus on something other than sweating and what your body is telling you. Or are you just going to the stationary bike and churning out 30 minutes? Good exercise takes FOCUS.

 

[Nfritzappa]

I wonder what MovieBob's opinion on 'The Good The Bad and The Ugly' is, oh well I'll never know

since he IGNORES these posts.

 

[Podunk]

I've always found Escape to the Movies to be very interesting, informative and thought provoking. That said, I rarely go see the movies that Moviebob recommends. Why? Because his tastes and mine are different, that simple. But when I watch his show I know I can get a good, entertaining, in-depth look at new releases and I appreciate that for what it is. Essentially, I enjoy how Moviebob shows his work more than whatever yay-or-nay answer he comes to in the end. It is easy enough to stack up my opinions with Moviebob's and determine for myself how I feel about a movie. I feel much the same way about his GameOverthinker videos(Which I have been devouring over the course of this week as I am so late to that particular party). I couldn't disagree more with his Other M vid and would love to argue the hell out of it if the opportunity ever arose, but I've seen enough videos to know where Bob's coming from and where his values are both similar and different than my own. If you don't agree with Bob then suck it up. If you don't agree with how he comes to his conclusions then find a different source of movie reviews! If he were just some jack-off on the street or something I wouldn't care all that much about what he has to say, but whether or not you agree with him dude knows his shit about movies. If you only listen to people who agree with what you already think you know then you will never learn anything or grow as a person.

 

[elitestranger1]

the people who wrote those comments are braindead retards who wouldnt know a good movie if it hit them in the balls in the form of a football, which is probably what they spend mozt of their time watching on youtube.

the critics are rarely wrong and bob is usually right because he has an understanding for popcorn movies and critises them fairly. whilst some of stuck up snobs hate everything that isnt nominated for an oscar.

if you like frachised that spawn unlimited sequels then maybe you shouldn't watch this show because clearly you dont understand what makes a good movie or the technical details that bob tends to discuss in his reviews.

 

[elitestranger1]

(example: my fiance thinks that Pirates 4 is better than Scott Pilgrim, my brothers think Call of Duty is better than Red Dead Redemption, my mom thinks Twilight is better than District 9. My fiance's best friends think Sucker Punch is better than Inception. I'm surrounded by lowbrow, ignorant, and just frustratingly "average joe" people)

To be fair though, Sucker Punch WAS just as good or even better than inception. Have to agree with the rest of those comparisons though.

is this a joke? inception was one of the greatest movies of all time and sucker punch is a series of good ideas strung together with a terable script that doesnt work.

 

[unwesen]

In my opinion, one of the worst things that has happened to public discourse is that the terms "elite" and "elitist" became four-letter-words.

That wouldn't be because you're a member of such an elite, would it?

The reason "elitist" became a four-letter-word is because it's rather easy for members of an elite to act snobbishly about non-members. This is a little worse than merely being out of touch with the common man, as you put it.

Of course there are perception issues involved; being out of touch may merely appear snobbish... but the lines here are very blurry indeed.

So you may argue that that appearance is unintentional, and you may be right. But if that's the case, it'd probably be better not to start off by proudly proclaiming to be an elitist. If public perception is already skewed, reinforcing the stereotype isn't going to help.

Can't say I disagree with you, overall, but the above is a bit... out of touch with the common man?

 

[Mister Linton]

At the gym... lol. "Uh, yeah, uh you know where I can find the weight room so I can work out? That's okay, I'll find it..."

 

[Uszi]

Honestly the main criticism I hear from friends who don't like your reviews is that you sit on the Fence too much. Most of them want to see you make a more definitive thumbs up, thumbs down type ruling.