In this latest conversation that we are having right now at several places on the web re: internet based film criticism & review (here, at Anthony Kaufman's blog, also at The Chutry Experiment, UPDATE: also at Doc It Out and All These Wonderful Things) one of the ideas that has arisen is that it might help an audience member experience a movie better if he or she knew what the intentions of the director are/where the director is coming from or what they might be attempting to do or say with a film. This review of Hannah Takes the Stairs at ShortEnd Magazine takes the time to think about some of those things, and to look beyond the surface of the movie a little. When dealing with art (specially film art/entertainment) it is easy to say that the movie made no sense or it sucked or the filmmaker failed and move on, but I think the audience is better served by deeper contemplation & analysis of the work by reviewers. Regular audience members (people who are not critics or reviewers) can get more out of an art/indie movie if they spend some time with it & think about it - and for that task, good/well written movie reviews & criticism is a valuable tool. I definitely appreciate reviewers & critics who, among other things, try to see a movie on the filmmaker's terms as a part of their review. Even if the intentions of the filmmaker are hard to figure out, reading a reviewer grapple with the issue is helpful to me as an audience member - gives me ideas to consider when I approach the work/the movie myself. An independent film is many things - including art, and well written & well thought out reviews can create a bridge that helps the audience approach and try to understand and even enjoy the work.
I wonder if the popularity of art/independent/foreign films at a given period of time is directly related to how seriously the reviewers & critics at that time period take the medium/the works/the art form. Although it is not the job of the critic or reviewer to do so, well written movie reviews can add value to a movie, in the eyes of the audience. Or, if reviewers take a movie seriously and spend some time thinking about the many things that are going on in and around a movie - actual content as well as related ideas, even if the bottom line is that the movie failed to greatly entertain or convincingly make an argument for something- the audience might also allow themselves to pay more attention to the movie and think about it more, watch it closely, and in turn they might enjoy the experience more. I think the reviewer or critic can, through their writing, invite and make it OK for a non-expert/ordinary audience member to confidently deal with a movie as a work of art. One positive element of the internet is that since space is cheaper than at newspapers, the net reviewers can write at length about a movie, which will allow him or her to examine many aspects of the movie and ideas related to the movie.
Bigger budgeted or well established foreign and art and indie/indiewood films do seem to receive more thought and attention from most reviewers. In ShortEnd Hannah review case, it is nice to see a very low budget, no star real indie movie receive the same kind of thoughtful treatment.
- Sujewa
I wonder if the popularity of art/independent/foreign films at a given period of time is directly related to how seriously the reviewers & critics at that time period take the medium/the works/the art form. Although it is not the job of the critic or reviewer to do so, well written movie reviews can add value to a movie, in the eyes of the audience. Or, if reviewers take a movie seriously and spend some time thinking about the many things that are going on in and around a movie - actual content as well as related ideas, even if the bottom line is that the movie failed to greatly entertain or convincingly make an argument for something- the audience might also allow themselves to pay more attention to the movie and think about it more, watch it closely, and in turn they might enjoy the experience more. I think the reviewer or critic can, through their writing, invite and make it OK for a non-expert/ordinary audience member to confidently deal with a movie as a work of art. One positive element of the internet is that since space is cheaper than at newspapers, the net reviewers can write at length about a movie, which will allow him or her to examine many aspects of the movie and ideas related to the movie.
Bigger budgeted or well established foreign and art and indie/indiewood films do seem to receive more thought and attention from most reviewers. In ShortEnd Hannah review case, it is nice to see a very low budget, no star real indie movie receive the same kind of thoughtful treatment.
- Sujewa
