Thursday, August 12, 2004

   SomeGuy Alpha: Rant of June 30th, 2002:
(The following is the transcript of a hand-written thing made the night of the above date . . . it was very late, and I was very bored . . .)


I think it's safe to say that I hate very few things. Of the things I do hate, generally they are things I have a witty observation for. I can't think of an example right now, but in gerneral, yes, I don't hate a whole lot. I mean, that IS a really harsh word, which SHOULD be reserved for very specific things or people (a particular clique of people come to mind . . .). That being said, Ii'll get to what brought this on: I had recently finished rereading the novelisation of "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace".

I'll admit, I have a fan-bias, so I do see things from a certain point of view. Still, it's not hard to pick faults of that movie. Of course, it's not hard to pic faults with ANYTHING! It's always easier to see what's wrong than what's right (in general, if something is done right it'll just go by smoothly & you don't even notice). Still, I feel that the criticism that movie took was a little harsh. Seriously, they don't even think about what's good. Still, let me say this: if movie critics were so smart, why wouldn't they be making their own movies? No, the fact remains that all they know is how to alliterate "this sucks" in 5000 different ways! Honestly, they only word things so brutally so they'll be catchier.

But yes, I'll admit that "TPM" wasn't the greatest movie ever, but so what? The fact remains that when I watch it I am entertained. I think that's a key word there. ENTERTAINMENT. Movies are made to entertain people. Some people add extra little meanings to their movies - yes, so the people that catch them can feel good that they could see such a thing. But yeah, in going back to critics (both professional and domestic), everyone will still have a preferred type of film, so having one person judge all is dumb. Still, if a movie doesn't interest a person, why would they want to see it? And I don't want to hear that "that's what critics are for", because you take one critic who'll love it and find another who (ahem) hates it. It happens. You can't please 'em all. 'nuff said.

Another things I can't stand is the single-flaw-fallacy excuse that people use to hate something. Honestly, the idea that one thing can ruin a movie is retarded. If that kind of thing can put one off, then seriously, movies aren't the problem. Okay, you dislike this ONE thing; nut up, get over it, get on with it.

I recall a short while back I was in a heated argument with an ageless friend. He had said that he wouldn't see a movie because of the rather visual depiction of an American flag which he saw as brainwashing propoganda. Well, as the argument went, it was more or less focused on whether or not our world was going to hell, optimism/pessimism, etc.. Well, as "7th Heaven" so eloquently put it, "when 2 people fight, it's usually not really about what they're arguing." I find it so funny that that is so true. No, the argument wasn't about the United States potentially ruining the world; it was that he single-handedly and brutally put down a movie I was really looking foward to seeing. Frankly, I was just tired of that (likewise, the few subtle pot-shots at my intelligence/naivety were just uncalled for ["you jerk! I should spray you with water or something . . .]). But yeah, the fact remained that something I liked was instantly hated for ONE thing that was blown WAAAY out of proportion. For that, my friend & I had to endure a ridiculous evening of undending squabbling.

Oh, and for the record, this friend saw this movie and liked it. THAT'S another reason for why the single-flaw fallacy is so dumb.
Wow, ranting is fun . . . . .

Ya know, I bet I'd have a lot of fun writing some sort of essay on why "TPM" was in fact good. It would be something for the ages, I'm sure. Meantimes, I'm gonna continue with some other stuff.

I still can't quite decide whether this rant is about movies or hatred. The thing is, hate is a very weighty subject, and only a truly serious-minded individual can comprehend it intelligently. For one thing, when someone says, "I hate this song," it is such alie. They may dislike it, or disagree with it, but they won't earnestly hunt out the artists and murder them. THAT is hate. When people are willing to go the extreme and do something irreversible in the name of their beliefs. Like after September 11th, after the terrorist attack suddenly there was a roar of "I hate Arabs" or "I hate Islamics" . . . well gee, it's a terrorist! A group of people who feel what they're doing is right. Don't condemn the millions of other who might just be living there.

I guess I'll have to rant about that another day too. In the meantime, to tide you over, I'll leave you with some advice. Regardless of if a movie is good or bad, or if you are told "you must see it" or "do not see it", you must always see it! You must make your own decision about it. If not for that, then to go see a bad movie.
That's right, I love watching hokey, corney, badly acted, stupid, blatantly terrible movies. Why? The fact remains that no matter how bad it is, I'll still be sitting in my seat, grinning, saying "Oh man, this is SO bad! I love it!" I feel there is value in bad movies. They remind us of what it truly means to see a masterpiece.

As for the people that think they're just so gosh-darn smart that they're better than some movies and happily speak of how they wasted their lives watching it, I say this:

I bet they all still laughed when some peer of theirs told them the joke that ends, "my dad farted and our house blew up!"

You just laughed too, didn't ya?
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