Why do we choose certain movies over others? How do we go about deciding
what looks interesting? What do we base our criteria on? As an attempt to
keep the potential viewer as aware as possible of the ploys and persuasions
of advertising, here’s a couple of things to think about.
Trailers. This is just a snotty term for “previews.” Kind of like people
calling a good movie a “fine film.” These are supposed to wow you. When
you’re waiting for the feature film to start, the audience is making a
mental checklist-the next time I do this movie thing, I’m going to
see ____. What are you seeing?
Try putting the preview into a category: drama, date movie, mindless
action-adventure. If a joke or cute gimmick is used in the preview, would
you laugh if you heard it a second time, or think, “oh, that’s the joke
they used in the preview.” A lot of times, the previews are a lot like the
films themselves: over bearing, cute, fast-paced. Many films are not much
more than the preview-how many times have you heard someone say, “If you’ve
seen the preview, you’ve seen the movie.” All in all, going into a film is
pretty much a shot in the dark.
For those of you (like me) who can’t afford to dish out $5+ any time you
desire to be entertained or provoked for two hours, and for those of you
who take going to the movies seriously, take some relaxation time to do
some research. The Hodges library offers many current periodicals that give
reviews of recent releases. Popular and (sometimes) thorough magazines and
newspapers that give reviews worth reading are Time, Newsweek, The New
Yorker, The Village Voice, Rolling Stone, and Entertainment Weekly, for
mainstream films (The smaller the publication, usually the more avant-garde
the choice of films reviewed).
Still, though, reviews simply stem from the critics’ personal tastes.
However, glowing recommendations from a collection of writers usually
merits a better movie. “More than 100 Critics Hail ‘The Crying Game’ the
best film of the year” is a pretty strong quote despite that there are a
lot of critics out there. The reason “The Fugitive” made so much money was
that so many different kinds of critics praised it. And because it was a
good movie.
Also keep in mind who these critics are. Here is a little list of things to
think about:
1. Siskel and Ebert. Ever watch the show? Which one of these fellas gave
birth to the film “Beyond the Valley of the Dolls?” Makes you think of
these thumbs as having no more clout than being the fifth digit. Redundant
camp is not the mark of genius or innovative thinking.
2. Large advertisements are often misleading, misguided and inaccurate.
Don’t be mislead by the popular “…” For instance, “The film
is…riveting…!” could have as easy come from, “The film is as riveting
as taking out the garbage!” Advertisers are trying to sell you this movie.
They can’t be trusted.
3. Another ploy is the vague quote. The Village Voice’s often sarcastic Jay
Hoberman might be credited as saying “Comic,” to an intended comedy, but
this doesn’t necessarily mean that it is funny.
4. “The Best Movie of the Summer!” This is straight to the point, but who
is saying it? Fox-TV lauded Carrey’s performance in “The Mask,” but Fox-TV
also employs Carrey on “In Living Color.” Of course they’re not going to
criticize a performance that gives them better ratings. Also, can the
thought be more than entertained that film production companies offer perqs
to critics that celebrate their films. I wonder.
5. Movies don’t have the big-daddy quote they want to have. So instead of
moping around, they up the size of the print and document the source in
minuscule, microscopic print. The recently released “Black Beauty” was
recommended by Siegel Entertainment, the paltry “Client” by Newhouse
Newspaper, WNWK, Sixty Second Preview and American Movie Classics, the even
worse “North” was praised (in huge headlines) by KMSD-TV Fox Tucson, the
Channel America Network, San Antonio Express News, KFMB-TV San Diego and
KDNL-TV Fox St. Louis. Who are these people? Why is some critic from a
small paper in San Antonio being quoted in a national
publication?…because no one else liked it!
Movies are a serious medium, the art form of the ’90s, a pastime of
emotional and intellectual investment. It takes a little more than
reaching for the remote to switch on some easily accessible TV fluff. Why
not take the time to understand what advertisers are trying to do to your
brain. The more the demand for advertisers and critics to do a better, more
accurate job, the better the movies will be.
