Touring Ohio City 2012
If it’s art or film, there is always a different opinion about what’s inspirational, well done or just plain ordinary. Every artistic medium, therefore, is subjective. I might say this film is fantastic, then someone will argue with me that it’s crap. Whose opinion do you go with when deciding what film or art show to see? I would advise going with someone reputable who likes the same kinds of things you do. Ask them what they think, and go from there. Or you can be bold and/or spontaneous and pick a film that looks interesting and go.
Lately, I have been shying away from written reviews; I read the basic synopsis and decide if it’s worthy of my time or not. The more I hear that a film is “fantastic” or hyped-up by the media, the more disappointed I become when I finally see it. This exact thing happened to me when I decided to see “Zero Dark Thirty” because all the reviewers said it’s a “must see.” Everyone, quite frankly, is sick of me with my negative remarks about his film. I will sum it up by saying this - don’t waste your time!
What bothered me about the film wasn’t exactly all the violence and torture; there was a lot of that shown in great detail, especially water boarding. It cast too wide a net into the specifics of Bin Laden that took the viewer back to 2005. I honestly didn’t see the correlation between that time (Bush Administration) into 2011 when Bin Laden was finally killed. There were too many characters that came in and out of the story that I became lost, confused and frustrated. Quite honestly, I almost nodded off because it did not keep my interest. Hence, the story had too much CIA mumbo-jumbo for an average person to fully comprehend. It did show me, however, the complexity in what it took to find and finally kill Bin Laden. The film needed tighter editing where it seemed entirely too long. The ending for me wasn’t anything exciting either with Seal Team 6 using night vision goggles to raid the compound; we all knew the end, right. If you are looking for a superior repeat of the “Hurt Locker,” then keep going. You will be disappointed.
With all the reading that I do, I am definitely a tough critic. I look for character development and a unique story that keeps me interested with fresh ideas that stays with me. If I keep thinking about a film well after it’s done, then that succeeded my expectations. That isn’t too hard, is it?
With all due respect to Quentin Tarantino, as being an odd bird who does some weird stuff. I had no intention what so ever of ever seeing, “Django Unchained.” I thought it was a racist film about slavery. However after volunteering at the Homeless Shelter, I changed my mind when a few African Americans said it was a good, entertaining film. I thought, “Really!” I was pleasantly surprised when I saw it. The film was 2 hours and 45 minutes and it didn’t seem like it. It was intelligently written with humor and of course gore but I overlooked it because of its strength in storytelling. Christoph Waltz brilliant as a Dentist turned bounty hunter along with Leonardo DiCaprio, who should of been nominated for an Oscar for his performance as Mr. Candy. I won’t lie that it wasn’t gruesome and hard to watch in a few scenes but it kept my interest. Therefore, I thought about it long after it was over. I give it an enthusiastic thumbs up, please.
So what is it exactly that inspires certain people to gravitate towards one film over another? One piece of Art over another? Why are so many peoples tastes so different? One film I say is a complete snoozer like last year’s Oscar winning film, “The Artist” that I couldn’t wait until it was over. Other than it being beautiful to watch in nostalgic black and white, there was no substance. This might be difficult because it was mostly silent, but seriously no brilliant storytelling or highlight (meat) that kept me on the edge of my seat. It gave me no reason to scream from the roof top, “This is fantastic and you’ve got to see it.”
Did I watch the same film as the Oscar judges?
I don’t get it; but that’s what makes us so unique. We all have different tastes. Hence it gives artists new opportunities to create innovative films, art, culinary (food) even graphically pleasing marketing, collateral pieces for the masses to see.
This is what promotes gut reactions either positively or negatively. Discussions, therefore, could be a stepping stone for new original thought to the forefront. A game changer.
Do me a favor, if you don’t understand something just stare at it for a while longer and ask yourself why do I like or not? Remember, artistic expression evokes emotion no matter if it’s good or not. Sometime the more I discuss a film or artwork, I like it more by thinking about it that prompts more discussion then another idea unfolds - this constitutes critical thinking that goes beyond the surface.
What was the filmmaker’s or artist’s intention? Did it explore other ideas away from your comfort zone? What emotions or hot buttons got stirred up?
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