There's several things in a movie that I pay close attention to when I watch:
First of all, I need good character development. If the characters aren't well developed, I have a hard time buying into the realism and I can't get excited.
Secondly, the plot overall needs to be believable or ridiculous. If a movie waddles between the two extremes, I get annoyed.
Thirdly, the premise of the film needs to be good. I can't get into films that conflict with my personality or values beyond a certain limit (for example, movies that include violence toward women really turn me off). I usually try to write about at least these three points in my reviews.
There are other things that I think you should know about me and movies:
I don't pay attention to actors' names. Don't ask me who was in a particular movie, because I probably won't know. I judge movies on acting more than who the cast is. For me, it's not fair to limit an actor by type casting, so I don't even pay attention to who they are.
I think it is important to know that I enjoy almost every movie I watch at least a little. Friends have told me that I am too easy on movies. I think that is because I watch them for enjoyment. They donÕt have to be perfect in every aspect for me to be generally entertained. I am not someone that would let a mistaken microphone boom or a makeup mistake ruin a scene for me. The only time I even notice these details in when the movie bores me to the point that I begin searching for other ways to keep my mind occupied. This is truly rare for me.
Also, I am a graphic designer, and generally a visual person. This means that I am really interested in the technical end of movies. IÕm often asking myself how theyÕve done special effects. Because of this, sometimes I rate movies high just for the great graphics, photography or effects.
Besides loving movies, I love music. As a musician, I tend to really like a good soundtrack or score. Am heavily effected by music in a film. If I like or dislike how the movie uses music, IÕll try to mention that in my reviews. Sound quality in a theater is really important to me as well. I can become really distracted by bad sound (speaker problems, etc) and I have to really concentrate to be fair in those situations. I like to absorb myself into movies so at home I play them as loud as I can without upsetting my wife or my neighbors.
Although itÕs not a huge factor for me, I pay attention to the climax point of a movie. If the ending or the high point is less than profound, I find myself feeling ripped off afterwards. I wouldnÕt say that I need a happy ending or anything, but I at least care that a movie has one.
Finally, I am a dad. Since IÕve had my daughters, my father instincts have kicked in and I tend to pick up on things that I think my daughters would enjoy and, of course, the movies that IÕll keep them from seeing. I usually mention these observations in my reviews as well. |
