Movies: Last Movie You Watched and Rate It | Cinema at the End of the World Edition

[Shareefruck]

Oh, I totally get where he's coming from and my reply isn't an argument, just that zeroes are worth a shit, so to speak. I can feel almost as strongly about my dislike for something as I do for my love for it and think it can be just as worth talking about or as memorable.

Yeah, that's kind of true. Maybe this is a different tangent, but I don't get people who have this mentality of "If you don't like this, then it's not for you, why waste time complaining?"

 

[Pink Mist]

I honestly prefer films that are 1/10, 2/10 etc over like 4/10s since they're usually at least memorable (for how terrible they are). Most 4/10 are rated that way because they're unremarkable and forgettable

 

[Spring in Fialta]

I honestly prefer films that are 1/10, 2/10 etc over like 4/10s since they're usually at least memorable (for how terrible they are). Most 4/10 are rated that way because they're unremarkable and forgettable

I don't think anyone can watch The Room and not come to that conclusion. It's genuinely more than a meme or James Franco trying to be cool.

 

[Shareefruck]

See, I feel like if a movie has that effect on you, then it's not really a 0/10 to begin with. I legitimately rate The Room highly, far higher than a lot of better made movies because it's genuinely a great experience, despite that experience being unintentional. To me, a score shouldn't be some arbitrary measure of craftsmenship (because if it doesn't translate, then who cares?), it should be a measure of effect, value, and experience, however that's accomplished.

The movies that have nothing of note while possibly being technically competent? Those are the 1/10s and 2/10s.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

See, I feel like if a movie has that effect on you, then it's not really a 0/10 to begin with. I legitimately rate The Room highly, far higher than a lot of better made movies because it's genuinely a great experience, despite that experience being unintentional. To me, a score shouldn't be some arbitrary measure of craftsmenship (because if it doesn't translate, then who cares?), it should be a measure of effect, value, and experience, however that's accomplished.

The movies that have nothing of note while possibly being technically competent? Those are the 1/10s and 2/10s.

With all due respect - and hence why I think The Room is a great, unique example in these conversations - this thought wouldn't come up if it wasn't so incompetent by any rational appeal to the human brain. While every word that you say is true, its achievement is precisely based on how f***ing lame it is, even if that lameness transcends the average well-made film (which I agree with). It's the one movie where it both simultaneously feels right to give it a good and bad grade because of sheer sentiment but the truth is that sentiment largely comes from how utterly pathetic it is. Nobody who loves the film wishes they had written it.

 

[silkyjohnson50]

Do you guys make it through every movie that you start? I can’t do it anymore. I give up on quite a few now without losing any sleep.

 

[Shareefruck]

With all due respect - and hence why I think The Room is a great, unique example in these conversations - this thought wouldn't come up if it wasn't so incompetent by any rational appeal to the human brain. While every word that you say is true, it's achievement is precisely based on how f***ing lame it is, even if that lameness transcends the average well-made film (which I agree with). It's the one movie where it both simultaneously feels right to give it a good and bad grade because of sheer sentiment but the truth is that sentiment largely comes from how utterly pathetic it is. Nobody who loves the film wishes they had written it.

Yeah, but to me it seems like that fact only becomes relevant if you're rating something for the purpose of passing judgement specifically on the person who made it (almost like the number's used to serve as a slap on the wrist or pat on the back or something), rather than measuring how good the thing itself is. I guess it's still valid for someone to approach it that way, but I'm definitely not wired that way, personally.

I guess the way I see it is that the grade is for my benefit and something that I'm expressing about myself, not for the person who made the movie. I'm not doing it to help them be a better filmmaker or something.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Yeah, but to me it seems like that fact only becomes relevant if you're rating something for the purpose of passing judgement specifically on the person who made it (almost like the number's being weaponized to serve as a slap on the wrist or pat on the back or something), rather than measuring how good the thing itself is. I guess it's still valid for someone to approach it that way, but I'm definitely not wired that way, personally.

That last sentence is a minor conclusion but put it this way: without even thinking of who made the piece and as strong as a reaction you can get, would you truly put it on the same plane as something you reacted to just as strongly but for reasons that are far less humiliating to the creator as The Room?

In essence, I can see how someone could think of the film as a masterpiece without knowing who made it. I will never understand how someone could justify it (and hence inherently affecting its worth on an objective level) as being a masterpiece based on the same criteria as other works we'd consider a masterpiece. The love is ultimately snarky, which makes all the difference to me. Show me somebody who loves the film but doesn't ultimately feel superior to it (which is a big part of its appeal) and I'll literally eat my hat. It doesn't affect how good or strong the experience can be, but I don't see how you can't rank the reasons for why that is, is.

 

[Osprey]

Wow, look at what you started, kihei. I hope that you're proud of yourself.

 

[Shareefruck]

That last sentence is a minor conclusion but put it that way: without even thinking of who made the piece and as strong as a reaction you can get, would you truly put it on the same plane as something you reacted to just as strongly but for reasons that are far less humiliating to the creator as The Room?

In essence, I can see how someone could think of the film as a masterpiece without knowing who made it. I will never understand how someone could justify it (and hence inherently affecting its worth on an objective level) as being a masterpiece based on the same criteria as other works we'd consider a masterpiece. The love is ultimately snarky, which makes all the difference to me.

I wouldn't go as far as to call it a genuine masterpiece, from the experience (as satisfying as I think that it is). I don't get as much out of the experience as my favorite films, so putting it on the same plane as that would annoy and feel wrong to me, but putting it on the same plane as something I view as an equal experience does feel right to me.

The notion of having some rigid criteria for what's good/bad is kind of what feels wrong to me in the first place, and what I'm kind of arguing against, in a roundabout way. There's no shared authoritative standard that we should all go by, IMO-- it's all just different paths to an outcome, and The Room takes a really unique path to a rewarding outcome. I don't think it should be punished for that, personally.

Wow, look at what you started, kihei. I hope that you're proud of yourself.

I'll take full credit for this one. I just thought it was a fun disconnect to point out.

 

[kihei]

Do you guys make it through every movie that you start? I can’t do it anymore. I give up on quite a few now without losing any sleep.

I used to make it all the way through without exception, too. It was almost a point of honour. But now, if I'm at home, I will fast forward through some bits or just turn the offending movie off entirely. It is still a relative rarity, but it does happen. Can't remember ever walking out of film in a theatre. I mean, I must have at some point but nothing comes to mind..

 

[Osprey]

Do you guys make it through every movie that you start? I can’t do it anymore. I give up on quite a few now without losing any sleep.

I wish that I could abandon movies, but my perfectionist nature makes that difficult. For one, I'm afraid that it'll nag at me that I didn't finish something that I started. Also, it worries me that I'm not being fair to the movie and I may be missing out because, sometimes, movies get better as they go along. Finally, I'm afraid that I'll forget that I disliked the little that I saw and waste my time on it in the future, whereas getting to the end of it will create a stronger memory to hopefully save me from that. That said, I will often stop paying attention and leave it on in the background while I do something else, usually on the computer. If it gets interesting, I'll give it my attention again. Other times, I'll stop it and then come back to days or weeks later, if only to get it over with. I really wish that I could just give up on movies entirely when they aren't working for me, because it would save me a lot of time and help me get through my backlog, but I'm not there yet.

I'll take full credit for this one. I just thought it was a fun disconnect to point out.

I was just making a joke because I kind of started it.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Do you guys make it through every movie that you start? I can’t do it anymore. I give up on quite a few now without losing any sleep.

I would power through bad movies when I was younger, but it’s very easy to access something more enjoyable these days, so why waste time?

I was watching Blood Brother the other day and it was so asinine I shut it off about 30 mins in.

 

[Puck]

The point system for movies is very subjective and personal. I find it difficult to rate movies but that's just me. Different posters still have diffferent systems, most rate out of ten, a few rate out of 5 stars. I remember some used to rate A to F but that seems to have gone by the wayside more recently. Some don't rate at all, they just give their opinions. I don't mind that. What I find less useful are the ones that just rate a movie by points and that's it, no further comments , a fly by shooting approach. Although of course I understand when it's a very bad rating, the person probably did not feel like wasting further time on the particular crap they just saw and are posting the title as a warning for the world to stay away, a humanitarian gesture. Some seem more harsh on their point ratings than others. On the other hand when I see a 9 or a 10, I tend to discount it as emotional overexhuberance by the viewer. I'd prefer to hand out that kind of high number after more thought and review.

At the bottom end of the scale, not sure how i'd rate those either (a 1 or 0 or even go into the negatives). I probably would not bother posting a review on something I disliked unless it was part of an argument here and I felt strongly enough to take sides on the matter (or just wanted to add my 2 cents for a lark). I seem to remember that the film Mother! here was controversial (people either loved or hated it) and Uncut Gems. I think kihei gave The Holy Mountain a rare 1 once, he must have really hated it. And I think Pranzo disagreed with him. I had no opinion, never saw it and was never curious or interested enough to look for it.

I can easily quit a movie at home (not at the theatre). I'll usually fast forward it to the end though just to see if characters I disliked 'get it' in the end (die). Just out of benign curiosity.

 

[Puck]

Oh I forgot to add that Osprey has an interesting concept about adding whether he liked it or not as a sidebar to his point rating. I can see that. Sometimes you can discern that the movie was of decent point quality even if you personally disliked it. Or vice versa. That happens.

 

[Osprey]

Oh I forgot to add that Osprey has an interesting concept about adding whether he liked it or not as a sidebar to his point rating. I can see that. Sometimes you can discern that the movie was of decent point quality even if you personally disliked it. Or vice versa. That happens.

I can't take credit for that idea because my point ratings are actually linked to how much I liked movies. I have the same problem as you, which is that I find it hard to rate movies objectively, so I just rate them subjectively, instead. I determine my emotional reaction to the movie (which is relatively easy because it feels more natural than picking a number), then I assign the corresponding score on my scale:

Spoiler

10/10 = Favorite
9/10 = Really loved it
8/10 = Loved it
7/10 = Really liked it
6/10 = Liked it
5/10 = Didn't like or dislike it
4/10 = Disliked it
3/10 = Really disliked it
2/10 = Hated it
1/10 = Really hated it

It may be redundant to give both in my reviews, but I don't want to assume that people know my scale and I do want to make it clearer that I'm grading subjectively. I don't want people to think that a movie is objectively bad just because I gave a bad score or objectively good just because I gave a good score. Of course, it's often impossible to not be objective in the review, such as when remarking about the quality of the acting, but I don't want to give a high score to an objectively well-made film that just didn't do much for me. I also don't want to feel like I need to give a higher or lower score than another movie that I reviewed.

Anyways, that's how I do it. Others have their own approaches, as you detailed, and that's fine. Whatever works for you. I just wanted to clarify the slight misunderstanding of my approach.

 

[PK Cronin]

Do you guys make it through every movie that you start? I can’t do it anymore. I give up on quite a few now without losing any sleep.

Once I start, I have to finish it.

The only exception was Boondock Saints II, which was the only movie I snuck into and left after 15 minutes because it was so bad.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

I wouldn't go as far as to call it a genuine masterpiece, from the experience (as satisfying as I think that it is). I don't get as much out of the experience as my favorite films, so putting it on the same plane as that would annoy and feel wrong to me, but putting it on the same plane as something I view as an equal experience does feel right to me.

The notion of having some rigid criteria for what's good/bad is kind of what feels wrong to me in the first place, and what I'm kind of arguing against, in a roundabout way. There's no shared authoritative standard that we should all go by, IMO-- it's all just different paths to an outcome, and The Room takes a really unique path to a rewarding outcome. I don't think it should be punished for that, personally.
I'll take full credit for this one. I just thought it was a fun disconnect to point out.

Sure, I don't think the film should be punished for the path it takes to a rewarding outcome, my point is more that it's important to acknowledge why the outcome is so rewarding and why its rewards are - at least to me - at the very least a bit more shallow in sentiment.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

On the other hand when I see a 9 or a 10, I tend to discount it as emotional overexhuberance by the viewer. I'd prefer to hand out that kind of high number after more thought and review.

At least from my personal experience, there's never been a time when I would have thought so highly of a film right after watching it and having the sentiment diminish afterwards.

 

[kihei]

At least from my personal experience, there's never been a time when I would have thought so highly of a film right after watching it and having the sentiment diminish afterwards.

Really? No overwhelming response that gets tempered a bit with time and thought?

My ratings are very fluid. And I adjust them over time. Usually it is plus/minus one point, but I have on rare occasions done a two point shift one way or the other (Belfast started a 7 and that lasted about a day). I don't know why people give a rating and then think they have to stay with that rating come hell or high water. Every thing in life is subject to change so why not one's movie ratings?

Anything 7 or over on my scale I really like. Some 6s I like, too, but not so much and/or not so frequently. There are some special categories--Japanese Godzilla movies, for instance--I like no matter how bad they are. But, with some noteable exceptions brought on usually by a great performance or stunning cinematography in a failed movie, I generally don't like at all the movies that I consider bad movies and I like a lot the movies that I consider good to great movies. What I like most is what I find most aesthetically pleasing--which would be my 9s and 10s, increasingly rare birds on my scale. So theory and practice are by no means always seamless for me but they match up fairly well in my case.

I enjoy writing bad reviews as much as I enjoy writing rave reviews. They are both fun and present different writing challenges. What I don't enjoy writing about is middling trash, which makes up a huge percentage of movies, cinema's dark matter. There is nothing intelligent or interesting to say about The Hitman's Wive's Bodyguard. Nothing. Plus, I've stopped writing up every thing I see. Normally I would have written up The Card Player; tick tick,,, Boom; House of Gucci; Night Raiders; and The Humans out of habit, but I just thought why do it when these films really didn't catch my interest a bit.

 

[Chili]

Usually always finish films I start, if I lose interest may try to re-watch. Sometimes makes more sense second time around.

Le Mans-1971

A perfect movie for Steve McQueen...lots of speed and very little dialogue. Almost like a documentary, incredible footage of a real race. The camera tells the story, captures all angles from the pits, the crowd, the track to inside the car. Several back stories including original director John Sturges leaving the film. Great film for race fans.

Ford vs Ferrari-2019

Interesting true story of Ford's desire to build a great competitive sports car and the men behind it. After being snubbed to buy Ferrari from Enzo Ferrari, Henry Ford is determined to build a car to defeat him in the Le Mans 24 race. Very well done film.

Young Mr Lincoln-1939

Young Abe finding his path in life that lead him into practicing law. Don't know how much is myth and fact but it makes for good story here. The main court room drama is apparently fiction, inspired by facts. Always get a kick out of the stove pipe hat. Henry Fonda looks very comfortable in the role of the future president, tall, honest and forthright. The first of 8 films he made with John Ford. Maybe my favorite of the Lincoln movies I've seen.

The Long Voyage Home-1940

Life at sea on a cargo ship in the North Atlantic early in WWII. The hardships and danger the crew faces above and below the water as well as the weather. John Wayne is the star but he has few lines. He is a mild mannered sailor just looking to get home to Sweden. Several great shots contrasting light and dark. Well told sea tale available on YouTube.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Really? No overwhelming response that gets tempered a bit with time and thought?

My ratings are very fluid. And I adjust them over time. Usually it is plus/minus one point, but I have on rare occasions done a two point shift one way or the other (Belfast started a 7 and that lasted about a day). I don't know why people give a rating and then think they have to stay with that rating come hell or high water. Every thing in life is subject to change so why not one's movie ratings?

Anything 7 or over on my scale I really like. Some 6s I like, too, but not so much and/or not so frequently. There are some special categories--Japanese Godzilla movies, for instance--I like no matter how bad they are. But, with some noteable exceptions brought on usually by a great performance or stunning cinematography in a failed movie, I generally don't like at all the movies that I consider bad movies and I like a lot the movies that I consider good to great movies. What I like most is what I find most aesthetically pleasing--which would be my 9s and 10s, increasingly rare birds on my scale. So theory and practice are by no means always seamless for me but they match up fairly well in my case.

I enjoy writing bad reviews as much as I enjoy writing rave reviews. They are both fun and present different writing challenges. What I don't enjoy writing about is middling trash, which makes up a huge percentage of movies, cinema's dark matter. There is nothing intelligent or interesting to say about The Hitman's Wive's Bodyguard. Nothing. Plus, I've stopped writing up every thing I see. Normally I would have written up The Card Player; tick tick,,, Boom; House of Gucci; Night Raiders; and The Humans out of habit, but I just thought why do it when these films really didn't catch my interest a bit.

I've certainly been lukewarm on a film after a first viewing and then ended up loving it on a subsequent rewatch, like Mulholland Drive. But if I think about a movie that I adored right off the bat (favorites that would get a prospective 9 or 10), no, nothing comes to mind. I was blown away by the first viewing and my enthusiasm hasn't died down at all. Or I've definitely liked something and then that feeling washed away. But over-exuberant love that becomes tampered? No, anything that's ever made me tingle on a first viewing has sustained.

 

[Shareefruck]

^ That's interesting.... it happens all the time for me. It's more of a "my tastes aren't that sharp/refined yet, and later on I might be less of an idiot" thing for me, though. Sometimes a crappy film successfully manipulates you into thinking it's more than it is (god knows that's what a lot of them try to do), and you only catch it after falling for it a bunch of times, or after thinking about it. And even when you get good at noticing the obvious ones, there are lesser degrees of that. Seems like you would have to have really impeccable awareness to never feel that way.

Sure, I don't think the film should be punished for the path it takes to a rewarding outcome, my point is more that it's important to acknowledge why the outcome is so rewarding and why its rewards are - at least to me - at the very least a bit more shallow in sentiment.

I agree that it's not the deepest experience, which is why it's not one of my favorite movies (I think I usually give it a 3.0/Very Good). I also agree that the conditions in which something was made is part of the effect/experience that it creates. The connection and admiration you feel from the artist can be part of why you like it that much, and that can be bigger bonus than the "Holy crap, the universe miraculously created something this inspired and incredible through an idiot, just by sheer accidental randomness?" feeling that you get from The Room (maybe not, though, I can still imagine the latter outweighing the former, depending on the strength of it).

For me that's all still the same effect/experience-driven calculation and might bump something up or down a bit-- I just can't imagine it justifying a completely different system where someone gives it a 1 or a 0 just because the guy who made it sucks.

 

[silkyjohnson50]

I wish that I could abandon movies, but my perfectionist nature makes that difficult. For one, I'm afraid that it'll nag at me that I didn't finish something that I started. Also, it worries me that I'm not being fair to the movie and I may be missing out because, sometimes, movies get better as they go along. Finally, I'm afraid that I'll forget that I disliked the little that I saw and waste my time on it in the future, whereas getting to the end of it will create a stronger memory to hopefully save me from that. That said, I will often stop paying attention and leave it on in the background while I do something else, usually on the computer. If it gets interesting, I'll give it my attention again. Other times, I'll stop it and then come back to days or weeks later, if only to get it over with. I really wish that I could just give up on movies entirely when they aren't working for me, because it would save me a lot of time and help me get through my backlog, but I'm not there yet.


I was just making a joke because I kind of started it.

I was long like that, so I get it. It wasn’t until a handful of years ago where I finally pulled the plug on one and it was a game changer for me. Are there films that I gave up on that may have paid off in the end? Probably. But I feel like the percentage of that happening is small enough that it’s totally worth the sacrifice. It’s also much easier to do these days with the ease of access. It’s not like I drove to Blockbuster and came back with only one or two films. Obviously I’m specifically talking about watching from home. At the theater it’d take a lot more for me to leave.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

^ That's interesting.... it happens all the time for me. It's more of a "my tastes aren't that sharp/refined yet, and later on I might be less of an idiot" thing for me, though. Sometimes a crappy film successfully manipulates you into thinking it's more than it is (god knows that's what a lot of them try to do), and you only catch it after falling for it a bunch of times, or after thinking about it. And even when you get good at noticing the obvious ones, there are lesser degrees of that. Seems like you would have to have really impeccable awareness to never feel that way.

I'm really only talking about my favorite films of all-time (which is what I would give 9 or 10) but my opinion/enthusiasm has changed for tons of stuff over the years and still does. As an example, the last movie that completely blew me away was Sonatine earlier this year. I'd give easily give it a 9 and probably a 10. I've watched it an additional two times since and nothing about how I felt about it the first time has changed at all. I feel just as strongly about it. Same goes for other movies like Last Year at Marienbad or Kubrick's Lolita as examples as they're two other favorites I've rewatched within the past year. I don't know if I misunderstood because Puck talked about 9s and 10s (i.e., I understood it as him being skeptical when someone gives that high a score to something right after watching it) and what I meant to say is that anything I'd have given a 9 or 10 after a first watch would remain a 9 or a 10. I've never been blown away to such a degree that the number would warrant and having that feeling change over time (though I have been reticient towards certain films and then blown away on a second viewing).