Watch Ebert review Blue Velvet or see how Siskel and Ebert used to get fiery debates about films like Lethal Weapon. I miss this energy and we need more of this and not overly positive when every movie is a sequal, reboot or re-imagining.
Yeah, I don't like it when people just dismiss a movie as "That movie was bad/awful/terrible!" with NO reasons why or what it was that they didn't like about it. If I didn't like a movie, I will try my best to explain it like, "I didn't like this movie because I didn't care for this aspect and I didn't really like how they did this. Though I did like this part, that was pretty cool" And I also try to look at it like, "This movie was different from what I expected, but I did appreciate this and this about it"
I think half the time people are on phones and are not able to get sucked into to find that thing in the movie. Often times if I watch a movie years apart it has different meaning to me based on where I am in life.
You are discussing two different things here, and I’ll opine on both of them. 1. When people say that this is the “worst horror film of all time,” when they say that “Freddy’s Dead is the worst horror movie of all time,” I ask them, so “Freddy’s Dead is worse than Evil Bong, The Gingerdead Man, Dracula 3000, and the Three Headed Shark?” 2. When people have expectations of a movie, they have every right to have that expectation. I’m a huge Universal Monster fan, and I don’t think that Wolf Man looks good at all. Will I go see it? Yes. Am I expecting much? No. And I have every right to have expectations. When I saw Halloween Ends, I had expectations. My expectations as a fan of that franchise for 30 years were not met. And I do not like that movie. That’s just the way it goes sometimes.
I don’t know anyone who goes into a movie “hoping it sucks” so I am not sure where Heath is getting his take. Instead he just comes of as Chris Stuckman defending Madame Web.
Heath, this is a positive message and you have excellent insights. In particular, I liked your reminder to watch movies without expectation and let the director take you where he/she wants to go. We'd all do well to keep that in mind. For me, the worst part of movie internet culture is making others feel less than for loving a particular movie or type of movie. This happens a lot for superhero films, a genre that I love (along with many other genres.) And it usually gets looked down on by many cinephiles. I just wish, as you say, we could focus on celebrating rather than denigrating.
That's exactly my problem with Marvel. My wife and I are committed to the MCU, but sweet Jesus, talking about those movies on the internet is just the worst thing possible, especially since Avengers Endgame. I'll admit, I felt like that would've been a decent finale to the universe, but people out there just like NOTHING since Endgame has been good. It's gotten to the point where I never discuss superhero films with anyone outside of my wife and maybe a few close friends...
I think Ted Turner did us a great disservice by never re-releasing any of his classic movie library films to theaters. He could've what fathom events does today. That would've gotten a lot of young people in the theaters watching classic movies, the same way they did back in 1930s and 40s. Sure he made the cable channel TCM, Turner Classic Movies. But he only did that because he got the copyrights to those movies for free. But that's another crazy story. But that channel was specifically catered to elders. Putting it out in theaters in a mainstream release, would've definitely excited young people in the 80s and 90s. Bring your hot date to the movies, to watch a classic movie, like they did in the 40s. Not them watching it on cable with their parents. Thats not cool or hip, or anything teenagers want to do. I think it would've changed the movie trajectory. Instead of every movie being a tentpole marvel movie, the majority of movies would be story driven, and more importantly, not based solely on existing IP.
I really enjoy your reasoning for making this video! Thank you Heath for being a light in the world of movie watching instead of a complainer, which I see too much of! I'm going to challenge myself too watch a movie that I've seen in the past that I didn't like & see if I can find anything redeeming about it! Thanks again!
Ok this seems like the place to put this even if no one reads it. First while I don't go to theater as often as much as I want for the last year or so every movie was a solid hit for me. Now second I just saw Baby girl and loved it. Kidman was amazing as always and it was interesting take on a well known kink. It was the type of movie we rarely if ever see these days getting green lighted so I am happy it got chance and hope others go see it if they haven't seen
I think it's even worse with TV shows. There is a tv show called When calls the heart that now caters to fan service and social media threats. For a show marketed as wholesome, they sure do drudge up a boatload of negativity.
What you’re saying is completely true but you’re asking people to actually have a mature attitude towards movies or anything as far as that goes. The negativity extends into all fandom. What gets me is the negativity that people have towards movies or anything even before the movie is released. I think it affects the box office bottom line.
I agree wholeheartedly with your takes on this situation. As I've noticed this problem arising since the mid-2010's where many Internet users, especially those as "Movie Critics", tend to rip on a whole lot of movies. Whether new recent ones, that isn't a remake, or an unneeded sequel, or old classic movies. Which the latter tends to get hit the hardest. Especially when given the harshest of criticisms. Some that say the movie has aged poorly, in the worst ways possible, some that say the film is uninspired, or others that tend to turn into a rant that rips the movie apart. Whether through its flaws, set-backs, dated scenes, or plot-holes that to some, tends to ruin a movie altogether. It's even to the point that my young brother, raised as a Gen Z, tends to take after those behaviors when it comes to watching any movie. And to me, as a Late Millennial, these behaviors tend to harm my experience in watching movies altogether. Whether a new movie I happen to enjoy, an old movie, new to me, that I'm just discovering, or a movie of my childhood I'm rediscovering, in a long time. Like Don Bluth's movies, the original Jumanji, or Sam Raimi's Spider-Man as examples. So yeah, this video statement, you've made here Heath, is a huge concern for movie fans like you or me.
You are right Sir ! It seems that a lot of the TH-cam channels "monetize hate". I think we're going through a period in Movies where Hollywood is more interested in sending a message than making $$$ and producing a good story well told.Yes there are many wonderful movies outside Hollywood. I don't know who said this (Louis B Meyer ?) "If you want to send a message use Western Union"
Heath. Do you know who Lars Nilsen is? You remind me so much of him. BOTH of you are some of my favorite cinematic Hero's. I 1000% fell ya on this post! Working on movies for a living seeing the stuff you worked on trashed by people that never even sees them. It's the worst, when I talk to folks after screenings after I ask them if they had a good time and they say yes.... I'm usually out the door. Happy New Year my friend and keep up the INCREDIBLE JOB
Absolutely agree with your video, Heath…I also wonder how much intellectual and emotional maturity plays into this trend of shitting on almost every film regardless of the quality of the content…during my viewing of Nosferatu, a truly terrifying but also mesmerizing movie, there were people laughing and snickering throughout the entire film…I think this is a larger problem, indicative of our society’s lack of any sort of seriousness…if we don’t take anything seriously, then everything and anything can be consumed and tossed away
I think there is a lot of truth in what you’re saying here, the culture of the moviegoing public has likely never been worse than it is now. But I also think movie culture as an art form has never been worse, or it’s at least the worst it’s been in the last 60 years or so. I think something you’re leaving out of this conversation is that a big part of defining something is describing what it isn’t and a major part of loving something, if you truly love it, is being honest about it, including its flaws. I always joke with my friends and say “I love movies so much that I hate nearly all of them”. I say that jokingly, but there’s some truth to that. I don’t enjoy the majority of movies I watch and have little to zero interest in most of the films being released right now. Independent cinema is pretty much nonexistent and even the smaller boutique distributors have become painfully self conscious and brand aware to the point of self parody. Most releases are of very poor quality in my view and are put out by studio executives who have no idea how to engage audiences so they give way too much power to the consumer as you correctly stated. One one hand, I’m pretty sympathetic to their struggle, movies have never faced larger competition for the attention of an audience; tv, video games, social media and economic uncertainty has never had a deeper grip bidding for the attention of people than now. Movies are up against a lot. Plus, we live in a hyperbolic and gamified culture where if something isn’t great it’s “the worst”. However, I don’t think positivity for its own sake is much of a solution, I think honesty is. And my honest opinion is our current era of film is terrible. I’m glad you thought this year was the best we’ve seen in a long time, but I don’t think it comes close to even a mediocre year from a decade or more ago. I personally didn’t enjoy more than a small handful of movies I saw from this year and was even less interested in the vast majority I knew about.
@ not a ton, but more than I wished I had. I did think Dune 2 was quite impressive and might have made a genuine impact on pop culture, so I don’t want to sound overly pessimistic (at least not for its own sake). And I did think Nosferatu, Strange Darling and The Substance were really strong films made by confident filmmakers and I hope this trend continues. That said, I found pretty much everything else I saw to be pretty lackluster. Legless might be the worst movie I’ve seen in theaters I years, I turned off Challenger’s off about 20 minutes in (something I’ve almost never done). I really don’t connect with Luca’s work and having seen as much of it as I have, I can’t say that’s a bad thing. I didn’t even bother with Anora as I really don’t enjoy Sean Baker’s stuff either. Alien Romulus was less terrible than I expected, and it genuinely works in places as a sci-fi haunted house movie, but it’s not a worthy addition to a franchise as powerful as Alien. I don’t root against any movie. I value my time and hard earned money and if I’m paying with those things to see your film, I’m sincerely rooting for you. I love being surprised by a movie’s ability to surpass my expectations more than just about anything. But I believe in being honest more than all that and I don’t think film culture improves by people pretending films are better than they actually are.
And I think another part of the problem is that certain movies may have content that those who blast them may have been told was inappropriate by their religious leaders or families, and so they parrot what their religious leaders/families told them, and they don't see the pictures for themselves, relying on opinions not their own.
This. All of this. I am about to launch a TH-cam channel specifically because I'm so tired of the hate watching or hate non-watching of movies and TVs.
I appreciate your comments, Heath. Stay positive. But here is my two cents. Every week l scan the local cineplex, searching for something good to watch. Nearly ALL the titles are one or two word vague desciptions, telling me NOTHING about content. When I DO click on a trailer, the overwhelming majority look dark, ugly and dystopian, and look as though they were cranked out by the same promo company. So l stay home and dvd it. And in the last two weeks, l found two excellent films. WILD RIVER from 1959 with Montgomery Clift (found at my local library for a $1!), and a Japanese romance thriller from 1957 called TWO WIVES. Both movies were beautifully photographed and scripted. Haunting, adult and emotional. Before that? l stumbled on another library find - The Professionals from 1966 with Lee Marvin (for another measly buck!) Again, l have nothing against current films, but where IS anything current that is comparable? Good and great movies are wherever you find them. P.S. ln the same library trip where l found WILD RIVER, l also found a beautiful mint condition SIGNED edition of an Elmore Leonard crime novel for $3. I must be living right!
Right next to your video in recommendations is a video titled: Hollywood killed the movies - How 2024 broke me - I hate movies now. Out one day and it has 13K views. This is exactly what is wrong with TH-cam and movie commentary. Thank you for lighting a candle.
Your commentary was on point. Your suggestion about how to reframe movie viewing is necessary. Unfortunately troll culture and negativity are the norm. Most modern “criticism” is based on contrarianian and elitist perspectives. They all want to emulate Pauline Kael.
Pauline Kael was literally anti-elites in her critical approach! She wanted movies for entertainment sake, not to be picked apart. She was literally criticized for being too pedestrian in her critiques - despite the fact that she championed all kinds of foreign and new wave cinema.
I think it happens so much now because we are inundated with pre-screening information, opinion and expectation. It’s nearly impossible to go into a film blindly now, unfortunately. There always seems to be a chip on our shoulder before we watch movies nowadays. We’ve got ridiculously proportioned hype, irrational anticipation and preconceived issues that often have nothing to do with the movie itself. I’m not a big moviegoer anymore so I do remain often blissfully ignorant of many newer titles if and when I get to them on disc and it is a joy to not know where I’m headed with many of them. Let’s face it: We know too much about EVERYTHING nowadays and many of us have to try and ringmaster it all just to feel a little control in an uncontrollable world.
You're probably speak to the democratic nature of the internet. Anyone, including people who have no genuine love for movies, can post their thoughts online, sometimes before they've even seen it! I think those people have always existed, but now we can see what they're thinking all over the internet.
Even a bad movie can still be entertaining. I saw a review of Lycan Colony. I knew it would be bad. I bought it, and watched it. It IS bad. But, it's also very far from boring. Movies are art. Art is subjective.
I get what you mean. Lots of people will talk about an entry in a series (like Jason or something) "that's worthless" and I'll often say "but there's that one scene that's really good." I think of movies as parts and there's usually a part (the cinematography, a certain performance, the score) I like even in a movie I don't intend to revisit. There are movies I know I'm not going to waste my time watching (because I don't have time to watch every movie), but I make a point of not arguing those with fans.
I have no doubt what you're saying is probably correct, but I see more positivity than negativity, overall, in regards to movies. Maybe that's because I pay a lot more attention to older movies coming to physical media instead of new movies coming to theaters. I buy way too many movies to justify going to the theater more than a few times a year now. There are definitely some negative folks in the physical media space, too, though. People are already starting to crap on the 4K release of Seven. I didn't see the outrage with Criterion's Mean Streets. I think some of that is tribalism where some people pick favorite boutiques and champion those releases before the releases are even out, and they definitely crap on anything Mill Creek or some others put out, which is apparent when the same transfer is used. My main gripe with physical media is just that way too much is coming out all at once. There are labels I want to try that I've avoided because I don't want yet another label to support.
I completely agree with how a lot of people approach films these days. To those people, I often recommend some of the best film noir to them, almost as an educational to how film can be easily appreciated in their stripped back and purest form. On a side note, my love for modern cinema has been waning. Some of the great directors like Scorsese, Ridley Scott or even Steven Spielberg have produced distinctly underwhelming movies compared to their heyday. Who, in your opinion, are the cream of the crop of upcoming directors who can compare to those greats like Brian De Palma, William Friedkin, Sydney Lumet or Stanley Kubrick? Certainly, the sheer class of a Hitchcock or a Billy Wilder is a distant memory.
I don’t know if this lowbrow smugness is a new thing or it has always been around, only now it’s amplified by the internet. It’s the mass unwashed, I get that. But what I don’t get is self professed film fans behaving like this. Like you said, as a film fan I should want to like a movie, and give them the benefit of the doubt, more so than a person who doesn’t give two hoots about films. For example, what kind of film fan spites a movie for belonging to a certain genre? The problem with the Internet is that it is a very public space. Perhaps a private group chat for specific interest groups would be a more conducive space to discuss films with like-minded people, just like the film clubs we used to have at school or the community centre; not sure how it works in your neck of the woods.
It has been amplified by the internet. We've all become high school cliques again and everybody is trying to get attention and be the loudest and latch onto the pile-on. One of the reasons I went to see Megalopolis was precisely because everyone said not to, and I was glad I did because I really enjoyed a lot it.
"The problem with the Internet is that it's a very public space." That is one of the most amazing comments about the Internet that I've ever seen on the Internet.
Honestly, I get where you're coming from! I usually try to take "critiques" with a grain of salt because most of the time they're pretty biased. It's also the reason why I prefer to check things out for myself before forming an opinion as well. When it comes to watching films in general, I've been trying to make more of an effort to take something constructive away from the viewing experience and learn from it. I've especially found this quite helpful when it comes to watching films I don't particularly like for whatever reason because at least I can have to something to walk away with by the end of it. Anyway, great video! 😄👍
Heath, I watch your videos mainly because of your enthusiasm for films that I may not even know. I increasingly enjoy your content - thank you. I've seen almost 19,000 movies and love talking about the art form with other people. It's increasingly difficult as most people do not have or have not developed the ability to think creatively or critically. I've discussed many times how people rate films 1 or 10 and completely lack nuance. I've only ever rated 53 movies 10 in my life! For many everything is great are dreadful and their descriptive ability comes down to "it was crap" or worse still, "I just didn't like it". When faced with the Why question everything falls apart. This is a societal rather than movie related issue. Keep up the great work!
I always remind myself how much time and effort is put into making a movie. Also how many people have worked on a movie. I think it's amazing how many different ideas, themes, styles etc are out there in movies and films. If I watch something that I don't connect with it, it doesn't mean someone else hasn't. I try to always respect the art and the work above anything else
Great critique as usual. I try to watch every movie and enjoy it. I've described several movies as "not good, but fun". They still entertain me, but I would only recommend them to friends who enjoy MST3K or Rifftrax. I've seen movies that work up to a point, then blow it at the end. I try to work out where the film failed and figure out how it could have worked.
My dad watches a lot of negative TH-camrs and he watched the first first minutes of a pretty popular movie that came out a few years back that had been destroyed online. He asked me what I hated about it and I said I really enjoyed the movie. He wasn’t prepared for that as there was so much hate for it online.
Great point well made. Letting our love for movies shine through is important. I'm late to the 4K party and got some discs for Christmas. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I wake up excited each morning to re-experience a film in the highest quality.
There are certain Genre Films that I know going in I tend to like. But, that’s not always a guarantee either. If I had listened to the critics I would’ve avoid seeing Costner’s Horizon and that might’ve been my favorite experience at the cinema last year. I don’t know if we will ever get back to watching things without knowing anything about them. But, it sure would be nice and I’ll always have my own opinion. A very nice video on your part. 👍🏻
Well spoken. Ultimately, I would argue that this is why Rotten Tomatoes is useless, and, in fact, counterproductive, since review-bombing, to drive down a Tomatometer score, has become a thing. Though I can appreciate that this may strike one as another thing entirely.
Great video. I roll my eyes at the "worst film of the year" reviews. When I get back from the theater, I have my handful of reviewers that I relate to and then I look for some that talk about easter eggs, theories or explainers. I avoid the extremes of film school and bro reviewers.
Lol. Yea, sure, if you say so, but that's your opinion. Frankly, I thought the first was junk, and turned it off. Phoenix is tiresome in his weirdness routine, and it was basically a rip off and not a Joker movie at all
100%. You know what a bad movie to me was this year? Twisters, I couldn’t stand that movie, I did enjoy the beginning action scene, but the rest was unbearable. Joker 2 was no where near a bad movie, it’s just NOT what people wanted it to be, as he says in the video.
@@dennisshaper4744You’re exactly what Heath is talking about lol. You didn’t bother watching the full movie, yet are confident calling the movie junk. It’s like saying a restaurant has horrible food but you only made it as far as ordering drinks. How could you possibly know? 🤦♂️
@@dennisshaper4744 to be fair in the marketing they made sure to let people know it was heavily inspired by taxi driver and king of comedy. plenty of films borrow things from other films it doesn't necessarily make it a rip off.
I agree with your point entirely, so many people let their negativity fuel their online presence. Dont agree about last years movies though. BUT my needs and my taste expectations are not yours, and it doesn't mean whats out there doesn't please other people, so i've no interest in complaining. I realised a long time ago, our relationship with all art is entirely personal and just a conversation reflecting our own taste, not remotely factual. Anyone who goes online who says they are critically 'correct' about art is a child.
I don’t have time to go to a movie that (for whatever reason) I don’t think I’m going to like. People who go into movies with that negative mindset must have loads of disposable $$ and the sort of free time that simply eludes me!
I saw the War of the Rohirrim movie and actually enjoyed it. I tried to say nice things about it while understanding it has some issues. I was attacked endlessly for liking it and some of the attacks were by people who never saw it. We live in a polarized society. Those who try something and put their money on the line and those who hate it because they don't want to spend any money because they saw a bad trailer.
I started off today watching, BLOOD FEAST (1963), BLOOD DINER (1986) and BLOOD FEAST (2016) [currently don't have access to BLOOD FEAST 2 (2002)] ... so you'll never find me hate reviewing anything. Movies are awesome, thanks to every person who ever had a hand in making any film or were involved in the process of getting that precious physical media in my hands. Negative commenters/reviews say more about that person than the movie. The worst films I've ever seen have a way of expanding my horizons and I love them all, from BLOOD FEAST to BIRDEMIC.
Are we really now in a ''fan service world', I thought this was always the case? Haven't studios dictated to Directors in the past, haven't movies been changed after poor previews, maybe it is worse now, but I think it's unfortunately been a part of Hollywood for quite a while now
It’s too bad you are going down the Chris Stuckman path but the writing was on the wall. When you pivot from doing thrift store pickups to reviewing every Imprint and Kino release in a year (which I would be surprised if you bought them all with your own money) but here we are. This is a trend we all see and I wish you were more self aware Heath. When you turn your hobby into your profession, and start doing things like Commentaries and other extras, it’s easy to say “be more positive!”. But in this economy we are in and with time becoming the most valuable commodity of all, I need more then just a cool tagline before spending tons of cash to see a 2.5 hour version of something I have seen many times before. Lastly, when you stand for everything, you stand for nothing. Madame Web or Nosferatu, we should be pushing and celebrating creativity and originality and not same products from our IP overlords.
My favourite movies this year are The Seed of the Sacred Fig, I Saw the TV Glow, DiDi, Challengers, and The Substance. Great year. We also have seen many retrospectives at the cinema including David Fincher's new movies here in Canada this month, and seeing SE7EN in IMAX was an amazing experience.
Thanks again, Heath. I scan the listings every week, and always faced with the same generic, mean-nothing titles. And when l click on the trailer? They all look alike - or at least like they were cranked out by the same dark dystopian company. I love movies - always looking for something good, but help me out a little here. My best movie purchase lately? WILD RIVER from 1959 with Montgomery Clift. It was a $1 used movie purchase from my local library. Good and great movies are where you find them.
I’m SO sick of the best ever/worst ever trend - in movies, games, shows… You rarely see objective opinion or a statement of “personal favorite” vs “which is better, a or b” or “xyz movie is the worst ever”. That’s why I appreciate your channel and a few others - objective opinion, be it favorable or critical.
I agree with the comment made by Ryan from The Disc-Connected YT channel...."Every movie is somebodies favorite movie". I joke with my friend that he likes the movie Raging Bull. It put me to sleep. Doesn't mean it's a bad movie, just not for me. There are a lot of "bad movies" that are so much damn fun.
I agree that the artist needs to make the movie that they want but many times they are controlled by the studio's agents through funding. If we don't push back on agenda's with big tent pole studio releases then they will never change. Perfect example is where star wars has gone. Hopefully the negativity over the series and movies will get us more quality with less agendas from Disney. That is only where it makes sense not with most other movies.
Not sure who originally said this but those that can act act, those that can direct direct, all others are critics. There nothing wrong with constructive criticism but criticism just to criticize is wrong.
Sontag called for an "erotics" of arts critique as opposed to the over-intellectualist, box checking approach we have now. Art is personal and its received personally. Sometimes it doesn't work, and it's ok to share a negative review. That said offering takes based on polarized, pre-conceived notions, or not even engaging with the actual film - isn't real criticism. It's just bitching on the internet. Ain't nothing gonna stop that. Old rules still apply - don't feed the trolls.
Content creators telling viewers how and what to think is a big par of the issues to. Hyping something up too much can have just as much of a negative experience on a person as spoiling the ending because when you go into something expecting too much based of what other people are saying about it, you usually leave feeling disappointed. If every movie is the scariest movie of the year than non of the movies are the scariest of the year. Just present the information in a non bias way and let your viewers figure it out for themselves but sadly some people taking being a content creator more seriously then reviewing films. It's really hard to navigate this mess on the internet to try and find a good quality review these days.
well that’s weird to have the opinion “worst movie ever” because when i’m watching something and not enjoying it, i just stop watching. why sit there and torture yourself?
Those that say "worst movie ever" obviously haven't seen that many. I'm 55 and a horror fan and it's rare the movie that I've seen that I say it's truly awful. A lot of movies just want to entertain and don't aspire to be the next Sound Of Music or Gone With The Wind.
I Review movies on two different TH-cam channels and I rarely make a Review without trying to start with the good and then talk about the bad sometimes it's difficult there are very few movies that are truly awful to the point of nothing of vaule
Sadly this will go on forever and get worse with every generation. I truly believe Generation X is the last generation to love movies and GEN Z, Y and BETA will never have that passion.
Movies are about pushing boundaries/inspirational experimentation! Online fandom circles seem to directly oppose that… Because if something isn’t done in a way which appeals to them, they just start bashing it regardless; And it’s impossible to ignore the blatant political undertones which always seem to be prevalent in such scenarios!
Totally agree with you. I got to movies send me to on journey. I only talk about films that seen, I don't give opinions on film haven't seen. They are films i don't see because they don't interested me. As someone has been involved in different types fandom I seen much toxic and negative, that why I had left. Thank you all your honest opinions.
Another great thought-piece, Heath. I really love these perspective assessments. I notice three kinds of attitudes going into a film: 1.) the arms-crossed naysayer as you point out, 2.) the person who goes in with low expectations but is not too negative and ends up enjoying the film to some extent as a result, and 3.) the person who goes in with an open mind wanting to root for the movie. One of the precise reasons I went to see Megalopolis was because the media/internet pile-on machine was telling me not to. I'm glad I went because I found it to be a great movie experience and enjoyed large chunks of it, even if I didn't think the movie cohered overall. Great job.
"One of the precise reasons I went to see Megalopolis was because the media/internet pile-on machine was telling me not to." That was the same rationale I had when it came to Joey King's 2017 picture Wish Upon-- the balance of the reviews were utterly negative, w/just a smattering of positives, and my autism and literal-mindedness led me to think they didn't even want me to try it and judge for myself. I said, smoke that-- Joey King had made/been in quite a few great pictures to that time, and I wanted to see if this would be another stellar one of hers, so I got it on a thumb drive and saw it for myself; I enjoyed it thoroughly, and now I have it on physical media, among 6 more of her top-tier (IMO) projects (from Ramona and Beezus through to Bullet Train).
When the "art" insults and derides half their audience, what exactly could you expect from them other than for them to be antagonistic towards said "art"? Too bad you didn't point out a movie or two to support your generalized claims. Please name some great films that came out in 2024 that otherwise failed to receive the customer support you think would've been proper.
‘Anyway, here’s a little song I wrote. I hope you think it’s good. Gotta be good for somebody’ Timothee Chalamet as Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown. Quote seemed appropriate for this video. Go see everything!
I feel Romulus is a great example of this. What an awesome movie, and a great ride! it had almost everything that alien fans have been wanting more of, for the last 40 years, yet you have so many people trashing it. My mom owned and operated 2 home video rental buisnesses in the 80's. She loved movies so much, not as a film critic, but as a spectator. Some were obviously bad, but it didnt matter. She was so excited to share them with me, I just remember actually enjoying movies. I watched Aliens when it came to video when I was 6, so I have a bit of history there, and I enjoyed the hell out of Romulus. I enjoyed a significant amount of rhe movies that came out this year in fact, and most of them to at least some degeee. I saw a comment here that argued that life is finite, they refuse to waste their time, and will turn off a movie if it is not exactly what they want within the first act. Yet they spend the time they have saved by arguing on the internet instead, meh, everyone has their hobbies I suppose.
i do get where some people are coming from but i dont think that makes it a terrible movie maybe an okay movie for me personally. but i feel like some people are over exaggerating when they trash it
Here's a trophy. He basically just told you not to pay attention to his reviews because they are tainted. He's a commercial...which is fine...but it's not intellectually honest to say it's a review.
Hard disagree. Our time is finite and so if a movie is bad, I won’t watch it or finish watching it. The very same applies to Series. People can and should rate movies however they feel. If they so wish to write a one sentence review and called garbage then so be it. It doesn’t make it any less true if the movie actually is. Objective standards are not subject to your emotional manipulation. You don’t have to find the good in any bad movie, and even if you do, it doesn’t take away the fact that the movie is trash on fire. You shouldn’t watch a movie for five minutes of content which you enjoy. You should enjoy it from the very beginning until the end and if you don’t, then why are you watching it for a second timeor why did you buy on Blu-ray DVD or whatever? It makes no logical sense.
I agree with you totally. People are free to approach a movie however they want to. Who is Heath to say otherwise. I want to say more about this pompous video that Heath put out but unfortunately, I'm on a time restraint at the moment. But, I definitely agree with you Psychosis1179.
Movies aren’t the same as TH-cam shorts and TikTok videos. If your attention span is that screwed up that you have to have immediate gratification from the very start of the movie, I don’t care to even hear your opinion about any movie good or bad. Because how can you fairly judge something when you haven’t taken the time to understand it? I can think of several movies that I enjoyed more on repeated viewings. You should also challenge yourself with your movie watching. Watch movies that require a bit more attention and patience to fully understand. The average movie is only an hour and a half. You’ll spend way more time scrolling TH-cam and social media than watching a movie. And if you get more enjoyment from that than watching movies, it’s not the movies that are the issue..
@ If I can’t enjoy the film within a hour of viewing it, it’s not going to get better. Prime candidates for this is Equalizer 2 and 3. Garbage is still garbage no matter how long it is.
@ Cuties the movie, She-Hulk and Halo the Series, Dexter Original Sin, NCIS Origins, are all objectively bad in their own ways respectively. Everything has a standard
I agree on the echo chamber part appreciating cinema is very much swayed by its niche or political ideology these days. I’d love to see the day where a casual movie goer, a critic, a film historian, and even a snobbish film theorist can have a conversation. There is a lot of tribalism. For example, I work as a writer for a publication that primarily publishes reviews on indie movies with mainstream titles mixed in. The trouble with reviewing indie movies is that they come across as too amateur or fail to match their premise. We are supposed to be not be harsh on indie filmmakers, but at the same time it prevents honest constructive criticism.
I'm going to say you are full of it. Why? Because the countless comic book movies that attracted loads of fans, who gave the repetitive green screen stuff lots of love... contradicts your belief that people go not like but dislike. Frankly, ive been waiting for the audience to grow up for a long time.
Roger Ebert said: It's easy to write a negative review. It's hard to write a positive review.
Little cash bonus from studio and some people only write over positive reviews no matter what 😉👎
As most things in life.
He wrote both, and didn't apologize for writing a negative one.
Watch Ebert review Blue Velvet or see how Siskel and Ebert used to get fiery debates about films like Lethal Weapon. I miss this energy and we need more of this and not overly positive when every movie is a sequal, reboot or re-imagining.
Yeah, I don't like it when people just dismiss a movie as "That movie was bad/awful/terrible!" with NO reasons why or what it was that they didn't like about it. If I didn't like a movie, I will try my best to explain it like, "I didn't like this movie because I didn't care for this aspect and I didn't really like how they did this. Though I did like this part, that was pretty cool" And I also try to look at it like, "This movie was different from what I expected, but I did appreciate this and this about it"
I think half the time people are on phones and are not able to get sucked into to find that thing in the movie. Often times if I watch a movie years apart it has different meaning to me based on where I am in life.
You are discussing two different things here, and I’ll opine on both of them.
1. When people say that this is the “worst horror film of all time,” when they say that “Freddy’s Dead is the worst horror movie of all time,” I ask them, so “Freddy’s Dead is worse than Evil Bong, The Gingerdead Man, Dracula 3000, and the Three Headed Shark?”
2. When people have expectations of a movie, they have every right to have that expectation. I’m a huge Universal Monster fan, and I don’t think that Wolf Man looks good at all. Will I go see it? Yes. Am I expecting much? No. And I have every right to have expectations. When I saw Halloween Ends, I had expectations. My expectations as a fan of that franchise for 30 years were not met. And I do not like that movie. That’s just the way it goes sometimes.
Remove your expectations and you'll have a much better time more often.
People are going into movies thinking “this is probably going to suck” because the studios have built a track record of creating terrible movies
A movie hasn't made me laugh since "The Wolf of Wall Street." I'm worried that I may no longer trust people to make a funny movie.
I don’t know anyone who goes into a movie “hoping it sucks” so I am not sure where Heath is getting his take. Instead he just comes of as Chris Stuckman defending Madame Web.
Heath, this is a positive message and you have excellent insights. In particular, I liked your reminder to watch movies without expectation and let the director take you where he/she wants to go. We'd all do well to keep that in mind.
For me, the worst part of movie internet culture is making others feel less than for loving a particular movie or type of movie. This happens a lot for superhero films, a genre that I love (along with many other genres.) And it usually gets looked down on by many cinephiles. I just wish, as you say, we could focus on celebrating rather than denigrating.
That's exactly my problem with Marvel. My wife and I are committed to the MCU, but sweet Jesus, talking about those movies on the internet is just the worst thing possible, especially since Avengers Endgame. I'll admit, I felt like that would've been a decent finale to the universe, but people out there just like NOTHING since Endgame has been good. It's gotten to the point where I never discuss superhero films with anyone outside of my wife and maybe a few close friends...
Forget it Jake, it’s Chinatown…
This
I think Ted Turner did us a great disservice by never re-releasing any of his classic movie library films to theaters. He could've what fathom events does today. That would've gotten a lot of young people in the theaters watching classic movies, the same way they did back in 1930s and 40s.
Sure he made the cable channel TCM, Turner Classic Movies. But he only did that because he got the copyrights to those movies for free. But that's another crazy story. But that channel was specifically catered to elders. Putting it out in theaters in a mainstream release, would've definitely excited young people in the 80s and 90s. Bring your hot date to the movies, to watch a classic movie, like they did in the 40s. Not them watching it on cable with their parents. Thats not cool or hip, or anything teenagers want to do.
I think it would've changed the movie trajectory. Instead of every movie being a tentpole marvel movie, the majority of movies would be story driven, and more importantly, not based solely on existing IP.
I really enjoy your reasoning for making this video! Thank you Heath for being a light in the world of movie watching instead of a complainer, which I see too much of! I'm going to challenge myself too watch a movie that I've seen in the past that I didn't like & see if I can find anything redeeming about it! Thanks again!
Ok this seems like the place to put this even if no one reads it. First while I don't go to theater as often as much as I want for the last year or so every movie was a solid hit for me. Now second I just saw Baby girl and loved it. Kidman was amazing as always and it was interesting take on a well known kink. It was the type of movie we rarely if ever see these days getting green lighted so I am happy it got chance and hope others go see it if they haven't seen
I think it's even worse with TV shows. There is a tv show called When calls the heart that now caters to fan service and social media threats. For a show marketed as wholesome, they sure do drudge up a boatload of negativity.
Thanks for speaking out, very important video! :)
You're right. Arch Oboler's last film, Domo Arigato, started off slow, but it picked up some speed and had beautiful Japanese scenery.
What you’re saying is completely true but you’re asking people to actually have a mature attitude towards movies or anything as far as that goes. The negativity extends into all fandom. What gets me is the negativity that people have towards movies or anything even before the movie is released. I think it affects the box office bottom line.
I agree wholeheartedly with your takes on this situation. As I've noticed this problem arising since the mid-2010's where many Internet users, especially those as "Movie Critics", tend to rip on a whole lot of movies. Whether new recent ones, that isn't a remake, or an unneeded sequel, or old classic movies. Which the latter tends to get hit the hardest. Especially when given the harshest of criticisms. Some that say the movie has aged poorly, in the worst ways possible, some that say the film is uninspired, or others that tend to turn into a rant that rips the movie apart. Whether through its flaws, set-backs, dated scenes, or plot-holes that to some, tends to ruin a movie altogether. It's even to the point that my young brother, raised as a Gen Z, tends to take after those behaviors when it comes to watching any movie. And to me, as a Late Millennial, these behaviors tend to harm my experience in watching movies altogether. Whether a new movie I happen to enjoy, an old movie, new to me, that I'm just discovering, or a movie of my childhood I'm rediscovering, in a long time. Like Don Bluth's movies, the original Jumanji, or Sam Raimi's Spider-Man as examples. So yeah, this video statement, you've made here Heath, is a huge concern for movie fans like you or me.
You are right Sir ! It seems that a lot of the TH-cam channels "monetize hate". I think we're going through a period in Movies where Hollywood is more interested in sending a message than making $$$ and producing a good story well told.Yes there are many wonderful movies outside Hollywood. I don't know who said this (Louis B Meyer ?) "If you want to send a message use Western Union"
That was a Samuel Goldwyn quote.
@kevinhouse4376 Thanks
I knew it was someone at MGM
What message is being pushed by Hollywood exactly? Can you give me any examples?
Heath. Do you know who Lars Nilsen is? You remind me so much of him. BOTH of you are some of my favorite cinematic Hero's. I 1000% fell ya on this post! Working on movies for a living seeing the stuff you worked on trashed by people that never even sees them. It's the worst, when I talk to folks after screenings after I ask them if they had a good time and they say yes.... I'm usually out the door. Happy New Year my friend and keep up the INCREDIBLE JOB
Absolutely agree with your video, Heath…I also wonder how much intellectual and emotional maturity plays into this trend of shitting on almost every film regardless of the quality of the content…during my viewing of Nosferatu, a truly terrifying but also mesmerizing movie, there were people laughing and snickering throughout the entire film…I think this is a larger problem, indicative of our society’s lack of any sort of seriousness…if we don’t take anything seriously, then everything and anything can be consumed and tossed away
I think there is a lot of truth in what you’re saying here, the culture of the moviegoing public has likely never been worse than it is now. But I also think movie culture as an art form has never been worse, or it’s at least the worst it’s been in the last 60 years or so. I think something you’re leaving out of this conversation is that a big part of defining something is describing what it isn’t and a major part of loving something, if you truly love it, is being honest about it, including its flaws. I always joke with my friends and say “I love movies so much that I hate nearly all of them”. I say that jokingly, but there’s some truth to that. I don’t enjoy the majority of movies I watch and have little to zero interest in most of the films being released right now. Independent cinema is pretty much nonexistent and even the smaller boutique distributors have become painfully self conscious and brand aware to the point of self parody. Most releases are of very poor quality in my view and are put out by studio executives who have no idea how to engage audiences so they give way too much power to the consumer as you correctly stated. One one hand, I’m pretty sympathetic to their struggle, movies have never faced larger competition for the attention of an audience; tv, video games, social media and economic uncertainty has never had a deeper grip bidding for the attention of people than now. Movies are up against a lot. Plus, we live in a hyperbolic and gamified culture where if something isn’t great it’s “the worst”.
However, I don’t think positivity for its own sake is much of a solution, I think honesty is. And my honest opinion is our current era of film is terrible. I’m glad you thought this year was the best we’ve seen in a long time, but I don’t think it comes close to even a mediocre year from a decade or more ago. I personally didn’t enjoy more than a small handful of movies I saw from this year and was even less interested in the vast majority I knew about.
How many 2024 movies have you seen?
@ not a ton, but more than I wished I had.
I did think Dune 2 was quite impressive and might have made a genuine impact on pop culture, so I don’t want to sound overly pessimistic (at least not for its own sake). And I did think Nosferatu, Strange Darling and The Substance were really strong films made by confident filmmakers and I hope this trend continues.
That said, I found pretty much everything else I saw to be pretty lackluster. Legless might be the worst movie I’ve seen in theaters I years, I turned off Challenger’s off about 20 minutes in (something I’ve almost never done). I really don’t connect with Luca’s work and having seen as much of it as I have, I can’t say that’s a bad thing. I didn’t even bother with Anora as I really don’t enjoy Sean Baker’s stuff either. Alien Romulus was less terrible than I expected, and it genuinely works in places as a sci-fi haunted house movie, but it’s not a worthy addition to a franchise as powerful as Alien.
I don’t root against any movie. I value my time and hard earned money and if I’m paying with those things to see your film, I’m sincerely rooting for you. I love being surprised by a movie’s ability to surpass my expectations more than just about anything. But I believe in being honest more than all that and I don’t think film culture improves by people pretending films are better than they actually are.
Getting angsty about what other people think, say or do is a waste of your energy... you do you and do it well.... ignore the white noise...
He’s talking about community smart guy.
And I think another part of the problem is that certain movies may have content that those who blast them may have been told was inappropriate by their religious leaders or families, and so they parrot what their religious leaders/families told them, and they don't see the pictures for themselves, relying on opinions not their own.
This. All of this. I am about to launch a TH-cam channel specifically because I'm so tired of the hate watching or hate non-watching of movies and TVs.
I appreciate your comments, Heath. Stay positive. But here is my two cents. Every week l scan the local cineplex, searching for something good to watch. Nearly ALL the titles are one or two word vague desciptions, telling me NOTHING about content. When I DO click on a trailer, the overwhelming majority look dark, ugly and dystopian, and look as though they were cranked out by the same promo company. So l stay home and dvd it. And in the last two weeks, l found two excellent films. WILD RIVER from 1959 with Montgomery Clift (found at my local library for a $1!), and a Japanese romance thriller from 1957 called TWO WIVES. Both movies were beautifully photographed and scripted. Haunting, adult and emotional. Before that? l stumbled on another library find - The Professionals from 1966 with Lee Marvin (for another measly buck!) Again, l have nothing against current films, but where IS anything current that is comparable? Good and great movies are wherever you find them.
P.S. ln the same library trip where l found WILD RIVER, l also found a beautiful mint condition SIGNED edition of an Elmore Leonard crime novel for $3. I must be living right!
Madame Web for instance. It’s a fun , enjoyable watch.
Right next to your video in recommendations is a video titled: Hollywood killed the movies - How 2024 broke me - I hate movies now.
Out one day and it has 13K views.
This is exactly what is wrong with TH-cam and movie commentary.
Thank you for lighting a candle.
Your commentary was on point. Your suggestion about how to reframe movie viewing is necessary. Unfortunately troll culture and negativity are the norm. Most modern “criticism” is based on contrarianian and elitist perspectives. They all want to emulate Pauline Kael.
At least Pauline Kael was articulate about her views!
Pauline Kael was literally anti-elites in her critical approach! She wanted movies for entertainment sake, not to be picked apart. She was literally criticized for being too pedestrian in her critiques - despite the fact that she championed all kinds of foreign and new wave cinema.
"Movie fans should be defined by their love of movies" Nice!
There's a fine line between love and obsession.
@@WarBrer247 Star Wars...
I think it happens so much now because we are inundated with pre-screening information, opinion and expectation. It’s nearly impossible to go into a film blindly now, unfortunately. There always seems to be a chip on our shoulder before we watch movies nowadays. We’ve got ridiculously proportioned hype, irrational anticipation and preconceived issues that often have nothing to do with the movie itself. I’m not a big moviegoer anymore so I do remain often blissfully ignorant of many newer titles if and when I get to them on disc and it is a joy to not know where I’m headed with many of them. Let’s face it: We know too much about EVERYTHING nowadays and many of us have to try and ringmaster it all just to feel a little control in an uncontrollable world.
Trailers make me want to see a movie.
You're probably speak to the democratic nature of the internet. Anyone, including people who have no genuine love for movies, can post their thoughts online, sometimes before they've even seen it! I think those people have always existed, but now we can see what they're thinking all over the internet.
I try to avoid trailers for many of the reasons you listed.
All the best movie critics are working from TH-cam comment section and Amazon product reviews.
Even a bad movie can still be entertaining.
I saw a review of Lycan Colony. I knew it would be bad. I bought it, and watched it. It IS bad. But, it's also very far from boring.
Movies are art. Art is subjective.
I don't do that when I watch a movie.
I get what you mean. Lots of people will talk about an entry in a series (like Jason or something) "that's worthless" and I'll often say "but there's that one scene that's really good." I think of movies as parts and there's usually a part (the cinematography, a certain performance, the score) I like even in a movie I don't intend to revisit. There are movies I know I'm not going to waste my time watching (because I don't have time to watch every movie), but I make a point of not arguing those with fans.
I have no doubt what you're saying is probably correct, but I see more positivity than negativity, overall, in regards to movies. Maybe that's because I pay a lot more attention to older movies coming to physical media instead of new movies coming to theaters. I buy way too many movies to justify going to the theater more than a few times a year now. There are definitely some negative folks in the physical media space, too, though. People are already starting to crap on the 4K release of Seven. I didn't see the outrage with Criterion's Mean Streets. I think some of that is tribalism where some people pick favorite boutiques and champion those releases before the releases are even out, and they definitely crap on anything Mill Creek or some others put out, which is apparent when the same transfer is used. My main gripe with physical media is just that way too much is coming out all at once. There are labels I want to try that I've avoided because I don't want yet another label to support.
I completely agree with how a lot of people approach films these days. To those people, I often recommend some of the best film noir to them, almost as an educational to how film can be easily appreciated in their stripped back and purest form.
On a side note, my love for modern cinema has been waning. Some of the great directors like Scorsese, Ridley Scott or even Steven Spielberg have produced distinctly underwhelming movies compared to their heyday. Who, in your opinion, are the cream of the crop of upcoming directors who can compare to those greats like Brian De Palma, William Friedkin, Sydney Lumet or Stanley Kubrick? Certainly, the sheer class of a Hitchcock or a Billy Wilder is a distant memory.
I don’t know if this lowbrow smugness is a new thing or it has always been around, only now it’s amplified by the internet. It’s the mass unwashed, I get that. But what I don’t get is self professed film fans behaving like this. Like you said, as a film fan I should want to like a movie, and give them the benefit of the doubt, more so than a person who doesn’t give two hoots about films. For example, what kind of film fan spites a movie for belonging to a certain genre? The problem with the Internet is that it is a very public space. Perhaps a private group chat for specific interest groups would be a more conducive space to discuss films with like-minded people, just like the film clubs we used to have at school or the community centre; not sure how it works in your neck of the woods.
It has been amplified by the internet. We've all become high school cliques again and everybody is trying to get attention and be the loudest and latch onto the pile-on. One of the reasons I went to see Megalopolis was precisely because everyone said not to, and I was glad I did because I really enjoyed a lot it.
"The problem with the Internet is that it's a very public space." That is one of the most amazing comments about the Internet that I've ever seen on the Internet.
Honestly, I get where you're coming from! I usually try to take "critiques" with a grain of salt because most of the time they're pretty biased. It's also the reason why I prefer to check things out for myself before forming an opinion as well. When it comes to watching films in general, I've been trying to make more of an effort to take something constructive away from the viewing experience and learn from it. I've especially found this quite helpful when it comes to watching films I don't particularly like for whatever reason because at least I can have to something to walk away with by the end of it. Anyway, great video! 😄👍
Heath, I watch your videos mainly because of your enthusiasm for films that I may not even know. I increasingly enjoy your content - thank you. I've seen almost 19,000 movies and love talking about the art form with other people. It's increasingly difficult as most people do not have or have not developed the ability to think creatively or critically. I've discussed many times how people rate films 1 or 10 and completely lack nuance. I've only ever rated 53 movies 10 in my life! For many everything is great are dreadful and their descriptive ability comes down to "it was crap" or worse still, "I just didn't like it". When faced with the Why question everything falls apart. This is a societal rather than movie related issue. Keep up the great work!
You keep count? I think you are wrong, I don't know why you are taking the position that people don't know why they don't like movie.
@@dennisshaper4744 Hi Dennis, i do indeed keep count. I take that position based on endless and repeated conversations.
I always remind myself how much time and effort is put into making a movie. Also how many people have worked on a movie. I think it's amazing how many different ideas, themes, styles etc are out there in movies and films. If I watch something that I don't connect with it, it doesn't mean someone else hasn't. I try to always respect the art and the work above anything else
Pretty much same here
Lol. Then you don't give accurate reviews... pointless
@@RabbiSteve1that's like saying you have no opinion or thoughts, just a drone.
Great critique as usual. I try to watch every movie and enjoy it. I've described several movies as "not good, but fun". They still entertain me, but I would only recommend them to friends who enjoy MST3K or Rifftrax. I've seen movies that work up to a point, then blow it at the end. I try to work out where the film failed and figure out how it could have worked.
My dad watches a lot of negative TH-camrs and he watched the first first minutes of a pretty popular movie that came out a few years back that had been destroyed online. He asked me what I hated about it and I said I really enjoyed the movie. He wasn’t prepared for that as there was so much hate for it online.
Great point well made. Letting our love for movies shine through is important. I'm late to the 4K party and got some discs for Christmas. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I wake up excited each morning to re-experience a film in the highest quality.
There are certain Genre Films that I know going in I tend to like. But, that’s not always a guarantee either. If I had listened to the critics I would’ve avoid seeing Costner’s Horizon and that might’ve been my favorite experience at the cinema last year. I don’t know if we will ever get back to watching things without knowing anything about them. But, it sure would be nice and I’ll always have my own opinion. A very nice video on your part. 👍🏻
Well spoken. Ultimately, I would argue that this is why Rotten Tomatoes is useless, and, in fact, counterproductive, since review-bombing, to drive down a Tomatometer score, has become a thing. Though I can appreciate that this may strike one as another thing entirely.
Great video. I roll my eyes at the "worst film of the year" reviews. When I get back from the theater, I have my handful of reviewers that I relate to and then I look for some that talk about easter eggs, theories or explainers. I avoid the extremes of film school and bro reviewers.
a good example of that is joker 2 for me i dont think i was a huge fan of the film but its not nearly as bad as people made it out to be
Lol. Yea, sure, if you say so, but that's your opinion. Frankly, I thought the first was junk, and turned it off. Phoenix is tiresome in his weirdness routine, and it was basically a rip off and not a Joker movie at all
100%. You know what a bad movie to me was this year? Twisters, I couldn’t stand that movie, I did enjoy the beginning action scene, but the rest was unbearable. Joker 2 was no where near a bad movie, it’s just NOT what people wanted it to be, as he says in the video.
@@dennisshaper4744You’re exactly what Heath is talking about lol. You didn’t bother watching the full movie, yet are confident calling the movie junk. It’s like saying a restaurant has horrible food but you only made it as far as ordering drinks. How could you possibly know? 🤦♂️
@@dennisshaper4744 to be fair in the marketing they made sure to let people know it was heavily inspired by taxi driver and king of comedy. plenty of films borrow things from other films it doesn't necessarily make it a rip off.
I agree with your point entirely, so many people let their negativity fuel their online presence.
Dont agree about last years movies though. BUT my needs and my taste expectations are not yours, and it doesn't mean whats out there doesn't please other people, so i've no interest in complaining.
I realised a long time ago, our relationship with all art is entirely personal and just a conversation reflecting our own taste, not remotely factual. Anyone who goes online who says they are critically 'correct' about art is a child.
I don’t have time to go to a movie that (for whatever reason) I don’t think I’m going to like. People who go into movies with that negative mindset must have loads of disposable $$ and the sort of free time that simply eludes me!
Amazing video! I’m looking at you Gary…
I saw the War of the Rohirrim movie and actually enjoyed it. I tried to say nice things about it while understanding it has some issues. I was attacked endlessly for liking it and some of the attacks were by people who never saw it. We live in a polarized society. Those who try something and put their money on the line and those who hate it because they don't want to spend any money because they saw a bad trailer.
I started off today watching, BLOOD FEAST (1963), BLOOD DINER (1986) and BLOOD FEAST (2016) [currently don't have access to BLOOD FEAST 2 (2002)] ... so you'll never find me hate reviewing anything. Movies are awesome, thanks to every person who ever had a hand in making any film or were involved in the process of getting that precious physical media in my hands.
Negative commenters/reviews say more about that person than the movie. The worst films I've ever seen have a way of expanding my horizons and I love them all, from BLOOD FEAST to BIRDEMIC.
i just bought the horizon chapter 1 4k for $11 because you recommended it, been wanting to see a good western
Are we really now in a ''fan service world', I thought this was always the case? Haven't studios dictated to Directors in the past, haven't movies been changed after poor previews, maybe it is worse now, but I think it's unfortunately been a part of Hollywood for quite a while now
It’s too bad you are going down the Chris Stuckman path but the writing was on the wall. When you pivot from doing thrift store pickups to reviewing every Imprint and Kino release in a year (which I would be surprised if you bought them all with your own money) but here we are.
This is a trend we all see and I wish you were more self aware Heath. When you turn your hobby into your profession, and start doing things like Commentaries and other extras, it’s easy to say “be more positive!”. But in this economy we are in and with time becoming the most valuable commodity of all, I need more then just a cool tagline before spending tons of cash to see a 2.5 hour version of something I have seen many times before.
Lastly, when you stand for everything, you stand for nothing. Madame Web or Nosferatu, we should be pushing and celebrating creativity and originality and not same products from our IP overlords.
My favourite movies this year are The Seed of the Sacred Fig, I Saw the TV Glow, DiDi, Challengers, and The Substance. Great year. We also have seen many retrospectives at the cinema including David Fincher's new movies here in Canada this month, and seeing SE7EN in IMAX was an amazing experience.
Thanks again, Heath. I scan the listings every week, and always faced with the same generic, mean-nothing titles. And when l click on the trailer? They all look alike - or at least like they were cranked out by the same dark dystopian company. I love movies - always looking for something good, but help me out a little here. My best movie purchase lately? WILD RIVER from 1959 with Montgomery Clift. It was a $1 used movie purchase from my local library. Good and great movies are where you find them.
Thanks for this one, Heath. A HAPPY Movie Lover.
I’m SO sick of the best ever/worst ever trend - in movies, games, shows… You rarely see objective opinion or a statement of “personal favorite” vs “which is better, a or b” or “xyz movie is the worst ever”.
That’s why I appreciate your channel and a few others - objective opinion, be it favorable or critical.
Amen Heath, I really believe in those thoughts!
I agree with the comment made by Ryan from The Disc-Connected YT channel...."Every movie is somebodies favorite movie". I joke with my friend that he likes the movie Raging Bull. It put me to sleep. Doesn't mean it's a bad movie, just not for me. There are a lot of "bad movies" that are so much damn fun.
I agree that the artist needs to make the movie that they want but many times they are controlled by the studio's agents through funding. If we don't push back on agenda's with big tent pole studio releases then they will never change. Perfect example is where star wars has gone. Hopefully the negativity over the series and movies will get us more quality with less agendas from Disney. That is only where it makes sense not with most other movies.
I haven’t been able to enjoy a movie since 2020 without noticing all the degenerate messaging
Not sure who originally said this but those that can act act, those that can direct direct, all others are critics. There nothing wrong with constructive criticism but criticism just to criticize is wrong.
Sontag called for an "erotics" of arts critique as opposed to the over-intellectualist, box checking approach we have now. Art is personal and its received personally. Sometimes it doesn't work, and it's ok to share a negative review. That said offering takes based on polarized, pre-conceived notions, or not even engaging with the actual film - isn't real criticism. It's just bitching on the internet. Ain't nothing gonna stop that. Old rules still apply - don't feed the trolls.
Content creators telling viewers how and what to think is a big par of the issues to. Hyping something up too much can have just as much of a negative experience on a person as spoiling the ending because when you go into something expecting too much based of what other people are saying about it, you usually leave feeling disappointed.
If every movie is the scariest movie of the year than non of the movies are the scariest of the year. Just present the information in a non bias way and let your viewers figure it out for themselves but sadly some people taking being a content creator more seriously then reviewing films.
It's really hard to navigate this mess on the internet to try and find a good quality review these days.
well that’s weird to have the opinion “worst movie ever” because when i’m watching something and not enjoying it, i just stop watching. why sit there and torture yourself?
Those that say "worst movie ever" obviously haven't seen that many. I'm 55 and a horror fan and it's rare the movie that I've seen that I say it's truly awful. A lot of movies just want to entertain and don't aspire to be the next Sound Of Music or Gone With The Wind.
I Review movies on two different TH-cam channels and I rarely make a Review without trying to start with the good and then talk about the bad sometimes it's difficult there are very few movies that are truly awful to the point of nothing of vaule
Sadly this will go on forever and get worse with every generation. I truly believe Generation X is the last generation to love movies and GEN Z, Y and BETA will never have that passion.
Movies are about pushing boundaries/inspirational experimentation! Online fandom circles seem to directly oppose that… Because if something isn’t done in a way which appeals to them, they just start bashing it regardless; And it’s impossible to ignore the blatant political undertones which always seem to be prevalent in such scenarios!
Totally agree with you. I got to movies send me to on journey. I only talk about films that seen, I don't give opinions on film haven't seen. They are films i don't see because they don't interested me. As someone has been involved in different types fandom I seen much toxic and negative, that why I had left. Thank you all your honest opinions.
Another great thought-piece, Heath. I really love these perspective assessments. I notice three kinds of attitudes going into a film: 1.) the arms-crossed naysayer as you point out, 2.) the person who goes in with low expectations but is not too negative and ends up enjoying the film to some extent as a result, and 3.) the person who goes in with an open mind wanting to root for the movie. One of the precise reasons I went to see Megalopolis was because the media/internet pile-on machine was telling me not to. I'm glad I went because I found it to be a great movie experience and enjoyed large chunks of it, even if I didn't think the movie cohered overall. Great job.
"One of the precise reasons I went to see Megalopolis was because the media/internet pile-on machine was telling me not to."
That was the same rationale I had when it came to Joey King's 2017 picture Wish Upon-- the balance of the reviews were utterly negative, w/just a smattering of positives, and my autism and literal-mindedness led me to think they didn't even want me to try it and judge for myself. I said, smoke that-- Joey King had made/been in quite a few great pictures to that time, and I wanted to see if this would be another stellar one of hers, so I got it on a thumb drive and saw it for myself; I enjoyed it thoroughly, and now I have it on physical media, among 6 more of her top-tier (IMO) projects (from Ramona and Beezus through to Bullet Train).
Movies are art and subjective. Unfortunately, most of the negativity comes from the minority who haven't seen the movie.
Very Well Said!
When the "art" insults and derides half their audience, what exactly could you expect from them other than for them to be antagonistic towards said "art"? Too bad you didn't point out a movie or two to support your generalized claims. Please name some great films that came out in 2024 that otherwise failed to receive the customer support you think would've been proper.
I dont know any real critics that trashes movies like that. A guy on tik tok with 1000 followers is not a critic.
No, they're influencers, and they've got an audience far bigger than most critics ever did.
‘Anyway, here’s a little song I wrote. I hope you think it’s good. Gotta be good for somebody’ Timothee Chalamet as Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown. Quote seemed appropriate for this video. Go see everything!
Well said!!!
100 percent agree.
Absolutely correct ❤
Amen 🕯️
I feel Romulus is a great example of this. What an awesome movie, and a great ride! it had almost everything that alien fans have been wanting more of, for the last 40 years, yet you have so many people trashing it. My mom owned and operated 2 home video rental buisnesses in the 80's. She loved movies so much, not as a film critic, but as a spectator. Some were obviously bad, but it didnt matter. She was so excited to share them with me, I just remember actually enjoying movies. I watched Aliens when it came to video when I was 6, so I have a bit of history there, and I enjoyed the hell out of Romulus. I enjoyed a significant amount of rhe movies that came out this year in fact, and most of them to at least some degeee.
I saw a comment here that argued that life is finite, they refuse to waste their time, and will turn off a movie if it is not exactly what they want within the first act. Yet they spend the time they have saved by arguing on the internet instead, meh, everyone has their hobbies I suppose.
i do get where some people are coming from but i dont think that makes it a terrible movie maybe an okay movie for me personally. but i feel like some people are over exaggerating when they trash it
amen brother
Terrific video Heath. I've tried to make this point myself. Although not nearly as succinctly. Thank you.
Here's a trophy. He basically just told you not to pay attention to his reviews because they are tainted. He's a commercial...which is fine...but it's not intellectually honest to say it's a review.
@ Dennis the Menace came out to play tonight I see! 👏
merci 😇
Your comments are why I listen only for entertainment... pointless drivel that undercuts the idea of a review. Just say you are advertising...
I agree. Critics complain about movies like Bikeriders and Horizon but then pay to watch junk sequels and Marvel movies.
Agreed.
👍
😊❤✊
Hard disagree. Our time is finite and so if a movie is bad, I won’t watch it or finish watching it. The very same applies to Series. People can and should rate movies however they feel. If they so wish to write a one sentence review and called garbage then so be it. It doesn’t make it any less true if the movie actually is. Objective standards are not subject to your emotional manipulation. You don’t have to find the good in any bad movie, and even if you do, it doesn’t take away the fact that the movie is trash on fire. You shouldn’t watch a movie for five minutes of content which you enjoy. You should enjoy it from the very beginning until the end and if you don’t, then why are you watching it for a second timeor why did you buy on Blu-ray DVD or whatever? It makes no logical sense.
I agree with you totally. People are free to approach a movie however they want to. Who is Heath to say otherwise. I want to say more about this pompous video that Heath put out but unfortunately, I'm on a time restraint at the moment. But, I definitely agree with you Psychosis1179.
Movies aren’t the same as TH-cam shorts and TikTok videos. If your attention span is that screwed up that you have to have immediate gratification from the very start of the movie, I don’t care to even hear your opinion about any movie good or bad. Because how can you fairly judge something when you haven’t taken the time to understand it? I can think of several movies that I enjoyed more on repeated viewings.
You should also challenge yourself with your movie watching. Watch movies that require a bit more attention and patience to fully understand. The average movie is only an hour and a half. You’ll spend way more time scrolling TH-cam and social media than watching a movie. And if you get more enjoyment from that than watching movies, it’s not the movies that are the issue..
@ If I can’t enjoy the film within a hour of viewing it, it’s not going to get better. Prime candidates for this is Equalizer 2 and 3. Garbage is still garbage no matter how long it is.
I think I disagree with the notion that their are objective standards.
@ Cuties the movie, She-Hulk and Halo the Series, Dexter Original Sin, NCIS Origins, are all objectively bad in their own ways respectively. Everything has a standard
To me a good critic is someone who,even if they did not enjoy the film will say go and see it and make your own mind up
I agree on the echo chamber part appreciating cinema is very much swayed by its niche or political ideology these days. I’d love to see the day where a casual movie goer, a critic, a film historian, and even a snobbish film theorist can have a conversation. There is a lot of tribalism. For example, I work as a writer for a publication that primarily publishes reviews on indie movies with mainstream titles mixed in. The trouble with reviewing indie movies is that they come across as too amateur or fail to match their premise. We are supposed to be not be harsh on indie filmmakers, but at the same time it prevents honest constructive criticism.
You really shouldn't have your phone on recording inside the movie theater there, bub.
I'm going to say you are full of it. Why? Because the countless comic book movies that attracted loads of fans, who gave the repetitive green screen stuff lots of love... contradicts your belief that people go not like but dislike. Frankly, ive been waiting for the audience to grow up for a long time.