• cobysev@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I used to be this person. I figured, with all the people and money and resources thrown into a full-length feature film project, there always had to be something redeeming about it. Someone loved this film enough to see it through to completion, so why can’t I appreciate that? Even if the acting wasn’t all that good and the sets weren’t super appealing, at least the overarching story was interesting enough to sit through and ponder about afterward.

    What cured me was actually watching a ton of Nostalgia Critic videos. His original purpose with his show was to see if nostalgic films from his childhood ('80s/'90s) still held up today. And in almost every case, he tore them apart for being awful films that only his innocent, naive, child self could’ve enjoyed.

    He helped me understand what makes a good film. I learned that it’s not just a good story that makes a movie, but in how the story is told. How it impacts audiences emotionally. How well the actors disappear into their roles; how well their lines are written and delivered. As well as many other factors.

    I started being more critical of films since then, and I even started my own personal blog to review films in more detail than “It was good; I enjoyed it.” My friend all saw me as the untrustworthy advocate for films, since I used to enjoy absolutely everything, so writing a blog was my way to show them I had changed and could seriously analyze a film for its positives and negatives. Which worked; my friends are more willing to take my film recommendations seriously nowadays.

      • Rodeo@lemmy.ca
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        1 year ago

        Just because you can criticize something doesn’t mean you don’t enjoy or appreciate it. Criticism and appreciation are not mutually exclusive.

        • Ech@lemm.ee
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          1 year ago

          Tearing something apart just to tear it apart isn’t “criticism”, it’s just cynical bs.

            • Ech@lemm.ee
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              1 year ago

              That’s literally all nostalgia critic and the like do, my dude. The whole schtick is being angry about movies, tv, games, w/e. All they do is look for problems.

    • Laticauda@lemmy.ca
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      1 year ago

      I mean the nostalgia critic has plenty of his own shitty takes and opinions when it comes to films, I wouldn’t take his word as law. I say that as someone who used to be a fan.

    • Catoblepas
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      1 year ago

      You might want to check out Your Movie Sucks (YMS) on YouTube as well, even when I don’t agree with his assessments he usually has a good explanation for why he feels the way he does about something in a film, and he definitely has more insightful opinions about music and sound design in films than I do.

      He also has some great videos about why the live action Disney remakes suck, which automatically gets my approval.