Another round of movies has just been chosen to be torn asunder by Gabe in the name of art.
Have you seen some of the suggestions made? Yes, there are a lot of obvious offenders (The Happening, Jumper, Sex and the City 2), some more left-field entries which could be Hunt Material, but aren’t really the worst (Alice in Wonderland, Stranger Than Fiction, Avatar) and some movies I genuinely enjoyed, even loved (someone had the audacity to nominate Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, one of my favorites of all time).
What would make Monsters so critical of those movies? Is the enjoyment of movies that subjective? Do our definitions of what makes a terrible movie vary that much? Could it be that we have become so adept in spotting weaknesses that it has become second nature to eviscerate movies?
Okay, back up just a little. The Videogum community is a very welcoming one, but it can be scary to start out. The regular commenters are all very smart and funny and while it is true that the Women of the Twilight Fan fiction panel also think they are, Monsters really are. You want to fit in, which requires to gain a report with the regulars. Being able to make a good (bad) pun helps, as does being able to make funny comments. By repeatedly think of funny comments, you develop a certain mindset. But this mindset can interfere with your enjoyment of less-than-perfect entertainment, most clearly seen in movies.
Let me give you some examples of what I’m trying to say. Exhibit A is “Easy A”, released last year. It is
