I have absolutely *had* it with today's major film critics. I'm not sure if it is simply an occupational hazard where film critics (who are forced to view hundreds and hundreds of movies each year) simply become jaded to anything but the most original, different, off - the - beaten - path, out - of - the - box, innovative motion pictures or if they simply are so far out of touch with the average viewer that they are incapable of wallowing at our level of intellectual stimulation.
Whatever the cause, film critics continue to prove that only regular moviegoers who happen to have multiple graduate degrees in film, literature, and visual arts will understand their explanations of *what* is so good or bad about a particular movie. Further, only those of us who have actually *seen* the 12,000 or more films required to maintain a mental database of "what has already been done in film" can appreciate their basis for phrases like "tired", "cliche'", "retread", etc. The almost universal panning of "Firewall" may be the best example to date of this trend.
OK, I'll admit it...I must be a typical brain-dead consumer who plays right into the hands of the studios who attempt to regularly pry my hard - earned money away from me by pumping out "formulaic" films designed to optimize profit at the expense of "art". The simple truth, though, is this: films like "Firewall" are sometimes *exactly* what I am after...an escape! "Firewall" manages to put the viewer into the shoes of another "everyman"...or at least into the shoes of a man that an average Joe would like to someday be. Is it fantasy? Yes. But is it *plausible* fantasy and this is precisely what makes such stories so exciting. In this case, the 'normal guy who has started to arrive' at the rewards of his life's work is played (as perfectly as he has in so many similar roles) by Harrison Ford.
The plot them revolves around placing this character into a situation that we, if given the same stakes, would like to believe that we could also work through. Suffice to say that there are heroes and villains and a number of characters in - between who serve to help or hinder Ford's character...and in the process some of the complexities of our world land right in the lap of a man who would have preferred to not know about them to begin with. However, faced with the realities of the situation, Ford's 'Jack' rises to apply his own measure of right and wrong as best as he can.
To identify with this goal is not something that we should be ashamed of as viewers.
In the end, of course, sacrifices are made but the unwilling hero finds some measure of closure...no doubt with a more broad view of his world. The price to be paid, the extent to which his journey ends nicely (if at all), and the lessons learned (at least by the viewer) would require spoilers to disclose....suffice to say that some are predictable and some are not.
In the end, as long as we (the "average viewers") continue to watch the 6 to 36 movies per year that we do and as long as our lives continue to only cross the path of Hollywood on occasion, films like "Firewall" will continue to be an excellent escape for us and (I hope) we will continue to reward the studios for producing them without apology.
Unfortunately, the career critics will continue to become more and more distanced from the sensibilities of regular people and they will continue to discount such motion pictures as "below them".
For me, this is just fine....in a strange way, the critics are still serving their purpose: providing guidance as to what I should or should not view. The difference, of course, is that I believe now more than ever that I will be happy with the results if I do exactly the opposite of what they suggest.
In this case, viewing "Firewall" against their advice was absolutely the right decision to make.
Whatever the cause, film critics continue to prove that only regular moviegoers who happen to have multiple graduate degrees in film, literature, and visual arts will understand their explanations of *what* is so good or bad about a particular movie. Further, only those of us who have actually *seen* the 12,000 or more films required to maintain a mental database of "what has already been done in film" can appreciate their basis for phrases like "tired", "cliche'", "retread", etc. The almost universal panning of "Firewall" may be the best example to date of this trend.
OK, I'll admit it...I must be a typical brain-dead consumer who plays right into the hands of the studios who attempt to regularly pry my hard - earned money away from me by pumping out "formulaic" films designed to optimize profit at the expense of "art". The simple truth, though, is this: films like "Firewall" are sometimes *exactly* what I am after...an escape! "Firewall" manages to put the viewer into the shoes of another "everyman"...or at least into the shoes of a man that an average Joe would like to someday be. Is it fantasy? Yes. But is it *plausible* fantasy and this is precisely what makes such stories so exciting. In this case, the 'normal guy who has started to arrive' at the rewards of his life's work is played (as perfectly as he has in so many similar roles) by Harrison Ford.
The plot them revolves around placing this character into a situation that we, if given the same stakes, would like to believe that we could also work through. Suffice to say that there are heroes and villains and a number of characters in - between who serve to help or hinder Ford's character...and in the process some of the complexities of our world land right in the lap of a man who would have preferred to not know about them to begin with. However, faced with the realities of the situation, Ford's 'Jack' rises to apply his own measure of right and wrong as best as he can.
To identify with this goal is not something that we should be ashamed of as viewers.
In the end, of course, sacrifices are made but the unwilling hero finds some measure of closure...no doubt with a more broad view of his world. The price to be paid, the extent to which his journey ends nicely (if at all), and the lessons learned (at least by the viewer) would require spoilers to disclose....suffice to say that some are predictable and some are not.
In the end, as long as we (the "average viewers") continue to watch the 6 to 36 movies per year that we do and as long as our lives continue to only cross the path of Hollywood on occasion, films like "Firewall" will continue to be an excellent escape for us and (I hope) we will continue to reward the studios for producing them without apology.
Unfortunately, the career critics will continue to become more and more distanced from the sensibilities of regular people and they will continue to discount such motion pictures as "below them".
For me, this is just fine....in a strange way, the critics are still serving their purpose: providing guidance as to what I should or should not view. The difference, of course, is that I believe now more than ever that I will be happy with the results if I do exactly the opposite of what they suggest.
In this case, viewing "Firewall" against their advice was absolutely the right decision to make.