Michael Medved: Top-money makers explode myths

Jewish World Review ^ | 1/10/06 | Michael Medved

[Antoninus]

A meaningless argument. Popularity is not equivalent to quality -- and there is good reason to suspect that the two are inversely correlated.

I say, how very elitist of you, Nigel.

[orionblamblam]

> Most moviegoers don't want lectures; they want to enjoy themselves for a an hour or so.

And then bored out of their minds for the other hour.

[mozarky2]

One of my favorite movies this year was "Three Iron", a Korean movie...absolutely amazing!

[pcottraux]

The Academy Awards and Oscars have never reflected how popular a movie is or how much money it's making. While some huge movies have received awards, the point is that these movies are considered the best among the industry itself. The point is for movie critics to honor their favorite films, not the ones that were the most successful financially.

I don't much care for Medved as a movie critic. He's okay as a pundit, I guess.

[rjp2005]

Medved has been saying this for more than 15 years. In the culture war it is difficult to hold Hollywood accountable to that bottom line.

[JoeGar]

As for these movies, Brokeback Mountain - Gay shepards...

I thought they were cow pokes. Are they sheep pokes???

[pcottraux]

Most moviegoers don't want lectures; they want to enjoy themselves for a an hour or so.

But there's nothing wrong with movies trying to actually be smart, interesting, topical, and make statements. There is certainly a place at least to me for films that actually have something to say or try to be thought-provoking. Otherwise, all we would have would be shlocky garbage and maybe a few okay action movies. What kind of a world would that be?

[Alien Gunfighter]

Don't be so sure. Despite the "big name", Star Wars was a potent potrayal of a man's fall from grace and the reasons behind it. I knew it was going to happen, but it still punched me in the gut when he took his first few respirator-breaths.

[dead]

I want to rent narnia, so I can see the beavers.

Basic Instinct is already available for rent, if you're in a hurry.

[SpaceBar]

My only complaint, and one of the things that makes me turn him off now and then, is that he lets stupid liberals have a little too much time on his show. A little bit of them goes a l-o-n-g way, and IMO, Michael overdoes it.

I couldn't agree with you more. Recently he had on a female member of the Fred Phelps family (Westboro Baptist Church). This individual was a vile thing and deserved no airtime whatsoever. We all know fecal matter stinks but we don't wipe it on everything to drive the point home. Yes, Medved can way overdo the liberal exposure thing.

[Ciexyz]

I saw the first Star Wars (now #4 in the series) when it first came out circa 1977. I saw it 26 times in the theater.

All movie-going experiences since that time have been a downhill.

[Publius6961]

Think I'll skip the Oscars Show this year.

This year?
I stopped watching that waste of time in the late seventies.

Haven't missed it at all. Not even a tiny bit.

[IronJack]

Popularity of a movie is less a measure of its artistic merit than a measure of its commercial appeal. Not that the two are mutually exclusive; some artistic movies do well at the box office, and some successful movies are artistically vapid.

My question would be this: what is it about Brokedick Mountain that makes it an ARTISTIC gem? Is it the cinematography? Is it the skillful direction? The brilliant mise en scene? The innovative camera work?

Commercially, it's tepid at best. So what is the industry so "abuzz" about? The answer is obvious: if we peasants out in flyover country hate it, it must be good, because we are the repository of bourgeois tastes. We should shut up and see the movies our betters tell us to see.

[kidkosmic1]

An old friend of mine has an animated film opening nationwide this Friday, and it is something adults can feel comfortable about taking the kiddies to see, and even enjoy themselves without guilt! The film is HOODWINKED!, and it was produced by a bunch of nice, middle-American boys on a ultra-low budget (by Hollywood standards). The film was bought for nationwide distribution by the Weinstein Company.

Take your families and tell your friends. I'd like to see these guys making more family-friendly films (on an even bigger budget!).

http://www.hoodwinkedthemovie.com/

[Huck]

I knew SOMEONE was gonna make a crack. I stopped short of pointing out that I like beavers. lol. the chubby, tree eating rodents. (not that I have a problem with..oh..nevermind!)

And anyway, Sharon Stone skeeves me out. blech.

[LS]

"Bareback Mountain" and "Capote" would be an appropriate double-feature.

[dead]

And anyway, Sharon Stone skeeves me out. blech.

Me too. One of those rare actresses you can smell through your television.

[Huck]

Last time I watched the Oscars was the year The Unforgiven won best picture and Clint won best director. I think that was '93. I was a huge Clint western fan ever since I was like 8 years old, and I was so psyched. I usually don't care about that stuff at all, but ppl used to always make fun of Clint and I felt personally vindicated when he won! I remember I actually bought a big steak and made a big old steak dinner that night and celebrated as if I'd won. When you are a fan for that long, you feel a part of it, I guess. But I don't recall watching the Oscars once since then.

[Huck]

eeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwww!

[lOKKI]

My wife and I have a few general rules when renting movies:

The more awards it has, the less likely we are to like it.

Overseas film festival awards multiply the above rule by 1.5

A Cannes Film festival award guarantees we won't understand it.

Never rent a move which has a recommendation by a TV station reviewer on the box.

Ignore any Oscar given after 1980 as meaningless

Never rent a move that has "Thought Provoking" as an advertising blurb