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Post by Deleted on Jul 16, 2020 21:56:37 GMT
This was inspired by a conversation I was having with Mercy. What criteria do you have for claiming something is a good movie? What makes a good movie good and a bad movie bad?
Keep in mind, this is all subjective. I'm asking what makes a movie good for you, not what makes it objectively good.
Here are mine, and they come in two broad groups:
These first two categories are non-negotiable.
1. The movie must not be boring. - This is my cardinal rule. I don't care what else happens. I'm not going to subject myself to a movie I know will bore me.
2. Morality - The movie must not celebrate that which I find evil or destructive, or encourage the audience to be evil or destructive. I know this sounds moralistic and some of you are starting to roll your eyes, but hear me out. I bet most of us feel this way to some degree. The Birth of a Nation might be a classic in terms of technical skill, but I doubt many of us here are going to rave on about how "good" it is. I don't need to watch a sermon, but I'm not interested in something that celebrates cruelty and inhumanity either.
The rest are of lesser importance than the first two, but they often come into play.
3. Novelty - It's awfully hard to tell a story in a new way, but when someone makes the attempt, I'm usually interested.
4. Character growth - Characters, at least the main ones, should head somewhere meaningful inside.
5. Technical skill (Directing, acting, special effects, music, etc.)
6. Charismatic actors - Not much to say here. Some actors are just fun to watch on screen because they ooze with charisma. It's not necessary, but it can certainly be a bonus.
6.5. The Stupidity Factor - This one is a little hard to describe. It’s kind of an “I know it when I see it” thing. There’s nothing whatsoever wrong with a silly or “stupid” comedy movie that’s done right. I’m not talking about that at all. I’m talking about something that isn’t supposed to be stupid, but is. Something that makes you shout, “Oh, come on!” at the screen and want to walk away in disgust. This can manifest in a bunch of ways, but more often than not it seems to be a problem at the script-writing stage. One recent-ish example is the plot twist half-way through Hancock. Obviously, the SF is low in a good movie.
7. And finally, the je ne sais quoi - Sometimes, a movie just hits home for reasons I can't even explain. I just like it because I like it.
Note, the above list isn't exhaustive and I'll probably add to it as I think of other things.
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Post by Greg55_99 on Jul 16, 2020 22:12:35 GMT
A GOOD movie is one that I immediately know I WANT to see again. Example is "The Sting". Everything comes together.
Greg
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robth
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Post by robth on Jul 16, 2020 22:19:58 GMT
A good story line that's not too farfetched. I really get annoyed when the science is bad in a sci fi movie or the famous pistols which shoot 50 shots without reloading.
I want character development, make me care about the characters. Challenge me to think, not the mindless drivel we usually get.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 16, 2020 23:29:43 GMT
I’m adding one to my list.
6.5. - The Stupidity Factor - This one is a little hard to describe. It’s kind of an “I know it when I see it” thing. There’s nothing whatsoever wrong with a silly or “stupid” comedy movie that’s done right. I’m not talking about that at all. I’m talking about something that isn’t supposed to be stupid, but is. Something that makes you shout, “Oh, come on!” at the screen and want to walk away in disgust. This can manifest in a bunch of ways, but more often than not it seems to be a problem at the script-writing stage. One recent example is the plot twist half-way through Hancock. Obviously, the SF in a good movie is low.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 16, 2020 23:44:17 GMT
A GOOD movie is one that I immediately know I WANT to see again. Example is "The Sting". Everything comes together. Greg I pretty much agree. There are very few movies that I’d consider “good” that I don’t want to watch multiple times. |
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Post by jasmine on Jul 17, 2020 1:01:44 GMT
Great topic! My criteria:
1. The movie should be visually appealing. If it’s an animated film, I want awesome graphics and color. If it’s a sci-fi movie, I want eye-popping special effects. If it’s a drama, I want strong imagery and settings.
2. It should have likable characters. I want characters that I enjoy rooting for.
3. It can’t be disgusting. I don’t want to watch a film that’s so full of sex, nudity and profanity that I feel I need to scrub myself off in the shower for a full hour.
4. The movie should have a “mark out” moment - a climactic scene that makes you want to stand up and shout, “YES!” For example, in Avengers: Endgame, the scene when all the heroes came back to fight Thanos and his army.
5. Like Greg said, a really good movie is one that I want to see again. More specifically, it’s one that I’d want to purchase for my digital library.
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Odysseus
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Post by Odysseus on Jul 17, 2020 7:50:13 GMT
"Good" is so relative, at least when it comes to movies.
Especially home movies made by my relatives.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 18, 2020 20:01:05 GMT
Well, IMNSHO, among the good movies, there are two categories that must not be confused, the good ones, and the great ones.
Let's start with the good ones:
A good movie must score high in at least ONE of the following areas: It must not suck in the others but it has to be top-notch in one of them. (in no particular order of importance).
1) Be entertaining: That is, for the duration of the movie, I must not think of something else, like what I am gonna have for dinner for example... If my mind keeps drifting away, that means the entertainment value is at best so-so.
2) Be funny: If my sides are hurting at the end of the movie (and I am not having a heart attack!) then good!
3) Be informative.
4) Be emotional: If the movie keeps triggering strong emotions, in adequation with the story that is (if a sad movie makes me laugh that's usually at its expense)
5) Be deep: Complex ideas, subtly exposed.
If a movie is great in at least ONE of these categories, (and doesn't suck in the others) then good, if it's at least great in two categories then double-plus good!
Now a great movie is something else entirely.
I call great, a movie that makes me feel like I am watching a work of art, a masterpiece. There are no criteria, it's just a state of mind. Just like sometimes when you feel you're in an historic moment, you can't explain why you just do. ( as an example "2001 A Space Odyssey" is one of those).
(P.S. my dumb spelling corrector keeps insisting on wanting to replace my correct (an historic moment) with (a historic..).
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Odysseus
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Post by Odysseus on Aug 10, 2020 7:43:58 GMT
1) What is fascinating to one person may be intensely boring to another.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 10, 2020 22:18:13 GMT
1) What is fascinating to one person may be intensely boring to another.
Indeed. It's almost as if this is all subjective and that I'm asking what makes a movie good for you, not what makes it objectively good. |
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Odysseus
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Post by Odysseus on Aug 12, 2020 6:52:56 GMT
1) What is fascinating to one person may be intensely boring to another.
Indeed. It's almost as if this is all subjective and that I'm asking what makes a movie good for you, not what makes it objectively good.
Uh-huh.
So who is that you think you are negotiating with?
"These first two categories are non-negotiable. "
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robth
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Post by robth on Aug 13, 2020 0:17:03 GMT
I just thought of another, and yes I know it's narrow minded and irrational. I can't/won't go to a movie that has a star I really dislike as a person.
Some I just can't stand looking at.
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