Page 1 of 5

Ratings--WTF?

Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2017 9:37 pm
by Stewball
So why does an outstanding movie like Roman J. Israel, Esq. get lousy ratings (R/T 55/65), while another middling teen girl coming-of-age repeat, Lady Bird, gets maxed out (R/T 100/90). And just for control purposes, Thor running during the same period, racked up a 92/88. Oh, did I mention, Lady Bird had a couple of completely, obviously dropped into the plot gay threads, while Denzel hasn't exactly been toeing the liberal party line, what with endorsing Trump and all. This is a first class showcase for Hollywood's artistic dishonesty.

I work very hard at separating actors/directors politics and personalities from the movies they make unless it spills over into the screen, but then I remind myself there's nothing I can do about it. But lately it looks like it's getting done for me, by them. Will film quality take a hit. Actually, I think this outstanding chain of Indys that have been coming out for the last few years, is showing their replacements are waiting in the wings--if the audience will finally, take the hint, spread spread their wings and demand originality with high-caliber, challenging movies we'll remember for more than a couple of months or a year or two at most.

Re: Ratings--WTF?

Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2017 9:57 pm
by iconogassed
Gee, it's almost as if quantification of opinion by the media is inherently moronic and destructive...

Re: Ratings--WTF?

Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2017 10:09 pm
by 90sCoffee
I have no idea what you're talking about for half that blurb but I will nitpick and say that you probably shouldn't be using RottenTomatoes scores lol. In like 2005 when there were few alternatives, it was fine but now that there are alternatives that give actual ratings, it's mostly pointless to look at RT scores which only indicate what percentage of critics like/dislike a movie rather than assigning an actual rating.

Re: Ratings--WTF?

Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2017 10:55 pm
by Stewball
90sCoffee wrote:I have no idea what you're talking about for half that blurb but I will nitpick and say that you probably shouldn't be using RottenTomatoes scores lol. In like 2005 when there were few alternatives, it was fine but now that there are alternatives that give actual ratings, it's mostly pointless to look at RT scores which only indicate what percentage of critics like/dislike a movie rather than assigning an actual rating.


It's still a good relative measure of its reception, i.e. 100 vs. 55. The imbalance is obvious BS, the only thing to determine is why. And I'd like to know what parts of my post that you or undinum didn't understand...really?

Re: Ratings--WTF?

Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2017 11:13 pm
by tonydal
You're expecting something challenging nowadays? In this Golden Age of Mindless Affability? (Not to mention the endless horde of Nagging Hall-Monitor Know-It-Alls.) Best put the whole business on fast-forward until the general tenor of the times changes (if indeed it ever does)...

Re: Ratings--WTF?

Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2017 11:42 pm
by iconogassed
In a way, I was agreeing with you, Stewball. I, too, think that the state of film criticism, to the extent that it exists, is laughable, and the politics of its most visible practitioners not much better, but would say it could not possibly be otherwise when the vast majority of what professional reviews that actually get read are accessed almost entirely through platforms that exist in order to aggregate arbitrarily-assigned numerical values or, even more tragically, themselves arbitrarily assign numerical value to the work of critics with enough dignity (or support of an heroic editor) to have forgone it.

In other words, my point is 90sCoffee

Re: Ratings--WTF?

Posted: Fri Nov 24, 2017 2:30 am
by Stewball
tonydal wrote:You're expecting something challenging nowadays? In this Golden Age of Mindless Affability? (Not to mention the endless horde of Nagging Hall-Monitor Know-It-Alls.)


I've seen 8 superbly challenging movies in just the last 6 months. Yes, mindless affability seems to have taken over, but that's only because the media makes it seem that way to the mindlessly affable. No, I'm not hanging my hopes on the mindlessly affable from either side, I merely trust in the eventual supremacy of the mindfully Truthful--if Truth stands a chance at all.

[quogte]Best put the whole business on fast-forward until the general tenor of the times changes (if indeed it ever does)...[/quote]
Evil will always be a contender, and the pendulum of social change will continue to swing. Our mandatge is to resist wrong and to do right.

Re: Ratings--WTF?

Posted: Fri Nov 24, 2017 2:34 am
by Stewball
undinum wrote:In a way, I was agreeing with you, Stewball. I, too, think that the state of film criticism, to the extent that it exists, is laughable, and the politics of its most visible practitioners not much better, but would say it could not possibly be otherwise when the vast majority of what professional reviews that actually get read are accessed almost entirely through platforms that exist in order to aggregate arbitrarily-assigned numerical values or, even more tragically, themselves arbitrarily assign numerical value to the work of critics with enough dignity (or support of an heroic editor) to have forgone it.

In other words, my point is 90sCoffee


Our only choices are surrender (let them continue with their charade), or resist.

Re: Ratings--WTF?

Posted: Fri Nov 24, 2017 5:48 am
by iconogassed
Oh, there is no agreement between us on the nature of the charade. As perfectly demonstrated by your mistaken belief that Denzel Washington endorsed Trump, and apparent ignorance of when he actually said something both true and unacceptable to progressive technocrats

Re: Ratings--WTF?

Posted: Fri Nov 24, 2017 6:43 am
by Stewball
undinum wrote:Oh, there is no agreement between us on the nature of the charade. As perfectly demonstrated by your mistaken belief that Denzel Washington endorsed Trump, and apparent ignorance of when he actually said something both true and unacceptable to progressive technocrats


It's right there in the link you posted. If he hadn't switched his support to Trump, why would he not confirm that he hadn't? He knew he was being set up so instead of answering the question, he attacked the fake news media the reporter represented: "We live in a society now where it’s just first. Who cares? Get it out there. We don’t care who it hurts, we don’t care who we destroy, we don’t care if it’s true. Just say it, sell it.” Washington's message that we need to learn to unite is the last thing the left wants to hear since that would necessarily require uniting with Trump as President instead of voiding the election with his removal. Or are you actually claiming that the majority of media is right-wing? They've long since abandoned the facade of objectivity, as this story emphasizes.

All this was presciently foreshadowed by the Devil in Don Henley's The Garden of Allah:

I am an expert witness, because I say I am
And I said, gentleman, and I use that word loosely
I will testify for you
I'm a gun for hire, I'm a saint, I'm a liar
Because there are no facts, there is no truth
Just a data to be manipulated
I can get any result you like
What's it worth to ya?
Because there is no wrong, there is no right
And I sleep very well at night
No shame, no solution
No remorse, no retribution
Just people selling T-shirts
Just opportunity to participate in the pathetic little circus
And WINNING, Winning, winning.