A blog for online film critics to talk about movies and review writing. Anyone with a movie review blog or website is welcome to join, post links to their writing, and write movie-related posts. Those interested in participating should e-mail David at DavidSwindle_AT_gmail.com for an invitation.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Anthony Delivers a Double-Dose of Ben Stiller
My latest reviews are of two movies with Ben Stiller, one in current release and one from ten years ago.
"I may not entirely agree with putting the movie in that list, but the movie is still good."
Why don't you agree with putting the movie in the list?
I think "There's Something About Mary" is one of the top 5 comedies of the past 10 years. What are some recent comedies that you think are better than it and why?
Good question, David. I knew you'd come up with something for me to answer. :-)
My ratings for comedies depend a lot on my "cumulative total of laughter." A really good comedy, for me, is one where I'm laughing quite hard and frequently. Something like Airplane!, Anchorman, Borat, and even the first Naked Gun movie. I gave 7/10 for both Tropic Thunder and There's Something About Mary because the laughs are there, but the cumulative total of laughter wasn't near the top. They are different comedies, because TT consists of frequent mild to moderate laughs and TSAM has infrequent but big laughs. The cumulative total of laughter, however, is about the same for both.
I guess it all depends on each individual's threshold for laughter and what it takes to generate laughs. I consider myself somewhere halfway between laughing at every tiny thing and laughing only at the absolute funniest jokes.
Generally when I'm reviewing comedies -- or really any specific genre that has a distinct purpose -- I think about the film in two contexts: how does it function as an expression of its genre and how does it function as a film.
The purpose of the comedy is obviously to provoke laughter. (Just as horror is to scare, action is to excite, etc.) So how funny a film is is only one factor. I'm also going to judge the film by its cinematic qualities -- plot, characters, themes, dialogue, etc.
And one of the things I'd argue about TSAM is that not only is a tremendous success as a comedy, as a film it's quite substantial. In all the principle characters and most of the supporting ones you've got memorable, unique creations. The film's commentary on relationships and infatuation also raises it above virtually all romantic comedy/gross out comedies.
I had another question about your "Tropic Thunder" review. Why did you focus so much on how well advertised the film was? Aren't virtually all high-profile, big budget studio comedies as well advertised as "Tropic Thunder"?
(And I hope you do understand that my criticism/challenging is not meant to be personal but is done out of affection and the hope to make us all better writers.)
The characters from There's Something About Mary are interesting. I might not have talked about them in my review, but remember, my reviews are more quicker and only talk about what stands out the most for me.
The bit about the advertising of Tropic Thunder was not something that necessarily factored into my 7/10 rating for it. Rather, it's just a fun anecdote to share. I actually could care less about movie advertising, but once in a while, something catches my attention, so I thought I'd mentioned it just for fun.
I kinda picked it the idea of being anecdotal from film critic Roger Ebert, who sometimes goes a bit off-topic in his print reviews but not too far off, just to make some kind of witty statement related to the film. I do admit that having a bit of anecdotal or side content seems to give a review a unique touch, though it's certainly not the main part of it. It's simply a little extra sweet coating.
6 comments:
From your "There's Something About Mary" review:
"I may not entirely agree with putting the movie in that list, but the movie is still good."
Why don't you agree with putting the movie in the list?
I think "There's Something About Mary" is one of the top 5 comedies of the past 10 years. What are some recent comedies that you think are better than it and why?
Good question, David. I knew you'd come up with something for me to answer. :-)
My ratings for comedies depend a lot on my "cumulative total of laughter." A really good comedy, for me, is one where I'm laughing quite hard and frequently. Something like Airplane!, Anchorman, Borat, and even the first Naked Gun movie. I gave 7/10 for both Tropic Thunder and There's Something About Mary because the laughs are there, but the cumulative total of laughter wasn't near the top. They are different comedies, because TT consists of frequent mild to moderate laughs and TSAM has infrequent but big laughs. The cumulative total of laughter, however, is about the same for both.
I guess it all depends on each individual's threshold for laughter and what it takes to generate laughs. I consider myself somewhere halfway between laughing at every tiny thing and laughing only at the absolute funniest jokes.
Generally when I'm reviewing comedies -- or really any specific genre that has a distinct purpose -- I think about the film in two contexts: how does it function as an expression of its genre and how does it function as a film.
The purpose of the comedy is obviously to provoke laughter. (Just as horror is to scare, action is to excite, etc.) So how funny a film is is only one factor. I'm also going to judge the film by its cinematic qualities -- plot, characters, themes, dialogue, etc.
And one of the things I'd argue about TSAM is that not only is a tremendous success as a comedy, as a film it's quite substantial. In all the principle characters and most of the supporting ones you've got memorable, unique creations. The film's commentary on relationships and infatuation also raises it above virtually all romantic comedy/gross out comedies.
I had another question about your "Tropic Thunder" review. Why did you focus so much on how well advertised the film was? Aren't virtually all high-profile, big budget studio comedies as well advertised as "Tropic Thunder"?
(And I hope you do understand that my criticism/challenging is not meant to be personal but is done out of affection and the hope to make us all better writers.)
The characters from There's Something About Mary are interesting. I might not have talked about them in my review, but remember, my reviews are more quicker and only talk about what stands out the most for me.
The bit about the advertising of Tropic Thunder was not something that necessarily factored into my 7/10 rating for it. Rather, it's just a fun anecdote to share. I actually could care less about movie advertising, but once in a while, something catches my attention, so I thought I'd mentioned it just for fun.
I kinda picked it the idea of being anecdotal from film critic Roger Ebert, who sometimes goes a bit off-topic in his print reviews but not too far off, just to make some kind of witty statement related to the film. I do admit that having a bit of anecdotal or side content seems to give a review a unique touch, though it's certainly not the main part of it. It's simply a little extra sweet coating.
But what does the anecdote add to the review?
Not much. Just a little musing I felt like putting down.
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