I teach art. I will tell a student to their face, that what they have done is not good (and why--and most importantly how to fix it). It is not a public thing. It should not be a public thing. I also try and point out (at the same time) what is good about what they have done.
Of course, the pretentiousness of a lot of the awards/awards shows creates (I think) something of a desire to deflate or bring people down a step or two in the public. As Jake points out, however, there are better and more wholesomely fun ways to go about that.
Art is contentious--especially when judging art as good or bad. Usually subjective and highly contextual and time fixed in most cases. Usually also overtly political. I tend to avoid the whole awards thing/shows because of that, though I do pay attention to who./what is nominated.
As an aside, I watched The Menu this weekend. Amazing film. Highly recommend. Great performances, well put together, an interesting and tension filled plot--that is both frightening and yet absurd (in a good way) and darkly humorous.
The Oscars aren't so great either. I'm sure that's a real slap in the face to those who give a shit. Film died July 30, 2007. I know I have strange taste in film, but I've seen all I want to see. I've watched only one film since 2013 and it was from the library online. Ida it was called. I'm a great Polish film fan and Ida was not a disappointment. Before that I would go to LACMA to see films but many viewers had their phones on. Well, even then the phone replaced film. I no longer have a tv since I used it only for films on dvd. Those were the days. I don't mind if others enjoy films or Oscars.
Here's an idea for a film: A group of people gather in a room for an Oscar party and then can't escape from the room. Yes, I stole the idea for the film from a Woody Allen line. Am I allowed to say Woody Allen?
The only time I liked the Razzies was when Sandra Bullock showed up hauling a cartload of DVD's of her "winning" movie, All About Steve. I watched it (think it was on a plane perhaps), and I don't think it was the worst movie or acting-wise. It would have been fun if everyone is in for the jokes, but the Jake Lloyd debacle was bad bad bad.
Sorry I’m glad the Razzies are there. I have purposefully watched 65 delightfully awful films over the last 8 years and took many of them from the Razzies list. I’d say a good portion brought me more joy in their awfulness than some good movies delivered. Additionally actors need to have thick skins. They know when their films are bad and will admit it (after many years).
That said I don’t think they should nominate anyone under 18 for worst actor.
You’re finally getting around to reviewing AQWF, and you haven’t touched “Decision to Leave.” Sonny, are you finally going to admit that you have a prejudice against foreign film, and particularly against Asian films?
Sonny, personally I give thumbs down on All Quiet on the Western Front. Visually it's well done, but that's it. It's fine if you want to see an action based WW1 movie, just don't call it Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front. The movie barely follows the plot of the book.
Thank you for this comment - I adore the book and once assigned it to first year undergraduate history students along with the movie Gallipoli - the thoughtful papers they wrote were among the best I have ever seen in all my years of teaching, particularly from the young men who had recently registered for the Selective Service (which I was unaware was happening at the same time, because women don't have to sign up for it - but that's another conversation ;-) I like WWI movies in general and now I can go into it not expecting it to follow the book.
Are there any really bad movies made anymore? I feel like Hollywood has largely perfected the way of workman competence so most things come across as fine or cromulent even if I do not particularly like them. As you called these, laundry folding movies or rainy day and bored movies I'm having a hard time coming up with a movie in recent past that I just thought was bad and over the top.
The Razzies have always gone for the obvious in a lazy kind of way. They were doing that back in the 1980s. Nominating not the truly bad but the stuff that it was popular to hate on. But now the entire internet pretty much does that. Which makes the Razzies even more pointless.
While reading the piece on the Razzies all I could think about was the scene in The Menu where the chef tells the actor absolutely hates a certain movie, then shortly thereafter another praises the actor for the same movie. And that's the beauty of movies!
But without the Razzies, how else will we let studios, ,writers, directors, etc. know that they need to make better products? This is one of few ways to advertise that movies like Morbius, Lebron's Space Jam, or Cats shouldn't have ever happened.
Also, Sonny... the Razzies are curmudgeonly! They're the awards version of Clint Eastwood's disgusted grimace combined with Nelson Muntz's "Ha-ha!". I thought that sorta thing was your jam? Alyssa is the one who calls on peoples' better angels. I thought your calling card was, to paraphrase Zoidberg, "Your movie's bad and you should feel bad!"
You know, one thing I'd love to see in the Stranger Things data is how much of it is JUST season 4 and how much of it was the rest of the series? I know I rewatched the whole thing ahead of season 4 since it'd been 3 years between seasons, and anecdotally from friends I wasn't the only one.
Separate from that, I think this data also speaks to how the "warm blanket" habit of TV viewing is still alive and well. I mean really, NCIS has been going for close to 20 years now and it still has serious rewatch demand. Or Gilmore Girls even, after being off the air for a decade+ save a short revival. That desire for the cozy and familiar also might explain why Only Murders in the Building or Ted Lasso have proven so popular: they remind us of another era of TV/life even if they are brand new IP
you know, I'm not 100% sure how Nielsen breaks it down ... I do know that Netflix puts that information out via its top ten numbers, breaking it down by season.
I teach art. I will tell a student to their face, that what they have done is not good (and why--and most importantly how to fix it). It is not a public thing. It should not be a public thing. I also try and point out (at the same time) what is good about what they have done.
Of course, the pretentiousness of a lot of the awards/awards shows creates (I think) something of a desire to deflate or bring people down a step or two in the public. As Jake points out, however, there are better and more wholesomely fun ways to go about that.
Art is contentious--especially when judging art as good or bad. Usually subjective and highly contextual and time fixed in most cases. Usually also overtly political. I tend to avoid the whole awards thing/shows because of that, though I do pay attention to who./what is nominated.
As an aside, I watched The Menu this weekend. Amazing film. Highly recommend. Great performances, well put together, an interesting and tension filled plot--that is both frightening and yet absurd (in a good way) and darkly humorous.
The Oscars aren't so great either. I'm sure that's a real slap in the face to those who give a shit. Film died July 30, 2007. I know I have strange taste in film, but I've seen all I want to see. I've watched only one film since 2013 and it was from the library online. Ida it was called. I'm a great Polish film fan and Ida was not a disappointment. Before that I would go to LACMA to see films but many viewers had their phones on. Well, even then the phone replaced film. I no longer have a tv since I used it only for films on dvd. Those were the days. I don't mind if others enjoy films or Oscars.
Here's an idea for a film: A group of people gather in a room for an Oscar party and then can't escape from the room. Yes, I stole the idea for the film from a Woody Allen line. Am I allowed to say Woody Allen?
What? What does a best picture nomination matter? The Oscars are just "a trade show"! They don't represent what are the actual best movies.
I am so pleased to see you calling out the Razzies. Thank you.
The only time I liked the Razzies was when Sandra Bullock showed up hauling a cartload of DVD's of her "winning" movie, All About Steve. I watched it (think it was on a plane perhaps), and I don't think it was the worst movie or acting-wise. It would have been fun if everyone is in for the jokes, but the Jake Lloyd debacle was bad bad bad.
Sorry I’m glad the Razzies are there. I have purposefully watched 65 delightfully awful films over the last 8 years and took many of them from the Razzies list. I’d say a good portion brought me more joy in their awfulness than some good movies delivered. Additionally actors need to have thick skins. They know when their films are bad and will admit it (after many years).
That said I don’t think they should nominate anyone under 18 for worst actor.
The Razzies should have died in the 20th century.
You’re finally getting around to reviewing AQWF, and you haven’t touched “Decision to Leave.” Sonny, are you finally going to admit that you have a prejudice against foreign film, and particularly against Asian films?
If DTL had gotten a best picture nomination we might have reviewed it! Alas.
Sonny, personally I give thumbs down on All Quiet on the Western Front. Visually it's well done, but that's it. It's fine if you want to see an action based WW1 movie, just don't call it Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front. The movie barely follows the plot of the book.
Thank you for this comment - I adore the book and once assigned it to first year undergraduate history students along with the movie Gallipoli - the thoughtful papers they wrote were among the best I have ever seen in all my years of teaching, particularly from the young men who had recently registered for the Selective Service (which I was unaware was happening at the same time, because women don't have to sign up for it - but that's another conversation ;-) I like WWI movies in general and now I can go into it not expecting it to follow the book.
It's funny, I haven't read the book in ... 25 years? So I was watching this and thinking "well ... I guess I just don't really remember the book?"
Are there any really bad movies made anymore? I feel like Hollywood has largely perfected the way of workman competence so most things come across as fine or cromulent even if I do not particularly like them. As you called these, laundry folding movies or rainy day and bored movies I'm having a hard time coming up with a movie in recent past that I just thought was bad and over the top.
Snark will always be with us.
The Razzies were fun when you were a teenager and being mean was just part of the vibe.
The Razzies have always gone for the obvious in a lazy kind of way. They were doing that back in the 1980s. Nominating not the truly bad but the stuff that it was popular to hate on. But now the entire internet pretty much does that. Which makes the Razzies even more pointless.
While reading the piece on the Razzies all I could think about was the scene in The Menu where the chef tells the actor absolutely hates a certain movie, then shortly thereafter another praises the actor for the same movie. And that's the beauty of movies!
But without the Razzies, how else will we let studios, ,writers, directors, etc. know that they need to make better products? This is one of few ways to advertise that movies like Morbius, Lebron's Space Jam, or Cats shouldn't have ever happened.
[Don Draper voice] That's what the (lack of) money is for!!
There are plenty of movies I dislike which earn tons of money and plenty of movies I like that do not. Mainly arthouse stuff
Also, Sonny... the Razzies are curmudgeonly! They're the awards version of Clint Eastwood's disgusted grimace combined with Nelson Muntz's "Ha-ha!". I thought that sorta thing was your jam? Alyssa is the one who calls on peoples' better angels. I thought your calling card was, to paraphrase Zoidberg, "Your movie's bad and you should feel bad!"
You know, one thing I'd love to see in the Stranger Things data is how much of it is JUST season 4 and how much of it was the rest of the series? I know I rewatched the whole thing ahead of season 4 since it'd been 3 years between seasons, and anecdotally from friends I wasn't the only one.
Separate from that, I think this data also speaks to how the "warm blanket" habit of TV viewing is still alive and well. I mean really, NCIS has been going for close to 20 years now and it still has serious rewatch demand. Or Gilmore Girls even, after being off the air for a decade+ save a short revival. That desire for the cozy and familiar also might explain why Only Murders in the Building or Ted Lasso have proven so popular: they remind us of another era of TV/life even if they are brand new IP
you know, I'm not 100% sure how Nielsen breaks it down ... I do know that Netflix puts that information out via its top ten numbers, breaking it down by season.