(from BBC News)
To mark the Silver Jubilee, here are 25 facts about the world's longest-running musical
Start at the top and work your way down by Roger Ebert
(from Roger Ebert's Journal)
The introduction to Ebert's new book (available on his blog; the introduction, that is, though I'm sure you can order the book there too). He's always worth a read, particularly when he's being evangelical about the wonders of film, but one bit in particular caught my attention -- because it's all truth:
I ruffled some feathers after Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen was released... It was so stupid it was almost criminal. Noting that some of its fans considered it one of the greatest films ever made, I suggested perhaps they were not "sufficiently evolved." Oh, did that make people angry. What snobbery! Who did I think I was?Have to agree with Ebert on this one: 'T2RF' was an unentertaining mess (and, note, I really enjoyed the first live-action Transformers film). Personally, I think it's perfectly correct to wonder if those who truly think the second is a great film are sufficiently evolved.
I was indeed a snob, if you agree with this definition: "A person who believes that their tastes in a particular area are superior to those of other people." I do believe that. Not superior to all other people, but to some, most probably including those who think Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is a great film. That is not simply ego on my part. It is a faith that after writing and teaching about films for more than 40 years, my tastes are more evolved than those of a fanboy... to argue I am a snob for not liking T2RF as much as "everybody does" devalues thought and experience.
1 comment:
I actually preferred Transformers 2 to the first one.
They're both utterly stupid, the plots are both awful, and the action (aka most of the film)is directed in such a way that it's too hard to distinguish what is actually happening. Big Robots fight, sure, but aside from Bumblebee and Optimus they all looked the same and you couldn't tell which was which during the many, many fight scenes.
However, the second one gets points with me because (a) it had a couple more robots that you could tell apart from the others, and most importantly (b) it seemed to realise that it was a stupid film, revelled in it's own silliness, and didn't take itself too seriously. It's not a great film by any means. Heck, I'd have to be in a generous mood to say it was good. But it's alright. It has silliness and cheesiness going for it, in a Mystery Science Theatre subject-movie kind of way. The first one was just a dull mess.
Apparently Bay is removing any trace of humour from the third one though, and trying to make it "dark" and "gritty". Perfect for a movie about Giant Robots based on children's comics, children's cartoons and a children's toy line.
I'm expecting Transformers 3 to be just more boring "Hey, look cool stuff is happening and things are blowing up! It's so awesome, you can't tell what it is! BOOM! It exploded again! HAHA!" Bay fare, but without any of the redeeming qualities and probably some random gratuitous deaths just to prove how "dark" and "gritty" this one is. Very tiresome.
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