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Anonymooo
05-19-2003, 01:03 AM
Whoo, boy, am I gonna get railed for this.

This is mainly because moviegoers are probably the most opinionated people on Earth--this site is obvious proof of that. However, this is me complaining, not about opinions, but about uneducated opinions.

Think of something you know. Something, anything that you know particularly well, or at least better than most people you know. You've taken the time to learn the ins and outs of it, what works and what doesn't, and the trials and errors of its history.

Then... from out of the blue, people get a small whiff of whatever it is. Just a little information on it, a mere trickle, and WHAM, everybody's an expert.

Which is total bullshit.

Yes, we've all heard the saying "opinions are like assholes, everyone has one."

But we've also heard the saying "think before you speak."

Conflict, anyone?

My real complaint started on the ever-lovin' Matrix: Reloaded thread, when people said the fight scenes sucked. Well, strap some gloves on, and let's see if you can do any better.

Among the people I know who are into martial arts, or who make a living from choreography or stunt work, I respect and hear out their opinions of fight sequences, because they KNOW what goes into it. Yeah, two of my instructors gave the same ol' "unrealistic" statement, but they also said "it's a movie, what do you expect? The public doesn't know shit about real martial arts anyways, it's all blocking and spin kicks to them."

Then again, he IS an aging, high-strung Japanese man who jumped me on the way to the BATHROOM a few years back.

I used to never watch anything that didn't have action or comedy in it... I just didn't like dramas, for the pathetic reason of "there's no action in 'em." But there's an obvious error in this: I didn't know jack about drama. I didn't care about acting, since it was obviously "easier" than the sweat and hard work of training to make a fight scene look good.

Obviously, I WAS WRONG. Acting is a difficult, tedious task, requiring hours upon hours of practice, and enough mental discipline to drop yourself into the character. While I'm not an expert on the subject, I understand what goes into it, giving me another bit of information to help look at film in a wider scope.

All I'm saying is... learn a little bit about how things are before you jump in with an opinion. Just saying "it sucks" or "I just don't like it" gives no weight to it, no reason to make it worth listening to.

The best reviews on this forum, in my opinion, come from people who look at what they know and don't know, and speak on what they know, while being reasonable about what they don't. You know precisely who you are.

Then again, this could also be a "get off your ass and start DOING something if you've got so many solutions" rant. :D

I know I wanna.

NeuGenX
05-19-2003, 04:31 AM
While I agree with your points somewhat I'm also a firm believer of something I was once told years ago... a friend once said "while I may not be an expert on how certain things are done, I am an expert at whether they suck or not" :) I laughed at the time but he was right to a point.

There's a difference between saying you saw a movie and it sucks in your opinion and between not seeing it and saying you heard it sucks. The former is a valid criticism IMO while the latter is sheer idiocy because it relies on the fact that the people you heard it from have the same identical taste as you. If I think a movie sucks, I'll make it known that in my honest opinion it sucked...if someone asks me why I'll tell them my thoughts if I actually have them on the particular film. Let's face it, there are some movies out there that just suck because they do and could leave you at a loss for words ;)

freakandgeek
05-19-2003, 06:16 AM
in a way, i agree. in a way, i don't. i loved the matrix reloaded, and i loved the action. but if someone said it sucks because of this and that...then hey, they just didn't like it...do they really have to know about the martial arts to be allowed to have a negative opinion on it?

i am not railing you in any way, but thats just what i think.:D

freakandgeek
05-19-2003, 06:17 AM
Originally posted by NeuGenX
Let's face it, there are some movies out there that just suck because they do and could leave you at a loss for words ;)

i agree!

Anonymooo
05-19-2003, 06:40 AM
Originally posted by NeuGenX
Let's face it, there are some movies out there that just suck because they do and could leave you at a loss for words ;)

I guess it's 'cause of what I was taught growing up: anything is nothing without a reason for being. In short, nothing is "just 'cause." It all comes down to the individual, but there are limits.

I don't know shit about music... hell, I'm the only tone-deaf member of a family of musicians. I have what I like and don't like, but I know better than to defend what I believe in "just 'cause" I don't like, say, country music. My cousin plays bluegrass guitar, and I give him props 'cause he can actually play the damn thing, whether or not I personally like the music. It's nowhere near my place to say he's doing a good job or not, just like how he has no right to say my left frontside roundhouse needs work. Even if it does. :D

Paterfamilias
05-19-2003, 09:25 AM
I don't mind people giving opinions (even uneducated ones) on whether or not they liked something. But, it is annoying if someone who is uneducated about something makes remarks about the quality of a particular aspect of a film.

For instance, I have no problem with someone saying "I thought the fight scenes in Reloaded sucked, they were boring and repetitive." That is their opinion, even though it differs from mine, it's cool.

However, if someone who knows nothing about martial arts starts to critique the fighting style employed by Neo, that's where it gets a tad annoying to me. I guess it's a matter of saying something is a matter of opinion when it is a matter of fact. It's important to know the difference.

Example:

Person A is a computer expert
Person B knows shit about computers

B: I hated in movie x where thae guy hacks into such and such. That is so unrealistic it could never happen!

A: Actually, it could. I have studied in this area and know for certain that it can.

B: Well, it's my opinon, man. You can believe what you want.

Jon Lyrik
05-19-2003, 11:59 AM
Uneducated opinions really pour boiled piss down my back. Example: a couple of guys on Amazon.com complained that the Citizen kane DVD was fullscreen. DUH! Of COURSE it is in fullscreen. It came out BEFORE widescreen EVEN EXISTED!!!

syxxpac
05-19-2003, 12:11 PM
Originally posted by freakandgeek
in a way, i agree. in a way, i don't. i loved the matrix reloaded, and i loved the action. but if someone said it sucks because of this and that...then hey, they just didn't like it...do they really have to know about the martial arts to be allowed to have a negative opinion on it?

Not being entertained by the martial arts in the movie and saying the martial arts in the movie suck are two different things.

Voodoodoll
05-19-2003, 12:48 PM
I agree with Paterfamilias on this one. Well said :)

The Postmaster General
05-19-2003, 04:07 PM
Just something to think about....


Originally posted by Anonymooo
=This is mainly because moviegoers are probably the most opinionated people on Earth--this site is obvious proof of that.=



You are forming an opinion on this site, and you only started posting here last month. To people who have been posting here longer, and are familiar with the boards not being only about people pissing on other peoples rainbow, yours may sound like an uneducated, or at least minimally informed opinion.

No slight. Just some guff from Bubba, who has always enjoyed your posting, and has never thought that you sounded like you were giving an uninformed opinion. :D




Yes, we've all heard the saying "opinions are like assholes, everyone has one."


Yeah, I always hear that, and it drives me nuts that people leave out the best part....


"Opinions are like assholes. Everyone has one, and no one wants to hear anyone else's."

BakeTheMooCow
05-19-2003, 04:10 PM
Originally posted by BubbaStrangelove
Yeah, I always hear that, and it drives me nuts that people leave out the best part....

"Opinions are like assholes. Everyone has one, and no one wants to hear anyone else's." I like this one... "Opinions are like assholes. Most of them are full of shit."

Ronaldinho
05-19-2003, 04:59 PM
My real complaint started on the ever-lovin' Matrix: Reloaded thread, when people said the fight scenes sucked. Well, strap some gloves on, and let's see if you can do any better.
[/B]

Huh?

You're talking abuot trying to have an intelligent opinion, and this is the best you can do?

The issue isn't whether or not I can do any better. The issue is whether or not they can. And I know they can, because I've seen them do it.

Am I not allowed to say a Pinto sucks because I don't know how to design and build a Ferrari?

Anonymooo
05-19-2003, 05:57 PM
Originally posted by BubbaStrangelove
You are forming an opinion on this site, and you only started posting here last month. To people who have been posting here longer, and are familiar with the boards not being only about people pissing on other peoples rainbow, yours may sound like an uneducated, or at least minimally informed opinion.

I wasn't exactly talking about just this board... actually, the IMDb forums are quite a bit nastier, and IM-UR (now Mediard) is even worse. At least, nine times outta ten, disagreements here are resolved civilly, without a vicious volley of insults.

Thank you for the support, Bubba, and I have to say that I take your reviews seriously, too, along with a few other blatantly obvious names.

freakandgeek
05-20-2003, 08:09 AM
Originally posted by syxxpac
Not being entertained by the martial arts in the movie and saying the martial arts in the movie suck are two different things.

i see your point

freakandgeek
05-20-2003, 08:11 AM
Originally posted by Paterfamilias
if someone who knows nothing about martial arts starts to critique the fighting style employed by Neo, that's where it gets a tad annoying to me. I guess it's a matter of saying something is a matter of opinion when it is a matter of fact. It's important to know the difference.

ah ha

now i see the point

i could agree