Marvel Cinematic Universe Movies and Streaming Series Discussion

Apologies in advance for slightly derailing things and taking the topic way too seriously- I'm in a bit of a mood today. 😂

But to further your point, part of me admittedly does hate this age of armchair experts, where anyone and everyone is instantly a professional movie critic. Obviously everyone is allowed their own opinion, but we pay way too much attention to the snobs who think they know what a movie is or ought to be just because they watched a lot of them and have a degree or semi-successful YouTube channel. Not every movie needs to be an Oscar-worthy gourmet meal. Sometimes your body wants- and needs- those little unhealthy fats too. I don't know why this turned into a food metaphor all of a sudden, but you know what I mean. I've seen some of the most highly regarded movies that have swept awards, and was bored out of my mind by them. Taste is subjective, and the notion that people aren't allowed to have guilty pleasures (which is another term I don't really care for- why should I feel guilty for liking something?), is just plain silly. I never begrudge anyone their opinion, so long as it is their opinion, and they're not just echoing some nobody critic they like who convinced them before they even saw it that it was gonna suck.

And I say all that knowing I'm every bit as guilty as anyone else of saying what's good and what isn't, but it's different because my opinion is the best and everyone who doesn't agree with it is just wrong. 🤪
 
joshsquash729 said:
Apologies in advance for slightly derailing things and taking the topic way too seriously- I'm in a bit of a mood today. 😂

But to further your point, part of me admittedly does hate this age of armchair experts, where anyone and everyone is instantly a professional movie critic. Obviously everyone is allowed their own opinion, but we pay way too much attention to the snobs who think they know what a movie is or ought to be just because they watched a lot of them and have a degree or semi-successful YouTube channel. Not every movie needs to be an Oscar-worthy gourmet meal. Sometimes your body wants- and needs- those little unhealthy fats too. I don't know why this turned into a food metaphor all of a sudden, but you know what I mean. I've seen some of the most highly regarded movies that have swept awards, and was bored out of my mind by them. Taste is subjective, and the notion that people aren't allowed to have guilty pleasures (which is another term I don't really care for- why should I feel guilty for liking something?), is just plain silly. I never begrudge anyone their opinion, so long as it is their opinion, and they're not just echoing some nobody critic they like who convinced them before they even saw it that it was gonna suck.

And I say all that knowing I'm every bit as guilty as anyone else of saying what's good and what isn't, but it's different because my opinion is the best and everyone who doesn't agree with it is just wrong. 🤪
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I agree with you. I've never paid attention to critics because I prefer to think for myself but even when discussing things within "fandom," it feels like people have lost all ability to discern between "I do not personally like this for X Y Z reasons" and "This is objectively bad, because I don't like it, therefore everyone should hate it." Main Character Syndrome is a real thing. Don't get me started on the super transparent racism/sexism that hasn't left MCU discourse since Eternals.

Black Captain America and his Latino sidekick? Worst movie ever! Thunderbolts, all white cast? Marvel is so back!!!!!!!! Ironheart, black girl? It's the worst Marvel project yet even though I haven't seen it but just trust me bc the release schedule!!!!!
 
joshsquash729 said:
anyone and everyone is instantly a professional movie critic
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Right. It's a bit much. Just enjoy what you enjoy. And really, I'd rather focus more on things I do enjoy than the things I don't. Except apparently star wars, I can bitch about some star wars.
joshsquash729 said:
YouTube
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I actually fell completely off YouTube. Even new rockstars, who leans toward very positive, I don't tune into anymore.
joshsquash729 said:
guilty pleasures (which is another term I don't really care for- why should I feel guilty for liking something?),
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I'm the same way. I like what I like and will watch it without guilt anytime. The least Catholic thing about me is my movie tastes heh.
joshsquash729 said:
I'm every bit as guilty as anyone else of saying what's good and what isn't
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I'm sure I am too. I can't think of instances but I'm sure.
 
I honestly mute new Marvel movie discussion once people start chattering about them online because I'm so tired of opinions-as-attention. If it's good, mouth breathers on social media spoil everything in ten minutes after opening night; if it's debatable, it's endless hot takes and intentionally antagonistic posts. I also mute all Star Wars stuff til I've had a chance to assess it myself. I haven't cared about DC in years so I haven't muted those yet, but given the grumbling about Superman already, that may also end up on the "hide all social media conversations" pile for me, too.

(I wish I'd muted Sinners, because it was excellent but I knew the entire plot before opening weekend ended.)

This is why I appreciate forums. It's easy to just... not pop into this room til I've had a chance to watch the latest and greatest, vs. socials just algorithming me to death.
 
joshsquash729 said:
part of me admittedly does hate this age of armchair experts, where anyone and everyone is instantly a professional movie critic.
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The only thing I find wrong about this is that there are professional movie critics.

I think *everybody* should be a critic. You see a movie or read a book you like or don't like? Talk about it. If you're able to articulate why, even better.
 
@docsilence and that's funny about people liking the movie then spoiling it right away, since here this of us who loved Thunderbolts were spoiler tagging for like two weeks! We really wanted those who hadn't seen it yet to see it fresh.
 
Fletch said:
The only thing I find wrong about this is that there are professional movie critics.

I think *everybody* should be a critic. You see a movie or read a book you like or don't like? Talk about it. If you're able to articulate why, even better.
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I agree. But I think the problem is that in this day and age of 'engagement as currency' - professional movie critics, in theory, are the most likely to be actually just reviewing a movie. The self-appointed critics are just there for clicks, no matter what they have to say to get them, and therefore the 'reviews' are usually worthless drama-bait. Either the movie with the black female lead is the best movie fucking EVER because you're on the Left and/or need to virtue signal, or the black female lead movie is the fucking WORST movie ever because you're on the Right and/or need to dog whistle.
That being said, oftentimes the problem with 'professional' critics is that they're always looking for the movie that's going to be getting Oscars. People like MovieBob (anyone remember him?) whose heads are crammed all the way up their ass and relentlessly bitch about anything that they don't view as 'high art.' People that literally cannot just watch a movie for fun.

But then, 'cannot just watch a movie for fun' seems to apply to MOST people that are willing to turn on a camera or open a Word file to talk about cinema. That's why I like forums like this. I don't think anyone here stands to gain or lose anything by just admitting whether or not they enjoyed a fuckin' movie.
 
That's a huge problem for anything where your opinion becomes your job. I can now no longer trust you to be impartial. You *have* to say something instead of *wanting* to say something. That's why professional critics are such a weird thing to me.

It's like when CNN started the 24-hour news cycle, and suddenly had to find news to fill the time rather than just reporting on news that happened (if anybody remembers the Before Times).

I do allow a little wiggle room for review-as-performance, though. There are some reviewers who are just entertaining to watch as performers, and if they have to exaggerate an opinion to get a laugh out of me, at least I get to laugh.
 
Over the years so many people in my life have emphatically suggested I should start a blog, a vlog, a YouTube channel, etc etc and every time I say thanks - but I don't want to be another bitch on the internet.

"But you don't have to be a bitch." Ehh... I really like what I like and I really don't like what I don't like and have no trouble expressing opinions in entertaining ways but I always tell them the magic of my opinion is way more fun in person - you can see the twinkle in my eye while I'm saying great and harsh things that tells you I really care. Print can't present that.

Add in people making money off other people's art - what's the nice version of parasitic? - and that icky feeling is why I only "professionally" reviewed one thing one time. Actually, if high school counts, twice - and my review of the play resulted in a cast member slapping me.

I have thought a benefit in success would be having a community that thinks like me - and that's not as fun as it sounds. Criticism as performance and criticism for pay - no thank you.

Criticism for fun, and to have a convo? I'm there. Everyone should be more critical.
 
Fletch said:
That's a huge problem for anything where your opinion becomes your job. I can now no longer trust you to be impartial. You *have* to say something instead of *wanting* to say something. That's why professional critics are such a weird thing to me.
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Yup. This is totally accurate. I think (professional) criticism will tend toward the negative for that very reason; you're more likely to be negative toward something you didn't really even want to have an opinion on but it's your job so here we go...

Fletch said:
It's like when CNN started the 24-hour news cycle, and suddenly had to find news to fill the time rather than just reporting on news that happened (if anybody remembers the Before Times).
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The worst part is that in our modern world there kind of actually IS 24 hours worth of news every day, but the 24 hour news channels refuse to cover any of it for fear of upsetting our oligarch overlords.

Fletch said:
I do allow a little wiggle room for review-as-performance, though. There are some reviewers who are just entertaining to watch as performers, and if they have to exaggerate an opinion to get a laugh out of me, at least I get to laugh.
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I prefer reviews mostly that aren't reviews. Good examples are Dominic Noble; who evaluates adaptations (comparing what they do well, what they do poorly, what they changed or kept the same, etc) and Red/Blue of Overly Sarcastic Productions, who do a lot of deep dives on tropes and stuff like that, which often plays at the edges of reviewing content at times. But in both cases, these aren't -reviews-. They're -discussions of the material-, and I find that just way more interesting.

Of course, a deep dive discussion on what makes Batman who he is, and therefore half-reviewing different adaptations of Batman over the last 30 years, probably ISN'T where you go if you just want to know if the new Batman movie is good. But also like.. professional reviewers AND YouTube reviewers are probably also not where you go, so you're probably just shit out of luck.

Like Schizm said -- criticism as conversation. Even if I think your opinion is stupid as fuck, at least I'm left thinking it's -actually- your opinion, most of the time.
 
Ru1977 said:
@docsilence and that's funny about people liking the movie then spoiling it right away, since here this of us who loved Thunderbolts were spoiler tagging for like two weeks! We really wanted those who hadn't seen it yet to see it fresh.
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I think that's cos we all think of each other here as human beings and are like "let me not piss off these people I enjoy gabbing with" while people on various social media platforms often don't think of anyone else as a human being.
 
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