ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED!? The way I look at and review movies.

Maximus Decimus Meridius

Hello there!  Welcome to my new blog, BAMFofSteel.blogspot.com, a new Movie Review and Awesome Stuff site created by me, OmegaManwich.  From time to time I will have guest reviews on the site as well, but for now... it's all me, baby!

Why do I have the audacity to think that people should read my opinions on movies?  Well, I watch a lot of movies... A LOT of movies.  I'm what you would call a Film (and TV) Junkie… a Movie-Geek… a Cinephiliac… anyway, movies are the biggest hobby that I have.  I see a lot of movies in the theater in a year, (74 of the ones that came out in 2013, alone,) and I go to a lot of free screenings, but I don't judge a movie I see the same way that a normal critic looks at it.  It all comes down to what makes a great movie.

So yeah, now you're asking, "OmegaManwicH, what makes a movie great?"

Here’s the problem with determining greatness:  “Great” is entirely subjective.  Some say a great movie has to have a compelling story.  Others say it has to have great action or special effects.  Some say that it has to not be predictable.  Even others say that it has to have great acting.  Film snobs will say it has to be made by an independent film studio... and I will tackle that subject at a later time.  It all boils down to the fact that what makes a great movie is to one person will be contrived and derivative to the next.

Here’s how I judge any movie that I see, regardless of if it's in the theater or on video.  When the credits roll, I imagine Russell Crowe's character from Gladiator, Maximus Decimus Meridius, facing me, holding his arm at the screen in display and sternly asking “ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?!”  Sometimes my answer takes longer than others, but that’s how I roll.  I go to the movies to have fun!  “Great” movie or not… was it fun to watch/experience?

Case in point:  High Noon.  My parents especially, but many others, as well, will tell me that this movie is the greatest western ever made and generally just a great movie.  When the credits rolled and Maximus asked me the question, my answer was a resounding, “NO.”  It might be a great movie, but I was bored through most of it.  To me, the greatest western I've seen is Open Range, followed very closely by Tombstone.  Another case in point:  Casablanca…  Boring.  Lastly, Citizen Kane.  I KNOW that CK is a great movie… but I was not entertained.  In contrast:  Night of the Hunter… I was entertained.  Michael Bay is not the greatest director out there... but I've seen 90% of his movies in the theater because I am almost always entertained by his films.  Yes I hate what he's done with Transformers, but I own them all on Blu Ray because the movies were still fun!  Battleship... was just stupid.

Anyway, that is how I judge movies, just so that you all know where I’m coming from.  I hope you subscribe to this blog and enjoy my opinions, and feel free to share your own in the comments below each post.

Until next time... are you not entertained?

-OmegaManwicH

Follow me on Twitter: @OmegaManwicH