My God I was wrong.
What is the most important aspect in correctly appreciating and understanding a film? Knowing that you can comfortably reccomend a film to a friend or loved one without losing face as your choice is revealed to be deceptively trite, cliched or simply 'run of the mill'. The answer is a simple one. The second viewing.
You can never trust yourself the first time, especially if this is at the cinema. The weight of preconceptions mixed with the all encompassing cinema experience acts to confuse you. You are far more likely to be forgiving to something on the big screen (although I accept that some work better the other way around, I'm looking at you Ringu, designed to be more affecting on the small screen). It's also true that you will almost force yourself to like something you have been building up in your mind, regardless of the actual quality, unwilling or unable to accept that it isn't actually that good, or is just merely adequate (Now, this is not always the case. Having built up Bobby for months, based on my love for the subject being discussed, I ended up watching the clock after the first five minutes and desperately wanting to cut my eyes out as I passed the hour mark, though I should have known because I usually steer clear of Anthony Hopkins, Ashton Kutcher, Demi Moore and Helen Hunt, all of whom were in the film, like they would cause internal bleeding). It is not until you strip away the excitement and embark on the journey for a second time that you truly get to bare bones and can make a proper judgement.
Let me offer you an example. Lucky Number Slevin. I avoided this film at the cinema, based entirely on it's clever-clever title and the fact that it looked smug (don't ask me to explain that assumption because I can't). Now I have been guilty of dismissing films in the past for one reason or another. Julia Roberts is in it, it can fuck off because I hate her. Same goes for Catherine Zeta Jones. Anything by Richard Curtis can do one. Rom Coms can go the same way. Musicals too (I will see dreamgirls on a cold day in hell). Anything with Martin Lawrence (though that is probably quite sensible). Fantastical films (labyrinth, legend), Kitsch films (hello John Waters) and films that are ridiculously upbeat are also known to fall foul of my dismissive hand. Back to the point. I finally watched it and enjoyed it. I recommended it. It made me look like a c*nt. Why? The second viewing. It was clever clever, It was smug, there were gaping plot holes and characters acted in ways which made no sense and they didn't bother explaining. Painful pop culture references and grandstanding speeches about pop culture references sitting ill at ease with any sort of realism the film propogated, shamelessly plundering Tarantino and coming off as a second rate version of the real thing. The first time out I was wrapped in the mystery (which if I was paying attention I would have picked up in about a second) to notice a film that was patting itself on the back all the way to the finale. The worst thing? I fucking bought it.
So take heed. Always wait for the second time. Because the chances are, you're wrong. Except Last King Of Scotland, thats great, now go see it.
You can never trust yourself the first time, especially if this is at the cinema. The weight of preconceptions mixed with the all encompassing cinema experience acts to confuse you. You are far more likely to be forgiving to something on the big screen (although I accept that some work better the other way around, I'm looking at you Ringu, designed to be more affecting on the small screen). It's also true that you will almost force yourself to like something you have been building up in your mind, regardless of the actual quality, unwilling or unable to accept that it isn't actually that good, or is just merely adequate (Now, this is not always the case. Having built up Bobby for months, based on my love for the subject being discussed, I ended up watching the clock after the first five minutes and desperately wanting to cut my eyes out as I passed the hour mark, though I should have known because I usually steer clear of Anthony Hopkins, Ashton Kutcher, Demi Moore and Helen Hunt, all of whom were in the film, like they would cause internal bleeding). It is not until you strip away the excitement and embark on the journey for a second time that you truly get to bare bones and can make a proper judgement.
Let me offer you an example. Lucky Number Slevin. I avoided this film at the cinema, based entirely on it's clever-clever title and the fact that it looked smug (don't ask me to explain that assumption because I can't). Now I have been guilty of dismissing films in the past for one reason or another. Julia Roberts is in it, it can fuck off because I hate her. Same goes for Catherine Zeta Jones. Anything by Richard Curtis can do one. Rom Coms can go the same way. Musicals too (I will see dreamgirls on a cold day in hell). Anything with Martin Lawrence (though that is probably quite sensible). Fantastical films (labyrinth, legend), Kitsch films (hello John Waters) and films that are ridiculously upbeat are also known to fall foul of my dismissive hand. Back to the point. I finally watched it and enjoyed it. I recommended it. It made me look like a c*nt. Why? The second viewing. It was clever clever, It was smug, there were gaping plot holes and characters acted in ways which made no sense and they didn't bother explaining. Painful pop culture references and grandstanding speeches about pop culture references sitting ill at ease with any sort of realism the film propogated, shamelessly plundering Tarantino and coming off as a second rate version of the real thing. The first time out I was wrapped in the mystery (which if I was paying attention I would have picked up in about a second) to notice a film that was patting itself on the back all the way to the finale. The worst thing? I fucking bought it.
So take heed. Always wait for the second time. Because the chances are, you're wrong. Except Last King Of Scotland, thats great, now go see it.