Movie Reviews Then VS Now

 Summer Movie season is winding down as Summer itself is on the last few weeks before the schools begin, the vacations stop, and the weather turns cold. I have seen a good amount of movies over this season, and it is usually the time of the year I see the most films. There are still some films I want to see throughout the Autumn and Winter seasons as well as some more while it's still hot outside, some I want to even see again. But sometimes I skip movies, sometimes I wait for them to rent them or for a film to show up on a streaming service. Sometimes a when a film comes out, I take a quick peek to see if I should pay to watch it on the big screen. 

Reviews used to be something you would see on T.V or in the newspaper. When movie reviews come to mind, I think of Siskel and Ebert. The classic film reviewers who often butt heads, leading to many comedic moments. I have seen plenty of these clips, laughed at them and found them super endearing. I even read up and learned about them outside of who they were on T.V. Their thumbs either pointed up or downward cementing their opinion on a film. Both of them writing for their respective news papers and then going head to head, sometimes agreeing but most times not live on the air. They were so important and I highly recommend looking into them as they really did shape what reviewers are today.

They made appearances, made cameo appearances on shows, did specials, and of course did interviews, and even during those they would find a way to bicker as well, leading to some great comedy. But they also respected film as a medium, whether made for children or older audiences, the two were not afraid to rip a movie to pieces that wasted their time. They sat through the movies and let the public know if they really should head on the movies and spend their hard earned cash on these films.

When I think of movie reviews today, I don't think of television or a newspaper, I think of YouTube, blogs, and Rotten Tomatoes.  When we hear about a movie, news sites will drop a Rotten Tomatoes score as it debuts. The score will shift and yet a conversation begins. I could list the large number of people who review movies on YouTube or via blogs. I even try my hand at them whether it is old, new, or even sometimes not even a film. We still get reviews, but sometimes it's now from people who do it for fun, or wish to do it for a living, some still do, but anyone can put their thoughts out there.

Letterboxd is a place where you can see plenty of reviews, big and small, some serious, some just fun jokes. We can follow people we know, or see the thoughts of strangers as we log our own thoughts on a film. There are so many places to go online and see someone's thoughts on a variety of things. You can see someone who a million followers, or someone with just fifteen talk a movie and how it made them feel. Whether the review is positive or negative, are more social then they ever been. Social media showing thoughts and opinions on films both playing on the big and screen or looking back at a film from decades ago, reviews are everywhere. 

It leaves with me with a question which is, how much power do reviews hold in our lives. When I see a film review so low, sometimes it fills me with so much curiosity to maybe even watch the film in question. "Madame Webb", the recent remake of "War Of The Worlds" or 2019's "Cats" all something I saw so many memes of online or clips of that left me wanting to see them for myself. Wondering if something can truly be that awful, or a film I was unaware of being that well made, reviews can help. Sometimes they help us wait for streaming or a cheap rental over leaving the house, sometimes in less desirable weather, and staying in. Sometimes a film may be worth seeing but not worth the price of a movie ticket, and in the way, scores and reviews can help.

Seeing a film and then watching or reading a spoiler review of a film can be fun, it keeps the film in question in the conversation while seeing what someone else thought. Hearing different thoughts and opinions can be important to hear, and help us with our own. Reviews are good to hear because it can lead to conversations with friends, sometimes we want their reviews, their thoughts. Sometimes a review whether by someone behind a keyboard or our friend across from us at dinner can keep a film going as a topic. 

Reviews are all around us, from our friends, from different platforms, all sorts of different scores. As long as we keep them at a healthy distance, stay true to ourselves, and not let them be our opinions but rather bounce of them, reviews can be great. They can save us some money, or even lead us to finding a movie we would of skipped. Hearing about a new classic to be, or made aware of a film that was overlooked, they can help us find new favorites, even if they are not part of current trends. Reviews as long as they do not shape us, can lead to something that ends up becoming our new favorite. Film reviews whether they be on YouTube, social media, Rotten Tomatoes, or Letterboxd, from those who do this for a living and those who just want to share their thoughts whether they be comedic or serious are going nowhere. But that's not a bad thing, its just a part of life.