Kelli and I went to see Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind last night. I had been looking forward to seeing the film because the concept seemed original. However, to quote Kelli, it made a better concept than it did a film. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't very enjoyable, either. The second act was far too long. I believe they had about 60 minutes of story and stretched it into two hours.
The movie illustrates one of my problems with film critics. The reviewer for the Louisville Courier-Journal gave it a very good rating; this added to my anticipation even though I should know better than to rely on one critic's opinion. This has happened to us time and time again with movies, so much so that I am beginning to think that most critics have lost touch with what mainstream audiences like.
I know that film, to some degree, is art. But movies also exist to entertain and make money. No matter what you think about American cinema at the dawn of the 21st century, you have to admit that we know what we like: the good guys win, T&A never hurt anyone and we like to see things explode. I know it's formula stuff, but it's our formula. I get the vibe that some movie reviewers (I know one personally) imagine themselves much more cultured than the audience. This is common in media, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.
After a movie experience like the one we had last night, I always ask myself what I would do differently if I had written the screenplay or directed the film. In this case, the film wouldn't have been made because there just wasn't enough story. However, there are always things that attract me to a film:
1. Action. I don't mean car chases or battles necessarily (although those are nice), but I don't like long, uncomfortable sets of dialogue. This is supposed to be a no-no in filmmaking, but it's happening more and more.
2. Intelligence. Don't treat me like I'm stupid. I can handle subtlety and nuance. A good example of this is The Age of Innocence, which was an Edith Wharton novel. If you're a guy, you need to watch it twice.
3. A Good Ending. The ending doesn't have to be happy, but it needs to leave me with some sense of satisfaction. Take some time to tie up the loose ends.
4. Likeable Characters. This seems like a given, but take the move The Unforgiven. I didn't give a rat's ass about anyone in that movie. In my favorite movies, even the bad guys have some sort of redeeming quality (except Lord of the Rings, but Sauron was pure evil, so he gets a pass, IMHO).
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