The following is a blog (of sorts) where I discuss movie-related and site-related thoughts that I can't express within the confines of a normal review.  Some of them may be responses to e-mail I've received, trailers I've seen, or just an overall theme not specific to a movie.  Most of these writings are meant strictly for me, but I do consider them of potential interest to those of you that love movies or are just interested in the running of the site in general.  I welcome any feedback you might have on any of the subjects listed in this (or any other) section of my site.

2/5/2007  -- Whose opinion can you trust if you can't trust your own?

I've decided to re-review some movies that I initially reviewed about 5 to 10 years ago, not because I am uncomfortable with the reviews in terms of the rating, but because I feel they need to be fleshed out.  I've been doing this for some time now, but one thing that has been occurring with increasing fashion is that some movies I will either like or dislike more when I see them a second time several years later.  That's not typically uncommon for me, or for many viewers out there -- some movies don't become favorites until you see them enough times, while others you may love when you're young disappoint when you watch them as you get older. 

Generally speaking, contrary to the title of this "Quip",I trust my own opinion when it comes to films.  If my rating of 3 stars or above is a "thumbs up" and lesser is "thumbs down", there have only been two films since I've been writing reviews for this site that I've changed my overall opinion on with a second viewing in terms of whether I recommend them.  Brian De Palma's Snake Eyes went from 3 stars to 2.5, which is typical for De Palma films for me.  I always seem to enjoy his style-over-substance filmmaking technique when I haven't seen it in a while, only to watch it again not long after and see how flawed his plots really are.  I suspect that if I were to re-evaluate Mission to Mars, the 3-star rating that I currently have will have a hard time standing up. (Note:  I re-watched this shortly after posting to see, and indeed, it didn't hold up to my original feelings).

The other film I've changed my recommendation to is more recent: Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, which went from 2.5 to 3.  This is an instance where I think that I hadn't been in tune with the nature of the film when it was initially released, but as I've watched the sequels and then revisited it, I know more of what to expect and have learned to appreciate it for the kind of movie it is intended to be.  Besides, how can I award 3 stars to sequels of a film I give 2.5 stars to when I acknowledge that much of the humor and ideas used in the sequels regurgitate those from the first entry? 

There have been other instances in my life where I dislike a film at first, only to come to appreciate them on a repeat viewing.  I loathed Taxi Driver the first time I viewed it about 15 years ago, but after seeing it several more times in my life, especially after viewing many other Scorsese movies, I now consider it a truly great film.  When I initially viewed John Ford's The Searchers in my college film class, I literally laughed at it the entire way through it, but after viewing it a few more times since, especially as I have compared it to other films in its genre, I can see that it is a better film than I gave it credit for.  However, I still don't consider it one of the best films ever made, as many other critics view it.  Maybe I will one day, but not in my most recent viewing.

I guess what I'm trying to say here is that film reviewing is a fluid concept.  It is very subject to the particular taste, state of mind, maturity level, and understanding of each film in the individual viewer at the time of the film's viewing.   If you're still feeling the emotional impact of a death in the family, you probably will not be so tolerant of a wacky farce like Austin Powers.  If you're happy that you've found love in your life to the point where nearly every waking moment has the thoughts of some woman in your head, you probably are not going to be so enamored of United 93.  Or perhaps these are the perfect times to watch them -- who can say for certain?

This is why I re-evaluate movies from time to time.  I don't consider any one film on my site as absolutely correct, as I recognize that other people will see something in them that I do not (particularly in art films, cult films, and revered classics).  The only thing I can do is to give some films second chances, trying to see them for what they are, instead of what I wish they could be.  I've reviewed films over an 11-year period; I'm going to have some inconsistencies in my ratings.  I have been a different person in my maturity and state of mind at various points in that span.  Sometimes I feel like I am in completely different moods at different parts of the same day. 

Some people might consider their opinion of something as always correct, and that others are just flat out wrong when they don't agree.  One thing wisdom can bring is the ability to recognize that, quite often, expectations play more of a role in our appreciation of a movie.  Compound these expectations with other things that may be going through our mind at the time, or even just our ability to understand what the film is about.  Whose fault is it when we can't see appreciate a film for what it is?  Probably not the fault of the film in every instance.

The only thing I can do is to re-evaluate films at a time when I know what to expect, and am ready mentally to receive it for what it is.  I can't change a film into being what I want it to be, since it isn't a thing that can be changed.  It is always the same.  I'm the one that is different every time I see it, which is why there will be cases where my evaluation will change. 

If you read a review of mine and disagree, wondering if we both saw the same movie, we did.  The aforementioned reasons are why it only seems like we didn't -- we are different people, after all.  However, just because we disagree, doesn't make either one of us right or wrong.  I may not agree with your opinion, but, perhaps five or ten years from now, my different self just might.

©2007 Vince Leo