2 thoughts on “Best & Worst Movies of 2018”

1. We have similar tastes, sir. Agree with all your best-of picks that I saw (most). With you on ‘Hereditary’ too. Beats me what all the fuss was about with that one. Talk about overrated.

   Glad to say I’m not one of those you refer to who haven’t picked up on ‘Strange Angel’. Right up with my favourites of the year. Hanging out for season 2.

   You know, there are not enough reviewers prepared to call it how it is. You are one, and you can string a word or two together – rare enough, old son. I’ve been a silent long-term reader, but thought it was about time to pop up and and say something. Keep up the good work! There are still some of us who recognise good writing and criticism.

   HNY!

   Reply

2. Sorry about this delay in getting back to you, Snowz. Was working on a long post on skin cancer and then promoting it once published, and it just slipped my mind.

   Thanks a lot for your generous acknowledgement. Glad to encounter someone with similar taste. I sometimes feel like I come from another planet – or that other reviewers do!

   And great to come across someone else who has watched and rates ‘Strange Angel’. It’s a real pity that this one has not been picked up by Australian viewers. Oh well, they’re missing out bigtime. I did my best to alert ’em after my hip-to-everything-going mate Matt alerted me – what else can ya do?

   I completely agree that there are many, many reviewers who don’t “call it how it is”. I think part of the problem is there’s this sense of communal obligation within “the industry” to be kind rather than truthful, especially with Aust films. My attitude is be honest or be damned. I don’t think critics are doing the local industry any favours by lowering the bar. It’s patronising and dishonest IMO. Also, and this is going to sound elitist but I don’t care, there is a lot of shit taste out there. Seems to me that there are multitudes of people immersed in film, who know a lot about directors, actors, are hip to all the critic terminology (hate that word “tropes”, for example, and film critic terms like “the final girl”)…but who have SHIT taste. Then again, what is taste? This is not a discussion that can be had without a lot of thought and disclosure of critical framework, expectations of film, blah blah. So take my comment with a grain of salt.

   I suspect also that many reviewers feel that if they’re too harsh in their reviews, they might compromise their relationship with the agents who provide them with invitations to free media screenings. I used to ask agents when they put me on their list whether they preferred me not to review films I didn’t like rather than publish a bad review. To their credit, with one exception, in effect their responses were always that I should not compromise my integrity as a critic by gilding the lily, and that “any review is a good review.” I respect that. And I took them at their word. I’m not sure that’s the case with a lot of other reviewers, some of whom come across as sycophantic, no less. I hate that.

   Anyway, enough. You’ve opened a can of worms, and now is not the place for me to go on at length, so I’ll jam the lid back on and not subject you to further elaboration.

   Sincerely, thanks for your positive comments. A little kind, I think, but I often feel that I’m writing in a vacuum, so affirmations like yours are a big pick-me-up.

   Cheers
   R

   Reply

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