Last week I saw the latest Nicholas Cage movie Joe. Although I really liked the movie I decided not to review because it is one of those movies where I would have a hard time writing something about it. I could describe a lot about the story, its characters, the way it looks, but somehow I have the feeling I would struggle producing something worth reading. It also made me think about movies that I have a hard time rating. One of the most difficult ones for me was The Tree of Life which I didn’t like, but didn’t want to rate low because it had some awesome looking scenes. So this week I ask you:
Are there movies which you have a hard time rating/reviewing?
There are plenty of movies that I find difficult to rate. The Tree of Life wasn’t one as I absolutely hated it. For me, those movies tend to be the ones that are smack dead middle of the road. I’m not necessarily sure if it kinda-sorta works, or kinda-sorta doesn’t. Dallas Buyers Club was one of those. I didn’t like the way the story was told, but the acting was phenomenal.
That is a good example I also decided not to review. Didn’t mind the way the story was told, but after watching that I just didn’t have an urge to write anything about it.
I do have a problem will a number of Fellini’s classics.
I have watched one of his movies and already knew it wouldn’t be anything for me. So also skipped reviewing it and haven’t checked out any other of his films. Don’t you know what to write about them or do you have mixed emotions about his films?
At least for me, Fellini is an acquired taste. I can see his artistry, and why he’s treated to such acclaim. But his doesn’t really enthrall me as it’s done for others.
There haven’t been any yet, but I have a feeling I am going to have difficulty with “Boyhood” when I write it.
Looking forward to seeing that movie. I had a chance to see it at a press screening, but some personal things prevented me from going…really bummed about it, but it will be out soon
I don’t do ratings on my site, but I’ve chosen not to review movies sometimes if I don’t have that much to say. A recent example from a few months ago was American Hustle. It was an okay movie, but I just didn’t have much to say about it. I had planned to write a post on it and just skipped it.
Completely understand that, I have that happen now and again and like you I simply skip reviewing it. That’s also the reason I don’t review every superhero movie. I can enjoy them for what they are, but just watching them is enough for me most of the time.
I encountered this issue at times when talking about classic films that have already been praised to death. I wrestle with whether or not I have anything new or interesting to add?
For modern films, I simply won’t talk about a film it I do not feel truly invested in it. For example, I was indifferent to the film Atilla Marcel at TIFF last year, which many bloggers loved, so I simply chose not to write about it. I think we tend to put too much pressure on ourselves to get content out. Sometimes the best course of action is to simply embrace not having an opinion on everything we see.
Yeah, I recently revisited the first two Godfather movies and was thinking that writing a review wasn’t going to add much. So much has been written, it felt futile to do so.
Exactly, very well put. I might have some opinion, but don’t always feel the need to vent it.
I can’t think of anything off of the top of my head, but anything that has utterly bored me. In some way or another. Something that hasn’t incited any sort of emotion in me. That’s what I find hard to talk about.
You’ve hit the nail on the head with emotion, I think that’s really it. Some movies I just feel indifferent about which wouldn’t make for interesting reviews.
I find films that I enjoyed, but didn’t love, hard to write about. For me, it’s easier to talk about flaws than it is to praise, as the latter just feels too repetitive.
But writing about flaws is really easy as well, but I get your point. I always try to challenge myself to write slightly different. Won’t always succeed in that, but at least I’m trying to do so.
Ever since I decided to go blogging, I also decided to throw away the idea of rating because I feel like they can be confusing. I would rather let the review speak for itself.
Sometimes there are film that are hard to review probably because either it might stray from the norm or sometimes you’re unsure about what to say. I don’t try to be original but I also try not to repeat myself.
Yeah, I though about it as well, but then all the sites I use to keep track of what i watched use them…and in the end you will have to decide on something….there is something about that process that I do like.
I think I have the hardest time writing about films that are just mediocre. It’s easier to write about something I loved or absolutely hated rather than a movie that’s just so-so.
Yeah, middle ground movies can be challenging to review
This is a good question. The Tree of Life IS a hard movie to review! But back then I have a lot energy and just eager to blog that I tried, so I put my best. Now I just put it on my monthly recap post, as it contains mini reviews.
I reviewed that movie as well, but kinda wrote about two scores depending on your own taste 🙂
I have difficulty writing movies I feel so conflicted about (i. e. Melancholia, Funny Games) where there’s much to like and dislike about them. However, in both cases I enjoyed those two examples, though the latter more than the former.
I understand, can take a lot longer to figure out how to describe them
Oh there are quite a few movies I don’t feel like writing about. In fact, there’s this one classic film that was praised highly by everyone but to me it was just ok. Not bad but not great either, so I just tend to forget about it. Sometimes I still might mention about that movie in my weekend roundup or something even if I don’t do a straight review.
So you have me curious now about which movie this was 🙂