Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site topaz.ARPA
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!cbdkc1!desoto!packard!topaz!@RUTGERS.ARPA:DINGMAN@RADC-TOPS20.ARPA
From: @RUTGERS.ARPA:DINGMAN@RADC-TOPS20.ARPA
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers
Subject: Re: Criticizing the critics
Message-ID: <1943@topaz.ARPA>
Date: Fri, 10-May-85 11:06:49 EDT
Article-I.D.: topaz.1943
Posted: Fri May 10 11:06:49 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 11-May-85 04:16:20 EDT
Sender: daemon@topaz.ARPA
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.
Lines: 51

From: DINGMAN@RADC-TOPS20.ARPA



> From Mark Leeper:
>
>  I know I am not the only person that this is aimed at, but I am
>probably one.  

   You're right...but I do consider your reviews to be more accurate
and fair than most.  They seem to show some thought and analysis
behind them, rather than just a first impression being popped out.

  The targets of my criticism were primarily those who watch a movie
and on the following day make comments like "Boy, that wasn't how
I would have done it." (in the case of a book adaptation), or "Gees,
nobody would wear a space suit like that."  These kind of comments
are generally opinions (preconceived usually) on how that person
would have presented an idea.  It doesn't say much about the quality
of the movie.  That is unless the movie does something gross like
forget about space being a vacuum.

  What REALLY gets me, though, is when one person expresses an opinion
like the above, then bunches of people start in on the movie with
similiar remarks.  This gets dragged out into long discussions that,
after a few days, makes the movie sound like it didn't do anything
right.  As Alastair Milne pointed out, people who disagree then 
become afraid of speaking out for fear of looking gullible or basically
stupid.  Well I'm gullible *and* basically stupid, so I wanted to
get a message to those who sit by in silent disagreement to come out
of the closet and DON'T be afraid to point out the GOOD things.  At
the same time, the critics shouldn't be so closeminded as to expect
a movie to be the same as their interpretation, and upset if it
isn't.  And don't send extended flames about things that are a) trivial
or b) nonessential to the storyline.


   So that's what I intended in my original message.  You're right
Mark, I wasn't entirely right.  Some of my comments were exagerations.


   All of this has brought up another item of interest.  When a movie
is adapted from a book, how obligated is the movie to follow the story?
With the kinds of restrictions I mentioned in my last message, a direct
correlation of story elements is usually impossible.  What if the
author of the screenplay believes the story can be improved with some
plot (or character) changes?  Should it be done? How much?  


  --jd
-------