Comments on: Boiling Point: Biased Bloggers & Honest Reviews

By: Reebee7

Reebee7 — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 20:16:31 +0000

I agree, the fanboy review is way biased positively, but I think the critic's review is biased and/or ignorant, perhaps. Joe Morgenstein or whatever his name is called Watchmen "Like the Incredibles, minus the delight." What the fuck? I can't take that review any more serious than, "Omg I came three times while watching, it was so good."

By: Reebee7

Reebee7 — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 20:16:00 +0000

By: b13irteen

b13irteen — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 21:04:21 +0000

i want to see your desktop pic. sounds awesome

By: b13irteen

b13irteen — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 21:04:00 +0000

i want to see your desktop pic. sounds awesome

By: ACW

ACW — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 17:59:56 +0000

This article is excellent. The call for unbiased critical responses is long overdue and it is a philosphy I follow when writing reviews and features for my own blog, http://storytellersjournal.wordpress.com/ I only hope more bloggers who aspire to be respected get the chance to view this article.

By: ACW

ACW — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 17:59:00 +0000

By: dragonmum

dragonmum — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 17:52:22 +0000

Oh, and I love your picture choice. That look just says it all. ;)

By: dragonmum

dragonmum — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 17:52:00 +0000

Oh, and I love your picture choice. That look just says it all. ;)

By: dragonmum

dragonmum — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 17:18:54 +0000

This is the only site I get movies news/reviews from, because you guys are geeks just like me. You love comics, you love sci-fi, you love action flicks… where most critics don't. They don't even give it a chance. So why would I listen to someone who thinks I'm silly and/or stupid for loving this stuff?

As for the journalistic side, yes any review must be as unbiased as possible, but everyone has their own personal ingrained prejudices. You can't help it, it's subconscious. The most you can do is have as open a mind as possible, which every reviewer I've seen here does. But you still come at it from a geek's point of view, which is why I love it.

Oh and if you want an example of bad journalism, take this bit I read yesterday. It was an article about the sentencing of Karl Bishop, who stabbed & killed Harry Potter actor Rob Knox. Just this one bit really bothered me: "Cowardly Bishop did not return to court to hear other verdicts…" Cowardly? Really? That's supposed to be unbiased journalism? Don't think so.

By: dragonmum

dragonmum — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 17:18:00 +0000

By: RobertFure

RobertFure — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 00:23:12 +0000

One day I'll have to switch my aim and target print journalists. Because a lot of them are dicks that are unfair, just in a different way. They feel free to poop on horror films or anything that isn't artsy enough for them – attacking an easy target is at least as bad, if not worse, as defending a film unjustly.

By: RobertFure

RobertFure — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 00:23:00 +0000

By: Meli

Meli — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 23:24:01 +0000

Nice article.
I kept an eye on reviews over the last week more than normal because I was generaly curious to see how critics were going to feel about Watchmen. I never expected stellar reviews, so I wasn't surprised that a lot of top critics didn't like the movie. I read a few and felt they were generally unbiased, but there were a couple which felt as if they went into the movie ready to hate. One even gave away major spoilers, which was awful, but thank goodness I've already read the comic.
Often times with genre movies I feel critic reviews need to be taken with a grain of salt. Sometimes the movie turns out to be something they enjoy and other times you can tell it is not their type of movie, but they tried to be fair. The reviews I hate are the ones that tear apart a movie because it doesn't live up to their upper crust standards of what they think is a good movie, film may be subjective, but there is a difference between sounding fair and being mean-spirited. I love it when a critic calls a comic/superhero/fantasy movie unrealistic. Well, no shit.

By: Meli

Meli — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 23:24:00 +0000

By: loquaciousmuse

loquaciousmuse — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 22:57:33 +0000

Well said. I find myself guilty of slipping into defending movies more so than reviewing them all the time. Then again, I don't consider myself a journalist and readily admit everything I write is colored with distinctly in my own personal beliefs and impressions. Watchmen especially has caused me to go on the defensive both times I wrote about it on my blog. I'm becoming more and more able to step away and see it for what it is as the days go on, but my personal attachment to the graphic novel has certainly clouded my unbias movie critiquing eyes.

That being said, I also feel as though in this case, a lot of the print journalists, real journalists, DID go in with a bias. Apparently the critics screening was full of derisive laughter. Both times I say it, the movie was fully respected by its audience with laughter only where there should have been. I just feel like if you come into a movie ready to laugh at what you consider to be corny, you knew ahead of time that you were going to let yourself do that, you know? And to let that happen at a CRITICS screening?! How would that not influence those around you and help form their opinions?

So I think everyone is guilty of having some sort of a bias in this case. I mean, its Zack Snyder. And it's WATCHMEN.

By: loquaciousmuse

loquaciousmuse — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 22:57:00 +0000

So I think everyone is guilty of having some sort of a bias in this case. I mean, its Zack Snyder. And it's WATCHMEN.

By: vknyte

vknyte — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 21:01:49 +0000

But the film was pure epic and directed much better than any handful of films I saw last year and it should of been nominated at least in the 5th wheel category of Best Picture..its that good, much better than the reader or ben button..and I believe could of given slumdog a run for its money..But negative press as well as rumours of it being unfinished brought it down faster then the Hindenburg…Maybe the press was expecting another musical???Wtf?Does it matter, just review the movie and keep your personal opinions out of it!!
Everyone I've talked to over the weekend who have seen Watchmen-love it!!Be it black(I have alot of black friends who love dark shit-gangs etc), white or latino all love the movie and said they'd see it again…
Which tells me, that most of these reviewers are just not into films as much as they think they are..
Oh and it helps to see the movie more than once before you write a review too…

By: vknyte

vknyte — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 21:01:00 +0000

By: vknyte

vknyte — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 21:00:49 +0000

Actually the best review and most equal on all parts of the film in regards to the viewer as a whole was the one I read on this site…I mean Rotten Tomatos gave a 65% rating before it came out, and that was based on other reviews from other sites..Here's the deal: Now usually when I see a film being reviewed on tv by either the "at the movies" crew or the ex ebert crew ,whatever its called now-I usually take it for what its worth, tv ego…But this week they gave "two thumbs up " for Watchmen, which was the total opposite from what I've read in the papers and online for the exception of this site..Now who do I believe??Personally I believe that certain sites as well as media have a certain need to throw monkey wrenches into a well directed film, quite often.A perfect example, is "Australia", I saw this over the weekend and after tolerating the Oscars this year then seeing this film- I've decided to boycott anything related to the Oscars next year.Now mind you I'm not a Baz Luhrman fan nor a one for Jackman or Kidman.

By: vknyte

vknyte — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 21:00:00 +0000