I don’t believe we realise the importance of our words. I think it was in Iris that Kate Winslet said “Without words, how can one think?” How indeed. I’ve always found it relatively simple to give me thoughts on a particular issue or film. Nonetheless, even the best [or worse] of us are sometimes wary of offering views that are a bit too avant garde or go against the status quo. Sure, the liberal person may scoff at this wariness; but we all know that sometimes in the world [blogging and otherwise] sometimes it’s difficult to be a nonconformist.
It doesn’t matter who’s reading you. It could be five, fifty or a hundred; but you have to be certain that the words you’re using are a true and accurate reflection of how you feel. It does not matter whether or not you’re an authority or not. This is especially accurate when we consider our reviews. We’ve probably all been there before. We see a film that’s been critically acclaimed and experienced nothing but disappointment or even disgust. It may be unethical, but we wonder if we’re wrong. Should we check again? Should we just follow the majority? They must know what they’re talking about. It’s tougher for some than others, and it usually gets easier as we get older but sometimes it’s difficult to have your opinion and keep it.
The other thing about reviewing film is measurement. A thumbs up, thumbs down approach might be too vague, but a meticulous numerical form could be too stratified. And what do you do when you like a movie but don’t think it was that excellently constructed. Or vice versa: you’re faced with a well made but emotionless and clinical piece. Which gets the higher grade? Which is the “better” film? It’s happened to me. I still wonder if I should have given Harry Potter a B or Into Temptation a C+. Sure I’ve never thought of dropping a film from A to B- after a few months, but I’m sure others have. What do you do then? After a week I still cannot decide on a grade for Antichrist.
The end result is that you wonder if you’re “qualified” for this. After all what the f*** do you know about critiquing? I wonder, am I crazy for ranking Cheri with a B+ and Inglourious Basterds with a B-? But then it occurs to me. The issue is not liking a film that no one appreciates, and it’s not hating a film that everyone loves. It all comes down to honesty and integrity. Love Twilight if you must. Hate Revolutionary Road if you must. But if you can’t give me a reason as to why X is better than Y, then something is wrong. If you can’t defend your opinion, you’re probably not worthy of having them.
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