You may freely admit to giving recommendations of various types to other people, over the course of your life, without feeling too foolish about it. But why does it hardly ever work, whether the recommendations are for movies, books, or blind dates?
That's what pops to mind after watching a movie from the local library, "Eat, Drink, Man, Woman", directed by Ang Lee, who later directed "Sense and Sensibility" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." "Eat, Drink, Man, Woman" is what put his career on the map, I suppose.
But the movie isn't too well known or popular. There are reasons. The only audio choice on the DVD is spoken-Chinese with English subtitles. There is a lot of dialogue, so you have to read the subtitles fast.
From time to time I read movie reviews on Amazon/IMDB. Usually they aren't too helpful, and because there are so many of them, I usually give up. Sigh, that's an old problem in the information biz. Some blabber-mouths tell you too much, and ruin the ending for the prospective audience. Others rehash the plot in detail. (Why?)
It's easier to see what is wrong than to come up with a clear idea of what is right. Perhaps the most useful thing a review can do is to match the mood of a viewer with the movie, because only then will the viewer be receptive.
There are people who tire of Hollywood movies: their cliches and predictability. Such people want a breath of fresh air. Maybe they are the kind of person who would be an excellent world-traveler, if the budget allowed it. But they might not want to watch a depressing, pseudo-intellectual movie made in Europe, and funded by the Ministry of Culture. For such people, "Eat, Drink, Man, Woman" might be just the ticket.
The second best contribution that a review can make is to be convincing! Here, I'm afraid I've trapped the readers. Since I get (undeserved) credit for being anti-woman, a movie has to be something special if it gets me to recommend what is essentially a Taiwanese chick-flick. So the recommendation should count for something.
That's what pops to mind after watching a movie from the local library, "Eat, Drink, Man, Woman", directed by Ang Lee, who later directed "Sense and Sensibility" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." "Eat, Drink, Man, Woman" is what put his career on the map, I suppose.
But the movie isn't too well known or popular. There are reasons. The only audio choice on the DVD is spoken-Chinese with English subtitles. There is a lot of dialogue, so you have to read the subtitles fast.
From time to time I read movie reviews on Amazon/IMDB. Usually they aren't too helpful, and because there are so many of them, I usually give up. Sigh, that's an old problem in the information biz. Some blabber-mouths tell you too much, and ruin the ending for the prospective audience. Others rehash the plot in detail. (Why?)
It's easier to see what is wrong than to come up with a clear idea of what is right. Perhaps the most useful thing a review can do is to match the mood of a viewer with the movie, because only then will the viewer be receptive.
There are people who tire of Hollywood movies: their cliches and predictability. Such people want a breath of fresh air. Maybe they are the kind of person who would be an excellent world-traveler, if the budget allowed it. But they might not want to watch a depressing, pseudo-intellectual movie made in Europe, and funded by the Ministry of Culture. For such people, "Eat, Drink, Man, Woman" might be just the ticket.
The second best contribution that a review can make is to be convincing! Here, I'm afraid I've trapped the readers. Since I get (undeserved) credit for being anti-woman, a movie has to be something special if it gets me to recommend what is essentially a Taiwanese chick-flick. So the recommendation should count for something.
Comments
Your last paragraph holds an interesting phrase....."Since I get (undeserved) credit for being anti-woman."
So you use the word "credit" rather than "blame"......is this a Freudian slip?
Just teasing.
I do think that we often show our deepest caring in a symbolic way, such as in the movie, for the father showed his love through cooking. There is a point where words fail us and the places where we care the deepest is one of those times. The father was surprised by what his daughters had been up to. He didn't have a clue. I think mothers of that time went through the same experience.
Why did you recommend this movie?
I recommend "The Sweet Hereafter" from 1997. It is a compelling story about a tragic accident in a small town. The town is blessed with a few wise and loving souls.
I think it is a bit of downgrading the intelligence of men to imply that relationships and emotions are of less interest to them than women. I agree with your research on the meaning of "chick flick" but think it was probably born from a narrow-mindedness and grew from there. There is no shortage of narrow-mindedness, you know.
What the film portrays about changing family structure is true in the US but what is interesting to think about is how this same dynamic is affecting other countries as well, especially the ones considered more traditional, those having less freedom to evolve, etc. as ours does. It is a very interesting movie. Boonie is quite right about that.
In the movie we are discussing, the relationships are used for the purpose of supporting a much larger theme. This movie was nominated for best foreign pic. That isn't going to happen for an Elvis Presley flick.
But I can't read so no flicks with subtitles for me. But it doesn't matter, as I usually don't have any way to watch movies anyway.
Haunting music, disfunctional people, and the desert - my three favorite things. :)