My Take on Reviewing Films

[ayaa1977]

I like your reviews, but try to avoid emphasizing the rating so much. (You always cap off your piece with "...and I give it." It does not read well and also reduces the actual review. For example, I sometimes find myself not reading your views on the film and just eyeballing the rating number, before moving onto the next thread...)

I don't like using ratings at all, but that's me. I am not discouraging you from using them, but perhaps you can adjust your writing tonally whilst still retaining the ratings, if you like.

Thanks AK for your critique, it is certainly a valid point, but it is something I copied from Fizz, Mad, and Shariqq who always cap their ratings. I noticed that you are the only one who doesn't do that, so naturally I had to go with the flow.

Don't get me wrong and I am not being neither defensive nor upset when I say it, I am just stating the facts, I know I am not as eloquent as Fizz or Shariqq, and I know that I don't usually make excellent observational points and memorable sound bites like Mad. That is why I don't try to compete with you guys, rather try to learn. For instance I was so easily irritable and argumentative when I first came, you certainly remember the Tell No One battle, don't you? But now I am more calm and toned down and you get a lot of credit for that.

I do write with passion and that is my greatest asset, that is why my reviews are different depending on the film itself. I always try to write the synopsis in my words unless I stated otherwise, because I want to pitch to you what the film is about without spoiling it. Then I say what I liked or disliked about the story, the acting, the music, any noticeable scenes or shot, and the film as a whole. Sometimes I have a point to make, a metaphor or moral I get, a correlation that I get, and many times there is nothing of that sort.

As for skipping the review to the rating, I really couldn't "make" anyone read the review rated or not, could I? If one wants to skip it trust me he'd skip it regardless. So when I finish my review I will naturally rate it because at least if you don't feel like reading my reasoning you would know in a flawed non scientific way how I feel about watching that film. I know I tend to be more generous with my ratings, but that is me, I am over enthusiastic about films and I cant hide my giddiness and excitement, I also can't fake it and say I totally hated something if I didn't or vice versa. That is why you find lots of 3/5 and 4/5 in my reviews and not many 0s, 1s, or 5s.

Once a wise man (Ok it was not a wise man it was Mad) complained that I recommend too many TV shows and he started to question my judgment. My answer was that I could not force my point of view on him, and that I put it out there so one does with it as one likes. If he trust my taste that would be great, if he follow my recommendation and didn't like then that is good too because then we might start a constructive discussion, or at least one would know better than trusting my taste next time, lol.

Finally, I would really love it you can elaborate more on how I can adjust my reviews tonally or any other tips you can give me, as I said before I am here to learn.

[shariqq]

Ayaa: I think what AK was trying to say is, make the rating not a part of your review, but a footnote, like most of us do.

Example, in your Blind Side review:

and aims to please the average American with a feel-good story. I would not fault it for that, but in the same time calling it one of the best films of the year is a big stretch. I'd give it 3/5, and I wouldn't recommend it for any of WM folks, it is just not for you.        

Instead of making the rating a part of the text itself, have a proper paragraph closing, then at the bottom, separately add the rating, as so:

This is one of those few films that lingers long after it has ended and which despite what you’ve heard or read about it, still lives up to its hype.

Rating: 4.5/5

or

Unexpectedly, this time Guy Ritchie is not on an adrenaline rush, and lets the movie unfold at a more human pace, though there is one key scene that fans of his stylization will thoroughly enjoy.

My rating --> 3 of 5

or

Maybe Ritchie should make a film with Tarantino consisting of them masturbating each other’s dicks. While wearing shades.

2/5

[shariqq]

A little more to demonstrate:

You could have made the closing to be (small edit):

and aims to please the average American with a feel-good story. I would not fault it for that, but in the same time calling it one of the best films of the year is a big stretch. I wouldn't recommend it for any of WM folks, it is just not for you.

Rating: 3/5.

With this thought in mind, when you are doing the actual writing, while typing the last para, just finish it on what you think is a good closing note. Then, add the rating at the bottom of the review. More Importantly: (You may not be doing this, but) let not the rating dictate how you write your review.

[ayaa1977]

Ayaa: I think what AK was trying to say is, make the rating not a part of your review, but a footnote, like most of us do.

Duly noted Shariq. I will try this next time. Thanks for the tip. Now we wait for the Big Kahuna to give us his two cents.

P.S. Before anyone say it, I acknowledge the amount of indulgence in my piece. Once I start writing I could not stop sometimes, that is how I roll as a wise man once said (OK it was not a wise man it was AK )

[ayaa1977]

More Importantly: (You may not be doing this, but) let not the rating dictate how you write your review.

Hmmm! I didn't think about that before, and I am not sure whether my rating dedicate my review or not. For instance, some films I give a high mark but I don't do much reviewing it. Case on point I gave, in G.I. Joe I gave it 3/5 but I also knew how silly and stupid it is, my rating was based on the entertainment I got from a film that I was fully aware it is a stupid summer pop corn flick that I probably would never wanna watch again. My other example is Avatar, it is a film that I can see what people criticize about it in term of the derivativeness of the story and I would not begrudge anyone who didn't like it because of the story, but I based my 4.5/5 rating on how much I enjoyed my experience in the movies not once but twice. I even would not mind, nay I would really love, to see it again in cinema and immerse myself in the amazing world of Pandora that James Cameron created.

Thinking about it, I think my reviews are not influenced by my intended rating, it is the other way around. Sometimes I starts with a rating in mind, then after putting my thoughts in words, I find that my rating goes up or down and rarely stay the same

[fizz]

Thinking about it, I think my reviews are not influenced by my intended rating, it is the other way around. Sometimes I starts with a rating in mind, then after putting my thoughts in words, I find that my rating goes up or down and rarely stay the same

Shariq has been pretty concise and accurate with his recommendations and points, but ayaa's last point is something that also works in my case as well. There are times that I think I will rate a movie a certain way, but actually writing about it changes or tweaks this a notch or two (up or down). Of course ratings aren't everything and sometimes getting caught up with the numbers game can be annoying (why was movie A rated X and B rated Y etc) and on the whole the tone of the written piece may sometimes even be at tangents to the score/rating. When putting down the rating, after having written about it, I look at where I should deduct points rather than why I should give them in the first place.

[X.]

Shariq helped clarify my note, so that's that.

We all started out writing reviews and got better along the way, sometimes through self-assessment, sometimes through group feedback. My note to you was made in that spirit, and I see you took it in the right spirit.

I love reading reviews by all WM members, especially Fizz who is the gold standard for me. I will say this to you, Ayaa: you don't have to write like Mad or Fizz or Shariq, but continue to develop your own style (which I see you are). This is what I would think of when writing reviews:

1) length of the review (long is fine, as long as it is not meandering)
2) honesty: your review should be *your* feelings, brutal and lucid, but most importantly using the *evidence* in the film to arrive at your conclusions
3) rating: write your review, read it and only then decide the rating *based* on your review (I don't use ratings because I feel they are pointless if I have already written several 100 words before them.)

Hope this helps and keep writing, and we'll keep reading!

[ayaa1977]

Thanks boys for the valuable feedback, I really appreciate it. Those pointers you provided AK go a long way, although I can honestly say that if meandering is not cool with you then you are barking at the wrong tree my friend. I digress most of the times, a few would find it cute and many more would find it annoying, but that is just the way it is. I would try to keep meandering to minimum if I could help it. 

As for honesty, I always try to be honest, I would lie if I say that I don't give a shit what others say about a film or isolate myself from any influence when I see a film, but that is because they might point me toward something I missed or might miss about it, but I would never pretend to like or dislike a film "only" because what other thinks. Case in point Terminator Salvation which every other critic just hated but I liked it a lot, then I found out the WM members really liked it too, which just cemented my love for the forum. You know that on the compatibility test on Facebook the friends I made on WM are my greatest cinematic fits, more than people I knew for years and years. We might disagree on a film but we understand each other really well. 

Rating is another story, I would be lying if I say that I designate my rating after writing my thoughts, but as Fizz and I discussed before, nothing is written in stone, and it usually goes up and down, because when I write my review the dust is settled and I see clearly what are my true feelings about that film.

I will keep on writing as long as I have something good to say and guys have the patience to tolerate my meandering, so please keep on reading!

[X.]

One more thing -- not everything needs to be so dramatic. For example, when I said "meandering" I did not imply you meander; it was a general note, meant to help structure film reviews. You surprise me sometimes with your sensitivity...

Just relax and chill, man. You are in the company of friends 

[shariqq]

We'll wait for our fund transfers now.

[ayaa1977]

AK, I don't have to profess everything I write with "Don't get me wrong", or "I am not upset" to let you know that I get it. Believe me I am not so fragile. I am many things but I am not that sensitive. When you grow up as a really fat boy you either grow a thick skin or you kill yourself because kids are way more brutal than adults. So don't worry about my feelings that much. I am a big boy and I can handle criticism.

Just to clear the air, that was not sensitive ayaa, that was matter-of-fact ayaa. I am aware that your notes were not about me, even I  know the world doesn't revolve around me, I just took your notes and on their light I examined my writing. I know I am with friends here otherwise I would not last that long.

We'll wait for our fund transfers now.

Shariq, I though it is the other way around