Matthew Cass Kathleen Shumate English 124 1 December 2011
Comedy by an Overage Student Comedy is my specialty when it comes to watching films. I consider myself an expert as they are the only type of movies I truly love. I like to rate my movies based on how much entertainment it brought to the table. Was I bored and only got a few laughs, or was my side aching from laughter the whole time? Simple really, I like to exit a movie theater with a big smile on my face. We have all walked out of movies that just made you feel bad. Movies with gut wrenching sadness or horror are not what I like to see. Naturally I chose one of the best side aching, good mood movies of all time a true classic in its own right, The Big Lebowski. I rated this movie with four smiley faces, the absolute highest rating I have in my arsenal. The Big Lebowski is a classic, a movie you can watch anytime any year and it will make you laugh and put you in a better mood than when you walked into the theatre. Comedy’s with the power to change your mood is what I like to watch, this is what I based my rating system on. Does the movie entertain enough to actually make you feel better? Roger Ebert, film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times, gives it a three star rating out of four. The average viewer gave it a three and a half star rating. I come over the top of all these rating and give it a 4 smiley face rating. I have never agreed with movie critics my entire life. Critics tend to evaluate movies on a different level than your average everyday Joe. It might not have perfect lighting or plot development they are looking for, whatever the reason they do not look at the same attributes that I am watching the movie for. I agree with some of Ebert’s review, the parts based off the comedy, but he dwells on character development and plot. This is where we conflict the most, I don’t care if the movie is about making spoons if it makes me laugh the whole time and feel good after it’s completed. My rating system is composed of four smiley faces based on criteria that is very simple, how enjoyable was the movie to myself a thirty-four year old overage student. Now it doesn’t have to be all about comedy although that is my favorite topic. The movie Shawshank Redemption easily fits my four smiley face rating, not because of the comedy, but because of its’ entertainment value. This movie is widely known in the movie-going community as one of the best movies ever made. Interesting characters that draw you into the movie and twists that make your jaw drop really make this movie a stand out. After watching this movie for the first time I guarantee you will be in a better mood then when you started it. Tim Robbins and Morgan freeman create characters, which even though they are convicted in prison, makes one wish we knew them or possibly were even a cell mate with them to share their experiences. In order to get my lowest rating, a single smiley face, the movie must really drag you through the dumps and put you in a sad mood; a mood that wasn’t there before you saw the film. A good example of this is the movie Leaving Las Vegas, starring Nicolas Cage and Elisabeth Shue. Cage plays a man who lost his family and is determined to drink himself to death. Introduced into the movie is Elisabeth Shue who plays a prostitute that is a very charismatic character. Viewers fall in love with these characters during the movie and at the end of the movie, you feel so bad and almost depressed. This is exactly what I do not want out of my movies, one that puts you in a negative mood just from watching it. Film critics such as Roger Ebert gave this movie 4 stars for its’ acting and plot. While I cannot argue it is a great movie it is the kind that gets a low rating on my system. One smiley face, I would not recommend anyone watched this movie unless they know