Archive for the ‘Polls’ Category

George Lucas gave us the great fantasy of "Star Wars," but also the authenticity of "American Graffiti." Which type of venture is more worthwhile?

In an attempt for us to better know our readers, and perhaps for you to better know yourself, we would like to ask you a personal question: When it comes to the purpose and function of movies, which side are you on?

Introductory film theory splits itself up into two main schools of thought dubbed Formalism and Realism. Formalists believe that because cinema as a medium has the ability to play around with what is possible to see in a movie that those who make movies should be primarily focused on testing the limits and boundaries of what they’re able to create. Creativity is key and we should constantly be looking to see new things and new ways of conveying old messages. On the other hand, realists believe that because cinema has the unique ability to depict the real world as-is, like a still camera, that those who make films should be primarily focused on being more and more real and capturing as much authenticity as possible. Both of these schools of thought are much more intricate than what we can detail here, but you get the gist.

Now, asking you the reader to side with one purpose over another is pretty much the equivalent of asking everyone to declare themselves as either a democrat or republican. It’s a very restrictive question. However, we here at Movie-Thoughts aren’t stupid. We recognize that most people, including ourselves, believe there is a place for both ways of thinking. It’s great to have both Star Wars and the Discovery channel. However for the purposes of this newest poll, we would like to know which side you prefer to see most often.

The introduction to the Summer movie season this past week with Iron Man 2 set these thoughts in motion for us, as the season is primarily reserved for more flashy and formative fare, and so we would like to know if this is the time of year that you relish the most because of the types of movies that come out (which typically are the kind that like to push numerous visual limits with incredible special effects and outlandish spectacles). Or, do you dislike this time of year because you prefer the Fall/Winter seasons when more character-driven movies are released?

Let us know which type of movie you prefer watching most – the cool summertime star shows or the late year character studies. If you like them both equally, don’t be afraid to sit on the fence; We’re just fascinated to know if there is a tilt in either direction. Speak up and let your opinions be heard!

Disclaimer: Deciding between liking more formalist or more realist filmmaking is not a choice between the commercial and the artistic. Both types of filmmaking can be used for any purpose and thus are not constrained or limited to any one presupposed association.

Hooray candy!

As we mentioned in a recent article about movie theaters, candy, popcorn, and other treats have been part of the moviegoing experience since the 1930s. Over the years some of the selections have changed, but by and large traditions have been upheld. Not everyone likes to enjoy a snack at the movies, but if you do what I would like to know is which theater treat is your favorite?

The old standbys include popcorn (with or without “butter”), Twizzlers, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Sour Patch Kids, Milk Duds, Junior Mints, Reese’s Pieces, Mike and Ikes, Hot Tamales, M&Ms (regular, peanut, etc.), Raisinettes, Goobers, Snow Caps, Lemon Heads, Skittles, Hershey’s chocolate bars, and Starbursts. With so many choices, it’s hard to settle on a favorite if you’re a candy lover. But if you had to pinpoint the one treat you simply could not live without if you were to have the ideal theater experience, what would it be?

Tell us by leaving a comment on this post or writing to our Contact page, and we’ll let you all know what the final tallies are in a few weeks. Support your favorites and chime in!

FYI: As most of you know, the “butter” on movie theater popcorn is not actually butter. What it actually is, is primarily corn oil mixed with various flavor additives, as well as butter. Depending on which theater you go to, one such additive could be peanut oil. So those of you who are deathly allergic to peanuts might want to consult your local theaters on their “butter” ingredients (typically big chains such as AMC or Regal don’t use fake butter that has peanut oil because of this reason, but better safe than sorry).

With "500 Days of Summer" (above) and "The Hangover" both being critically acclaimed comedies, which film received the bigger Oscar snub?

A recent Variety article by Glenn Whipp takes a (very) light jab at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences by pointing out, as many have done, that comedies have yet again stayed out of the Oscars’ list of Best Picture nominations. Two pics he mentions specifically are 500 Days of Summer and The Hangover. The latter made the American Film Institute’s Top 10 of the year, and the former even made the Movie-Thoughts Top 10. Both films were critically acclaimed, with The Hangover earning 78% on RottenTomatoes.com and 500 Days of Summer earning 86%.

Whipp notes in his article that it is not the concept of comedy that the Academy has excluded, being that A Serious Man has black comedy, Up in the Air has spurts of humor, Up is debatably an action/comedy, and Inglourious Basterds is peppered with tongue-in-cheek fantasy.

So what’s keeping The Hangover away? Crudeness is no doubt the answer, but that’s only an explanation for its brand of humor. In other matters that the Academy judges, which include artistic quality and technical prowess, the film can be said to fall short. The topic of human interest (which couldn’t be a broader label) is another favorite of the voters, so if Judd Apatow’s 40 Year Old Virgin didn’t have a chance, then certainly The Hangover wouldn’t. But what about 500 Days of Summer? A smart, funny film about how to get over what you thought was a great relationship surely satisfies the Academy’s criteria, right? Apparently not. We are left to only guess, which is really all we can do.

This all begs the question of, if we were to consider these two films’ omission by the Academy a snub, which was the bigger snub? Leave your vote in the comments section of this post or via this site’s Contact page. Tell the world what you think!

Hopefully the holidays aren't as hard on you as they are on the Griswalds

Here at Movie-Thoughts we try to be as unbiased in our analysis as we can, but we also like to take your opinion into the equation as much as possible. Public opinion plays a huge roll in the cultural status of films, and such a value must (at least when most appropriate) be considered in a film’s long-term evaluation. Being that it is the Christmas season we would like to know which Christmas/holiday movies you consider to be the best of the best. Our only requirement is that the film you choose be of feature length (80mins or longer) – sorry, votes for A Charlie Brown Christmas or How the Grinch Stole Christmas (animated version) wont count. Some movies to mull over are listed below, in no particular order.

The Santa Clause

White Christmas

It’s a Wonderful Life

A Christmas Carol (you must identify a specific version, e.g. the one with George C. Scott, the one with the Muppets, etc.)

Christmas Vacation

A Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

The legitimacy of each vote will be judged on a case by case basis, as many films incorporate the holidays into their storylines (such as Die Hard, Sleepless in Seattle, Edward Scissorhands, and this year’s The Merry Gentleman). So in other words, candidates require only minimal justification. We can’t wait to hear what you think, so let us know by submitting your vote in this post’s comments section or our contact page!