Movies & TV Discussions

Those sound like excellent reviews, Bob, and you made good choices.

I have done some movie lists which just give a "taste" of each of say a dozen movies under certain categories.  Because they are so quick to read, some of them have done well.  Surprisingly, one of my most popular reviews of any kind remains the one about Great Depressing Movies.  I don't know why but people just love that review -- not only are the stats high but I still get comments about it now and then.  There must be something about depressing movies that really touches a chord especially at this point in time.

Go figger!  (As we tend to say here in the Midwest.)

I've been writing reviews for years, professionally in print and on the internet for various sites.  Unfortunately regular reads and hits come through social networking and activity OR in an utterly random manner with searches through the site or google.  My stats indicate that about 60 people have taken a look or read many of my reviews for every helpful vote I've gotten.    

Older moview do get more hits usually.. but there are some exceptions.   Best of and other Lists  get more hits than single reviews.  

I write in some depth about film and often give a little background or something extra...   People want most things FAST now.  A few lines a couple of paragraphs are enough for most.  If you had the time would YOu read a thoughtful in-depth analysis of a film (ala Pauline Kael)?  Few would.

I write here what I would consider a useful review and some find it worth reading.  I enjoy doing it particularly since every once in a while I get feeback from a stranger who enjoyed some observation I made or they enjoyed a film or performance they would have missed otherwise.   Glad to steer people toward something good or something entertaining and away from something that they would consider a waste of time.  

Some films are also works of Art and I try to remind people of that... film is sometimes more than a visual fast food.

It's really hard to predict what film review will be popular.  I think it's hit and miss.  I just write what I want to write about  and don't worry about it.   Probably one of the most popular film reviews I've written was for Blazing Saddles.  At least, it got the most response.  Right now, believe it or not, the one getting the most reads for me is The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, a film that's been out for months on DVD.

Movie lists are popular, too.  Believe it or not, my #2 most read review for the past 30 days is My 15 Favorite Movies, which I wrote almost 2 years ago.

You know, Mike, I think the movie lists are popular because a lot of people don't want to read too much about a movie before seeing it.  I've got to say that some reviews (not yours of course, but SOME) do tend to overdo it a little.

Once they start quoting the dialogue word for word for a whole scene, I'm out of there! 

I've got to look at your review for Benjamin Button -- that film just blew me away.  I thought it was one of the best things I had ever seen.  Brad Pitt is one of my favorite actors anyway but he really took us to new heights in this on.  I thought it was a fine job by everyone.

Have a nice rest of the weekend, Mike!

I totally agree with you anna.  I love that movie even bought the DVD:)

AnnaBanana said…

You know, Mike, I think the movie lists are popular because a lot of people don't want to read too much about a movie before seeing it.  I've got to say that some reviews (not yours of course, but SOME) do tend to overdo it a little.

Once they start quoting the dialogue word for word for a whole scene, I'm out of there! 

I've got to look at your review for Benjamin Button -- that film just blew me away.  I thought it was one of the best things I had ever seen.  Brad Pitt is one of my favorite actors anyway but he really took us to new heights in this on.  I thought it was a fine job by everyone.

Have a nice rest of the weekend, Mike!

 

 

 

 

 

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Hope you liked the review.  I loved the movie, too.  Oh, and you can be honest and tell me if my reviews "overdo it a little". I'm a big boy. I can take it.  AND if I'm a big enough boy, learn something from it!

No, your reviews are great.  It actually takes a really lot to overdo a review for me.  Incidentally, loved the Benjamin Button one and left a comment for ya, Buddy!

I think people tend to lean towards the 1980 to 1990 era movies. I have done over nearly 50 movie reviews so far. I seen tons of movies and I have a huge DVD collection. I  kind of dont like when I see movie reviewers spoil the ending of a movie. I dont think no one should ever put the bookend pages of a movie in their review. They should try tell few facts about the movie. And not ruin it by telling to much. Cause most people havent seen the film so thats why they read other people movie reviews. And truth your right about the older movies tend get more views then newer ones. Most my reviews I have done well most the older films have the most views. However some the newer ones have pack a huge punch with views.

I try to avoid writing reviews for great films, deep films, or artsy films because I don't have the correct writing skills necessary to do the films justice. Writing a thoughtful insightful movie review is an art in and of itself. My reviews of films are usually pedantic or sarcastic. I usually write reviews for films that someone might overlook, maybe went direct-to-dvd, or ones that you would think are stupid from reading the jacket but might actually be OK. I try not to give more than a general plot overview so I don't ruin it if they do see it.

People probably think I'm a total dork from my choice of movies to review. Trust me, no one wants to hear about Schindler's List or American Beauty from pitcherday.

Actually, if you review any film from a simple honest perspective it should work.   If you tried too hard to offer an indepth critical analysis it might come up short because you don't have background and experience with film or writing critiques to pull such a thing off--but a simply non-intellectual review is what a lot of people would actually prefer.     Movies are only special to a small amount of people (unfortunately from my viewpoint--but that's the way it is).  

What do you notice as good or bad about certain films?  Writing.. I can't explain why the scene where....   really got to me... but I can't stop thinking about it... is a wonderful comment to make even if it does offer any indepth insight.or comparison to other films.

What Chris said is exactly right.  I read some movie reviews in popular magazines and, even though they are well-written, my reaction is often, "who cares?"  Most movie goers couldn't give a rat's a@# about the depth of the characters or the subtle character traits displayed or the deep meaning of it all.  They either liked the movie or they didn't and they are far more interested in what happens and if they cared about the characters or not.  NOT the subtleties that made them care, just that they cared.  I think that's the main reason a critic like Roger Ebert ( I admire the guy a lot) is so popular.  Read one of his movie reviews and he will tell you something about what happens in  the film (without giving too much away), what he liked about the characters and their interaction and why. Then, he will tell you why he liked or didn't like the film.  You will never feel like he's talking over your head because he writes in everyman language that makes him seem like he could be the guy next to you in the theater watching a movie.

Well, I guess if simple and honest is the way to go then I may not be such a bad reviewer.

I guess I just like the kinds of reviews where it's like discussing classic literature. You know like where symbolism of plot elements can be called out and deeper meanings explored. I always like to say "I didn't think of that" and will enjoy it even more. When some critic pointed out the symbolism of the color red in The Sixth Sense, I watched that differently, almost like a different movie. That might have been obvious to some, but I was glad for the analysis. Sometimes something was going on in the writer's life that inspired a scene, or it's a nod to a poem, or meant to parallel the plot of something else with a new take. I love knowing the inspiration for films. One movie can turn into a few movies with all the new information you get. I guess a lot of movies aren't much more than surface now. It's why I like Netflix. When you rate movies you like, it suggests movies you may like and they can be obscure. Then I go seek out reviews for those.

I don't think the problem of people not wanting to read longer reviews is because readers don't want spoilers but rather that they don't want to spend time reading a well-thought out review.  If it's not written in such a way that they can't read it in less than two minutes, they skip it. 

That's why I think my Top Romantic Comedies (or is it my Top Romantic Movies?) list is currently my most "popular" movie review.

I come from a print-journalism training background and though I'm aware that attention spans are shorter now, I can't simply reduce my reviews of movies I either like or dislike to sixty-second sound bites.

Fardreamer said…

I don't think the problem of people not wanting to read longer reviews is because readers don't want spoilers but rather that they don't want to spend time reading a well-thought out review.  If it's not written in such a way that they can't read it in less than two minutes, they skip it. 

That's why I think my Top Romantic Comedies (or is it my Top Romantic Movies?) list is currently my most "popular" movie review.

I come from a print-journalism training background and though I'm aware that attention spans are shorter now, I can't simply reduce my reviews of movies I either like or dislike to sixty-second sound bites.

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On a website like this one, you don't have to! Yay!

It's not how long a print piece is, it's how long it SEEMS.  The Harry Potter books are proof that well-written print material is not out of date.  I'm surprised that little kids could even pick up some of those J. K. Rowling hardcovers but they devoured them all and those of us who loved the books wished that they had been longer.

Somebody mentioned Roger Ebert's reviews and that really took me back.  As a Chicago area commuter, I used to pick up the Sun-Times mostly for his movie reviews.  They were well thought out but he was allowed a certain amount of space and that was it. 

If it's not a recent film that everyone is looking for an opinion on, you probably need a good Sound Bite. People on here say simple and honest is the way to go, but you have to find someone that has the same taste as you to really take the suggestion and go watch it. So if you can hook them into reading your review with a good Sound Bite, more people can get a feel for your taste and will probably end up reading your other reviews or looking for your new ones when they come out.

I don't have hard data on that. It just seems right to me.

Having been an Entertainment Editor for not one but two student publications, as well as a jack-of-all-trades journalism student, I know all about the "you've got so many column-inches," or "I need 800 words on the newest album by Genesis" issues you allude to.

I think (hope, rather) that what you mean is that a well-written article (review, how-to, essay, memoir) can vary in length as long as it engages the reader.  I know, because I've read lots of "long" or "medium-length" reviews that don't seem long because I'm so caught up in the writer's spell.  That, too, is how I feel about those big fat novels by really good authors....I am so "into" their stories and characters that I don't want them to end.

And yet, I've come across brief articles (here, there and everywhere) that are so unengaging that they are not fun to read nor enjoyable.

Worse yet, once I received an advance reviewer's copy by one of those guys who went to a vanity press and self-published a novel.  I won't mention the author or the book, but suffice it to say that it was so badly written that I never really read past the first chapter.  It had so many mistakes and "off notes" that it was impossible to get into....and that's always a turn-off for me.

Well, I did suggest in an earlier post that writing a good movie review is an art form. I like the in-depth analytical ones. What I was told was that no one likes those, they like short ones that are honest. I was merely saying that to get someone to read your movie review, you probably need a good Sound Bite to hook them into reading your review.

You write so many good movie reviews that people probably come on here looking for fardreamer. My reviews are not that great. I don't have a good enough grasp on how to express my feelings about a movie with eloquence. people say you do not need that. But in order for ME to get one of my movie reviews read, I probably need a good Sound Bite that will make someone wonder and click on my review.

So I just meant in answer to the original question: "What makes a movie review popular" that you need a good hook, if you are counting reads and not helpful votes. I think the helpful votes will come after you get them to click and open your review. So I was just referring to hard number statistics.

A lot of people do not click the Helpful Votes.  Sometimes I'll get an complimentary email (yay) or a public comment... but they didn't click the helpful vote.  I have several reviews that don't have a single helpful vote but many reads.  

I've long suspected that helpful votes are generated mostly by interaction with Viewpoint writers and how 'popular' you are as a networker etc.

Not necessarily a bad thing, but some of us don't spend the time networking and on the boards all that much or making 'friends' etc.  

In terms of reviews.. I think you develop a following.. i.e.  ten to fifteen people look at what you've written lately and the rest stumble upon your review for various other reasons.

I hope the care I take in my writing (most of the time) is noticed.

There are some excellent writers here and plenty of perfectly adequate ones who aren't professional, have no aspirations to be professional but enjoy communicating their likes and dislikes and do so in an entertaining, engaging and informative way.

It's a strong, good site we have here.

I agree with you about the strength of the site and the writing on it.

You're probably right about the Helpful Votes being an internal thing, I never thought of it that way. As far as popularity goes, I'll always be an "also ran," but now I am realizing that no helpul votes doesn't mean it itsn't helpful...

I like peoples' writing on here, movie reviews, and all... it's not stodgy like on some other places on the net.

I, too, have noticed that lots of my reviews get "hits" but very few Helpful Votes.  If non-member readers voted more, everyone's HV rates would be far higher than they actually are.