Is book burning alright if it's the 'Zagat's Survey Movie Guide'

[mruzick3]

This is of course a rhetorical question for as an information professional I would never condone book-burning. However, as an information professional I cringe at the annoying titling of this new list to satiate the masses. I was reading through the NY Times--I'm also a media junkie--and found an article also bristling against the presence of this new Zagat guide to the movies. I've got no beef with the Zagats. I'm sure they have provided many a splendid dinner for those people in search for the greatest sushi bar or hot dog stand in town. But, come on, rating movies on a 30 point Zagat scale? And implying that this is both a guide and a survey?!

My apologies for anyone who submitted their opinion for the Zagats as I'm sure there are many, but I really don't care about a consensus "best" rated picture. I like the personal opinions of reviewers or people who post of the 'Top Ten' forums becuase they usually tell a story or give an insight into the film's impact on an individual thus giving the film--which is an animated piece of art--resonance. This is probably why I don't care for AFI's best/marketed 100 film list and why the Oscars have been really buggin' the crap outta me for the past decade.

As Gore has explained in the 'Top Ten' forum, everyone loves lists but they really suck, because if you want to see a film then, goodness, go see it...love it or leave it. Putting a brand-name like Zagat next to a list only propagates the most-popular race that so many films succumb to in their making. Go see the films you want to see and if you like them tell the story, just don't give me a math equation to calculate where they should reside in the cinematic canon.

_____________________________
Mike Ruzicka

[Furious D]

:confused:What the hell?

I thought those Zagat people were restaurant critics. What do they know about movies? Maybe if they were rating the candy counters of various theaters I might take their opinion seriously. They could say: "The milk duds were disgusting, there was too much ice in my soda, and the popcorn was stale. 2 stars out of five." But this sounds like a half-assed money grab.

There's already too many movie critics on the loose, we don't need people with even fewer credentials than the average local TV entertainment anchor. Since criticism is a matter of opinion and easily faked, you now have every hack in the world throwing their 2 cents into the ring for the chance of meeting Colin Farrell or Reese Witherspoon while pigging out at a media junket buffet.

Most of them don't make a real investment of their attention. There's little real emotion in their work, and that's what film's supposed to provoke, emotion.

There are a few that take their work seriously, and I take their opinions seriously, even though I disagree with them often. Sadly these few serious movie lovers are often drowned out in the cacophony of junket fattened yahoos declaring every flick they see: THE BEST FILM THIS YEAR!!!!

You know who should put out a book? David Manning, the non-existent critic for the Ridgefield Press created by a studio to pump up their ads. He has more credibility than 90% of them. ;)

Of course, it's late, I'm tired and I tend to get cranky... :o