Compare them with a professional, a man of taste, like Kermode, and you realize they truly are the in-between, on one side there’s Stuckman, on other real critics.

I don't really have an issue with Redlettermedia's opinions because I haven't even been able to know them. They aren't able to put their opinions into an eloquent, concise video on any of the movies. They just sit there meandering, sounding like a crackhead whether they're in character or not. I've never been able to finish any of their videos.

m4st4 wrote:Compare them with a professional, a man of taste, like Kermode, and you realize they truly are the in-between, on one side there’s Stuckman, on other real critics.

What don't you like about Stuckmann?

Define what a "real critic" is. Whatever your opinion on Stuckman is, he has really helped create this big boom in video reviewing as an art form instead of just writing up your thoughts and sending them to the local paper and hoping it shows up in an article somewhere. Stuckman is a very different critic to Kermode who expresses through words rather than doing it visually. RLM is the lowest version of "both sides" because they're not genuine personalities. Ebert had a personality, Kermode has a personality, Stuckman has one. I'd even say they seem embarrassed whenever they are giving out nuggets of positivity. They seem so much more enthusiastic when talking about the bad parts of a movie than the good parts.

BlairCo wrote:

Batfan175 wrote:

BlairCo wrote:If they don't take film reviewing seriously, then I don't take their videos seriously.

You know they made a commentary about Rogue One where they discussed in-depth what they thought of the film, yes?

I listened to about an hour of it today, and all I heard was people who just wanted to make fun of a movie for not being another beloved movies. They brush along the positive aspects of the movie by merely mentioning there are any existing, yet when there is any kind of nitpick that needs highlighting, they hack it to pieces with an axe. They inflate the negative to a ridiculous degree and merely acknowledge that positives exist and refuse to go into any kind of discussion. It fuels to this ridiculous modern day mentality that everything is either "the best thing in existence" or "the worst thing in existence". I see RLM as nothing more than satirists, and they're not very good satirists because they blur the lines between when they're being mocking or genuine.

I didn't get the impression that they thought it was "the worst thing in existence". My guess is, and their prequel commentaries are a testament to this, that they think there is too much reverence and attention being given to something as simple as Star Wars. My guess is they also find this particular entry to be overpraised because of how it's seemingly a gritty film where characters die and that this alone is a bit childish. When people are saying that Star Wars is finally for a more adult audience the RLM guys are not sure who really asked for that. From what I got by listening to their commentary, the Star Wars films have been about the destruction of a galactic space ball belonging to an evil wizard who employs a knight in black armour and who kidnaps a princess that the hero is going to save...and I kinda agree. Star Wars is a space opera but not particularly deep. They're saying that people have tried to make Star Wars into something more epic and grandiose that is not just a fun space adventure and hence this particular film does not work for them because if you want to make a serious drama you need to seriously develop the characters and make them more compelling than they are in this film.

They are critiquing this movie within the context of it being a part of this big franchise, but they like to believe they are just reviewing it as "just a film" when in actuality they are reviewing it through the lens of the Star Wars legacy. For me, A New Hope is my favourite movie because it is textbook hero's journey, but it didn't need to be a part of a bigger universe. Rogue One is my favourite film from the new Disney regime because it has those familiar beats from Star Wars, but isn't afraid to try something a little bit different. For me, it struck the perfect balance. "But you need character development for us to care about what's going on!" Sure, but you still cared about what happened to everybody in Dunkirk despite getting zero character development. Whatever gaps are left for a character, that is an invitation for you to fill them up with your imagination. I like to view Chirrut and Baze as a bitter gay couple, and even though it came from my imagination, there's nothing in the movie to dispute that theory.

Batfan175 wrote: I didn't get the impression that they thought it was "the worst thing in existence". My guess is, and their prequel commentaries are a testament to this, that they think there is too much reverence and attention being given to something as simple as Star Wars. My guess is they also find this particular entry to be overpraised because of how it's seemingly a gritty film where characters die and that this alone is a bit childish. When people are saying that Star Wars is finally for a more adult audience the RLM guys are not sure who really asked for that. From what I got by listening to their commentary, the Star Wars films have been about the destruction of a galactic space ball belonging to an evil wizard who employs a knight in black armour and who kidnaps a princess that the hero is going to save...and I kinda agree. Star Wars is a space opera but not particularly deep. They're saying that people have tried to make Star Wars into something more epic and grandiose that is not just a fun space adventure and hence this particular film does not work for them because if you want to make a serious drama you need to seriously develop the characters and make them more compelling than they are in this film.

Um... I actually agree with Batfan here.
Huh. Interesting.

Numbers wrote:

Batfan175 wrote: I didn't get the impression that they thought it was "the worst thing in existence". My guess is, and their prequel commentaries are a testament to this, that they think there is too much reverence and attention being given to something as simple as Star Wars. My guess is they also find this particular entry to be overpraised because of how it's seemingly a gritty film where characters die and that this alone is a bit childish. When people are saying that Star Wars is finally for a more adult audience the RLM guys are not sure who really asked for that. From what I got by listening to their commentary, the Star Wars films have been about the destruction of a galactic space ball belonging to an evil wizard who employs a knight in black armour and who kidnaps a princess that the hero is going to save...and I kinda agree. Star Wars is a space opera but not particularly deep. They're saying that people have tried to make Star Wars into something more epic and grandiose that is not just a fun space adventure and hence this particular film does not work for them because if you want to make a serious drama you need to seriously develop the characters and make them more compelling than they are in this film.

Um... I actually agree with Batfan here.
Huh. Interesting.

Me too.
I'm not a fan of Rogue One. Found it very bland, uninspiring and generally pointless, not helped by most of the performances lacking charisma, mind.
Regarding RLM. They're film fans who review films (predominately the big blockbuster movies which I rarely watch anyway) in a entertaining manner and I don’t think they see themselves as anything more than that.

That is the dumbest stance, to think that something is ‘too simple’ while the other thing is complex enough to get proper critical attention.

Craftsmanship is not exclusive to indies, award winning dramas and whatnot, people can (and will) continue to discuss Star Wars in depth because it managed to capture the imagination of millions back in ‘77 and is doing the same thing even in 2018. Also, logically, more exposure to g.a. means more discussion.

RLM are cynical old farts who are enjoying this one life we have less and less with each passing year, that is their problem.

I did strongly disagree with their views on TLJ,though.
But I still found their review amusing.

Depends how much you're invested in the film they're praising or criticising.