The Screen Addict | No. Bad. Films.

There are no bad films. There are opinions about films, sure, but there is no such thing as an objectively bad film. With seven billion people on this planet, chances are that the worst film you’ve ever seen is someone else’s favorite. Furthermore, opinions change over the course of time. When I first saw Pulp Fiction (1994), I didn’t like it. It was so far ahead of its time that I just didn’t get it. Now I consider it a masterpiece, unquestionably one of the very best films I’ve ever seen. Over time, I came to understand that time is the only critic that really matters.

I feel sorry for the so-called film critics, because in our current online society, everybody can be an expert – and that is a good thing. Why would you need someone else to tell you whether you can like a film or not? Maybe even make you feel bad or weird for being enthusiastic about something that is completely burned to the ground by the art authorities? Sure, one can write an in-depth article about the technical merits of a specific production, but whether a film is good or bad, is ultimately a matter of opinion. Art should never ever be judged. It is and always will be subjective. This, of course, renders the (film) critic effectively irrelevant, and that is an understandably hard pill to swallow.

I am not saying that the critic was always irrelevant – although it is very tempting. I am fully aware of the invaluable contribution to film discourse by great film thinkers like Godard and Truffaut, and the institution that was Cahiers du Cinéma. But do we really believe that today’s lazy critic who reluctantly shows up to yet another press and industry screening, has the same insightful things to say as these giants of film history?

I try to see and read about every piece of media that is released today. This is, of course, a Sisyphean attempt, but you can’t blame a genuine fan for trying. What strikes me about every single review I read though, is that so very few of them are written from a place of love. It feels like most professional film critics find their jobs to be just very taxing and exhausting. It seems to almost kill them to write about, let’s say, the latest Michael Bay project, and they often appear to be genuinely upset with the studio that made them come all the way to a luxury screening room and waste their valuable time. But there is hope for the heavily burdened gatekeeper of good taste! Now that traditional windowing is also adapting to social distancing, studios increasingly opt for Premium VoD releases of their prized blockbusters. Hopefully in the near future, no critic will ever have to leave home again to protect us against bad films!

My advice to all the talent that is actually producing and distributing the films, is f*ck the critics. I understand this requires a giant leap of faith but trust me, I am right. The idea that you need the New York Times’ resident film expert to help sell your film is archaic. People today, with all the information that is readily available to them, will make up their own mind. I say again – that is a good thing. What I love about a film is very personal and sometimes even a private matter. I don’t need someone else to tell me whether I am right or wrong about that.

In conclusion, I will take my point one step further. I was once told by a superior that I was too passionate about my work. I replied that I believe you can never be passionate enough. Obviously, I quit that job. Given my earlier observation that virtually no review these days is written out of love for the craft, I will put my money where my passionate mouth is and start a new movement. This movement will be a continuation of what I have always done on this platform, and that is to only write about the films I love. Why would I want to tell anyone about a film I didn’t like? What in the name of Zeus’s BUTTHOLE would be the point? In film, there is nothing more satisfying than sharing with someone why you absolutely loved something you saw. So please make strong arguments about why you liked a film and not, as is the tendency in so many reviews, why you did not.

If my theory holds water, this way every single film will get its platform and with that, its fair share of love from the people it was intended for. I will start the movement from this space by continuing to write about the films I love. Everyone who reads this is welcome to join, and I would love to hear ideas on how to expand the discourse. I know I am not exactly a social media mogul – is 500+ connections a lot? – but we have to start somewhere. Please share, repost, forward etc.

So here we go – the reader who can guess the movie I referenced with the “Zeus’s butthole” remark, will have the “honor” of being the first guest author on my page.

Join me in the fight for Film Justice.

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