Review: Enjoyable. Discuss.

Time Magazine's Richard Corliss wrote a not-so-favorable review of Robert Schwentke's Red, the action comedy based on Warren Ellis' graphic novel of the same name, condemning the movie for many of the same reasons that made me like it enough to see twice. I contemplated sharing my thoughts via tweet, but then realized that it would take more than 140 characters (442 so far, counting html; 357 not counting it).

Corliss writes (and I apoligize if I end up quoting a huge block of text, but it's actually a fairly well-written article that I enjoyed reading):

A more thoughtful film might have investigated the chasm between the dreams older people have of reliving their youthful exploits and the exhausting reality of all that running, killing and flirting. But since this is not a movie about defining true-life heroes but rather about watching movie stars, the audience is instead asked to be impressed by the blinding whiteness of Dreyfuss's teeth and Borgnine's ability to look nearly as spry at 93 as he did in The Dirty Dozen and The Wild Bunch, back when he was a colt in his 50s.

Early on, Frank tells Sarah he hopes she'll look back on her kidnapping "as the great big adventure that it is." Red isn't great or big or much of an adventure; it's a movie designed with no loftier intention than to fill the hours on a long plane ride, and it need not be put on anyone's bucket list. Best to think of the film as Hollywood's latest contribution to the stimulus program: it provides gainful employment for some very pleasing stars and modest enjoyment for the rest of us.

This is one of the problems I had with many of my cinema studies comrades and with cinephiles in general. They make it sound like a bad thing to go to the movies, buy popcorn, and have a good time. I've quoted him before, and I'll quote him again, so like my professor/advisor Pat Day once said (and I paraphrase because he said this three years ago and I have a terrible memory), "Some movies are brussel sprouts, and some movies are twinkies. Some people like brussel sprouts, but some people like twinkies, and that's okay too."

My mom often makes fun of my for liking "bad movies." She says she questions my taste, and wonders if I learned anything from my four years at Oberlin. My response is that yes, I enjoy "bad" movies. I also enjoy great movies, and mediocre ones as well. Watching a movie is an enjoyable experience, and rarely do I leave a theatre/turn off my TV/computer thinking that the last ~2 hours were a waste of time and money-- M. Night Shyamalan's recent Airbender movie a glaring exception. That movie was just awful. Worst thing I've ever seen.

But I digress.

I liked Red. I realize it wasn't Oscar-worthy, but it was $30 worthy (which is about what I spent on tickets and concessions).

Take that, Corliss.