Why Does Modern Music Suck As Badly As Music Has Ever Sucked?

[XXXWriterDude]

Music is all relative, and people are all contradictory. It's funny how I can say I HATE HATE HATE Gwen Stefani's wretchedly bland, predictable crap (like that atrocious "Hollaback Girl"--UGH!) one minute but want to tap my feet along to Fergie's "London Bridge" the next. Weird.

I love Madonna, but I can't stand Britney or Evanescence.

I'm not real big on commercial jingles, but really... is there anything more representative of "pop culture" than that?

It's all good to me. Well, mostly anyway. There's a lot I dont like (and can't stand), but I'm actually happy that there's a lot MORE that I do like. I'm all over the place when it comes to music. It sometimes makes my friends go wacky when we're on road trips and I have my iPod on shuffle, but to me, variety is the spice of life.

[desslock]

As an aside, this right here is the reason I do not assign ratings, ranks or scores to the movie reviews on FriskyFans. People ask me why avoid this, because almost all other sites and magazines assign scores.

I just talk about the good parts of the movie, which, if that particular reader happens to appreciate, should hit the right notes.

Since two perfectly intelligent people can watch the same movie.... or listen to the same song..... or eat the same food, and have completely different opinions, I don't rank them.

It's like when one person sits dowm to guacamole and chips, and find it a delicious appitizer. The next person will frown down at the same guacamole and only thinks how it looks like it just came out of a baby.

Steve

[XXXWriterDude]

As an aside, this right here is the reason I do not assign ratings, ranks or scores to the movie reviews on FriskyFans. People ask me why avoid this, because almost all other sites and magazines assign scores.

I just talk about the good parts of the movie, which, if that particular reader happens to appreciate, should hit the right notes.

Since two perfectly intelligent people can watch the same movie.... or listen to the same song..... or eat the same food, and have completely different opinions, I don't rank them.

It's like when one person sits dowm to guacamole and chips, and find it a delicious appitizer. The next person will frown down at the same guacamole and only thinks how it looks like it just came out of a baby.

Steve

You wouldn't get very far in the entertainment journalism industry then. LOL! Of course everyone has different opinions. In my line of work, however, we are expected to offer critical analyses of movies and always point out what we didn't like about them, rather than write something positive simply for the sake of writing something positive. I suppose point of view is cultivated over time from viewing a lot of entertainment. I've been a movie buff since I was a tiny kid, and I consider myself an expert on good storytelling and on being able to pinpoint what is "good" or "bad" about any given movie. Of course, I acknowledge that many people will disagree with me, but I can't let that stop me from giving my personal opinion.

For instance, I think the upcoming movie Fur starring Nicole Kidman as photographer Diane Arbus is quite possibly the best film I have seen all year, but I'm quite prepared for many to pan it. But that doesn't mean I am wrong about it being one of the best films of the year.

I place a lot of value in criticism. I don't always agree with it, but I am much more likely to go see a movie that gets good press than I am to see one that is ravaged by the critics, unless it's a movie I was intent on seeing to begin with. I think as long as the critic explains why he or she thinks something is only deserving of one or two stars, I'm fine with them using a ratings system. In fact, I prefer it. It's stronger, not so wishy-washy. It's all about being able to back the review up with a good, solid analysis.

[DonMike]

You know, you have a good handle on writing movie reviews, Ken, but I'm amazed at how many of the reviews I read totally suck. I read a capsulized review of a new romantic comedy that the reviewer didn't like, they gave the premise in one line and then said something like "It's not very fun, the guy gets the girl in the end and everyone lives happily ever after. Don't bother." Now, we know in most romantic comedies the guy gets the girls, but once in a while he doesn't. And why not leave that up to the audience goer to see. Almost all the reviews I've read lately give the ending away or at least some major plot point that is supposed to be a surprise. I'm at the point now where I don't even want to read them anymore.

The worst review I've ever read was for Dazed and Confused, I film I really liked. Now, I can respect someone else's viewpoint and I rarely expect people to share my like and opinions on movies unless they are as strange and twisted as I am, however, this guy actually said, "...in this coming of age film nobody comes of age". First of all, it was not a coming of age film at all, it was a slice of life film. And what a lame ass statement, "nobody comes of age". Even if that was his opinion he could have stated it a little better. I was half expecting to read, "Me not like movie, it not make me feel good". Grrrrr.

[XXXWriterDude]

You know, you have a good handle on writing movie reviews, Ken, but I'm amazed at how many of the reviews I read totally suck. I read a capsulized review of a new romantic comedy that the reviewer didn't like, they gave the premise in one line and then said something like "It's not very fun, the guy gets the girl in the end and everyone lives happily ever after. Don't bother." Now, we know in most romantic comedies the guy gets the girls, but once in a while he doesn't. And why not leave that up to the audience goer to see. Almost all the reviews I've read lately give the ending away or at least some major plot point that is supposed to be a surprise. I'm at the point now where I don't even want to read them anymore.

The worst review I've ever read was for Dazed and Confused, I film I really liked. Now, I can respect someone else's viewpoint and I rarely expect people to share my like and opinions on movies unless they are as strange and twisted as I am, however, this guy actually said, "...in this coming of age film nobody comes of age". First of all, it was not a coming of age film at all, it was a slice of life film. And what a lame ass statement, "nobody comes of age". Even if that was his opinion he could have stated it a little better. I was half expecting to read, "Me not like movie, it not make me feel good". Grrrrr.

Oh, yeah, I should have qualified my statement to say: "I place a lot of value in GOOD criticism."

I've read some pretty bad reviews as well. I guess I mostly read reviews in Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly and Premiere, where their writers know how to review movies.

[SPACE GLIDER]

Did you make those up??? LOL! Okay, who are you? Where are you from?

I'm from California and those are real comercial jingles. I've always loved things like jingles and TV show theme songs (R.I.P.). Can't stand it that, during the hoiday season, Toys R Us no longer uses their old "I Wanna Be a Toys R Us" kid ad. That was really catchy. :kid:

[DonMike]

Oh, yeah, I should have qualified my statement to say: "I place a lot of value in GOOD criticism."

I've read some pretty bad reviews as well. I guess I mostly read reviews in Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly and Premiere, where their writers know how to review movies.

Right on. I think people who write, whatever the capacity is, are more conscious of other people's writing.

[DonMike]

I'm from California and those are real comercial jingles. I've always loved things like jingles and TV show theme songs (R.I.P.). Can't stand it that, during the hoiday season, Toys R Us no longer uses their old "I Wanna Be a Toys R Us" kid ad. That was really catchy. :kid:

Right on. Well, if you're near SoCal you should come to the next webmaster lunch. Hey everybody, when are we having the next webmaster lunch. I smell a new thread.

[XXXWriterDude]

Right on. I think people who write, whatever the capacity is, are more conscious of other people's writing.

I was told by my creative writing teacher in college that "Great writers are great readers," so you would probably be right on that.