Great suggestions for posting in any section of the Downs, Esty – indeed, for posting anywhere on the net.
To kick it back to Squatter’s original topic, the importance of intelligent debate, I thought I’d chip in a few more points. Courteous, respectful discussion is a good thing. Discussion that is also intelligent is even better. One thing that bugs me about a lot of the discussion in the Movie forum is that people rarely seem inclined to go deeper than the most superficial sort of conversation. Posters come to the table with a general opinion about the movie (or an actor, or a line of dialogue, or whatever) and that’s it. And usually they’re not even willing to re-examine this broad generalization or take it to a more detailed level. In the words of the great Dirty Harry, “Opinions are like—”... well, I can’t really quote Harry the whole way; suffice to say everybody’s got one. It’s no great shakes to have an opinion. A well-considered opinion is another matter.
As a person who loves movies and the moviemaking process, there are lots of things I’d love to discuss about FotR, TTT, and the forthcoming RotK. In Books, we plumb for hidden shades of meaning in lines of dialogue, discuss the themes of the work, compare and contrast with other great pieces, admire particularly adept instances of Tolkien’s craftsmanship, and so on. Now granted, the movies don’t have anywhere near the breadth, depth, and complexity of Tolkien’s corpus, but we can relate the movies back to the books, and in the Extended Edition DVD, we have unprecedented access to the filmmakers’ process and intentions. It would be nice to see more Movie discussions move beyond a simple loved it/hated it opinion-fest and into more thoughtful consideration of specific aspects of the films.
Are you bringing your “A” game to Movies? You may want to check yourself against some of these guidelines:
BE SPECIFIC: There’s certainly room to get your loved it/hated it opinion off your chest, especially if you have no one in your RL to express yourself to. But have you been specific about what you loved, what you hated, what you thought could have been better, what you would have done differently, who you would have cast, how you would have adapted or performed a particular scene or moment? Just as in Books, if all you have to say is, “I loved it!” or “I hated it!”, then there’s not a lot to talk about.
BACK UP YOUR OPINION: Have you told us why you feel the way you do? Don’t just give an opinion, explain your reasons for feeling that way.
BE CREATIVE: If you didn’t like something and thought it could have been done better, tell us how. Have ideas on a director or actor who could have handled a particular scene or theme better? Who? What would the scene be like if that person had handled it?
Like all other areas of the Downs, Movies discussion will improve when posters push themselves to high standards of discourse.
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