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I have a pretty good handle on my taste in movies. Which is broad, actually. It sometimes doesn't look that way because one category of movies I don't usually like much, fanservice to 19-year-old straight boys, although a small part of the spectrum of film, is a high percentage of the films that get widely released.
And no, I'm not saying that you can only enjoy, for instance, the recent Marvel movies if you're a 19-year-old boy, but let's be real: that's who is being targeted. That is the demo. If you like it, that's a happy accident. As it turns out, I don't like it. Which is fine - there's that whole spectrum of the rest of film, and there are films coming out all the time I do like. I don't have time to see all the films that are coming out that I want to see! And some of them get bankrolled because of the money made by those fanservice films! It's a great situation to be in.
But returning to my point: I have a pretty good handle on my taste in movies. You could guess this without trying too hard; I did devote my life to making movies, and I did get a graduate degree in paying attention to what I like in movies, and I do sometimes get asked to teach other people about what I like in movies.
Yet by and large when I say I'm not interested in seeing the new Star Trek and don't think I'd like it, people assume I must now know what I'm talking about because I haven't seen it yet. Never mind that things I don't like include (1) movies directed by JJ Abrams, (2) scripts by Damon Lindelof, (3) acting by Zachary Quinto, (4) pastiche, (5) fan service, (6) female characters in their underwear/micro-miniskirts for no reason, (7) excessive photoshoppy lens flare, (8) spacecraft that looks like an Apple product, and (9) people messing with the end of Wrath of Khan. All of which nobody disputes are in there.
Now, you may not mind those things. You may even like them. Or you may dislike those things, but like other things in the movie enough to overcome your dislike of those things. I get that. I like Chris Pine's Kirk and Zoe Saldana's Uhura; I like Benedict Cumberbatch and Simon Pegg. I like going to see expensive spacefaring science fiction movies in theaters. I wouldn't even be a dick about seeing this particular movie, if you really wanted me to go with you and bought me a ticket. I'm sure it's competently made and has some good moments. I'm not going to try to talk you out of liking this movie if you like it.
But it's not really my thing and I'm not planning on going. If I have time to see a movie in the next month, and I get to pick, it's probably going to be Frances Ha.
But that's not really what I'm writing about. What I'm writing to say is: isn't it strange that people don't trust me to know whether or not I want to see Star Trek? If I said I didn't want to watch Saw -- or Frances Ha -- I tend to think that would be taken at face value. But with Star Trek, I clearly haven't thought it through, and am maybe bullying some poor kids who shucks worked so hard to make me happy or something.
Guys, the movie's going to make plenty of money without me. There will be more for you. It's going to be fine.
And no, I'm not saying that you can only enjoy, for instance, the recent Marvel movies if you're a 19-year-old boy, but let's be real: that's who is being targeted. That is the demo. If you like it, that's a happy accident. As it turns out, I don't like it. Which is fine - there's that whole spectrum of the rest of film, and there are films coming out all the time I do like. I don't have time to see all the films that are coming out that I want to see! And some of them get bankrolled because of the money made by those fanservice films! It's a great situation to be in.
But returning to my point: I have a pretty good handle on my taste in movies. You could guess this without trying too hard; I did devote my life to making movies, and I did get a graduate degree in paying attention to what I like in movies, and I do sometimes get asked to teach other people about what I like in movies.
Yet by and large when I say I'm not interested in seeing the new Star Trek and don't think I'd like it, people assume I must now know what I'm talking about because I haven't seen it yet. Never mind that things I don't like include (1) movies directed by JJ Abrams, (2) scripts by Damon Lindelof, (3) acting by Zachary Quinto, (4) pastiche, (5) fan service, (6) female characters in their underwear/micro-miniskirts for no reason, (7) excessive photoshoppy lens flare, (8) spacecraft that looks like an Apple product, and (9) people messing with the end of Wrath of Khan. All of which nobody disputes are in there.
Now, you may not mind those things. You may even like them. Or you may dislike those things, but like other things in the movie enough to overcome your dislike of those things. I get that. I like Chris Pine's Kirk and Zoe Saldana's Uhura; I like Benedict Cumberbatch and Simon Pegg. I like going to see expensive spacefaring science fiction movies in theaters. I wouldn't even be a dick about seeing this particular movie, if you really wanted me to go with you and bought me a ticket. I'm sure it's competently made and has some good moments. I'm not going to try to talk you out of liking this movie if you like it.
But it's not really my thing and I'm not planning on going. If I have time to see a movie in the next month, and I get to pick, it's probably going to be Frances Ha.
But that's not really what I'm writing about. What I'm writing to say is: isn't it strange that people don't trust me to know whether or not I want to see Star Trek? If I said I didn't want to watch Saw -- or Frances Ha -- I tend to think that would be taken at face value. But with Star Trek, I clearly haven't thought it through, and am maybe bullying some poor kids who shucks worked so hard to make me happy or something.
Guys, the movie's going to make plenty of money without me. There will be more for you. It's going to be fine.
