MOVIE REVIEWS
the anthrotographer
Film is a way for us to play out different lives, trek through different dimensions, and see through the eyes of other bodies. It is a magical art form, the one most captivating to us. Each film is to be respected because it teaches a lesson and is its own unique looking glass. Some are more gripping than others, for their cinematography, narrative, message or all of the above. That is why our reviews try to focus on thoughts inspired by a film (what cool things does this film really have to offer), and less about judging it for judgements sake. We can't say the latter never happens, but we try to stay away from it.
The Rating system (1-10), just like any rating system, is going to be subjective and probably unnecessary. We are still judging to see if we keep it in the long run. So to make it as fair and consistent as possible we have some guidelines that we try to base our ratings off of:
- Originality/Uniqueness: simply, I haven't seen something like this before. The more unique a film is in its form and content the better the score usually. Originality is relative though, especially with sequels. As long as some new elements are brought to an old story, and they work together well, it can be a unique film. Uniqueness in some ways can be measured. For example, you can tell when a film follows a formulaic structure. You can tell when a story was based off another story or a visual was inspired by a past artist. But it's definitely not an exact science.
- Enjoyability: this is more subjective than even originality. It has to do more with how a movie tugs at our emotions. Visuals, music, and story have a lot to do with it. Everyone is affected and enjoys these things differently. For 'the anthrotographer' we enjoy the great graphics of a modern Disney movie like 'Soul', the fun soundtrack of let's say 'Juno', or the story of 'The Imitation Game', all on their own. It's when a movie puts all those components together to create an emotional roller coaster - that's what really draws us.
- Trueness to the Objective: if a movie claims to be a certain thing it should be judged on that scale. An action movie is not going to necessarily focus on having a great story, but as long as the action is exciting (like 'Crank' w/ Jason Statham which is a stupid but awesome movie) it ought to get a good rating.