Why Watching Online Movie Critics Makes Me Feel Better

Some of the most popular channels on Youtube are movie critics.  Their rise has come because of how much a producer could get with the smaller investment.  A content creator can tape him or herself in a room, or even just record their voice, and let the clips of the movies provide the higher production value.  Since these movies have their own marketing departments, audiences already know what they are.  And since Youtube worked out a fair use clause to utilize movie footage, they could air their reviews and even monetize them.

In some ways I feel guilty for watching so many of these shows rather than searching harder for more original content by people who are willing to take the risk and not ride on the coattails of premade products.  However, I've found that there's something very cathartic about watching the critics slam on bad movies.  There were obvious reasons for this, but as I got to thinking about it, there were more reasons for me that go beyond the usual viewer.

When my own scripts and projects got rejected, I was willing to accept that there could be something better.  Whatever they did choose would probably be a better film, something that I would aspire to with my own writing.  Whenever a film got accepted into a festival mine didn't get into, I thought the same thing.  Then I would watch them...

My discouragement came from the fact that there was nothing to look up to; nothing to aspire to.  What I had presented may not have been perfect, but it was certainly better than what they were choosing.  Added to my frustration was the fact that I was then told that no, I was wrong.  The production companies, studios, and film festivals were right in their choices.  After all, they were the ones in power.  They made more money than me.  Their careers were going great.  They're right and I'm wrong.

Channels like Nostalgia Critic, Lindsay Ellis, Red Letter Media, and Your Movie Sucks beg to differ.  In fact, they've specifically taken on some of the movies that I got rejected in favor of.  Being outside of the industry, they feel no need to conform, or kiss the ass of anyone "important."  They actually scoff at Hollywood's self-importance.

THAT is cathartic.  It may not give me a career or change Hollywood, but it definitely makes me feel better to see movies that are objectively bad and producers who believe they're right about everything get called out on their bullshit.

A Reasonable Discussion of The Last Jedi - Part 6

            So begins the longest slow speed chase since OJ Simpson in the Bronco.  Somehow the resistance ships are able to pull just a little ahead of the First Order ships, but they're not able to gain any more space than that.  I'm not sure how that works, but that's what they claim is happening.

            They're also steadily running out of fuel.  Now, a lot of people have pointed out that this is the first time fuel is mentioned in the Star Wars universe.  That's not true.  You see ships being fueled up in several movies, and you can pretty much assume in any film that ships need fuel.  That's not the problem.

            The problem is, why would they not have taken more fuel with them?  Even if they were escaping in a hurry, you'd imagine that, these being republic ships, they're going to be pretty well fueled.

            But the really baffling part comes when Rose sees Fin.  First, I'm not sure why Rose would be a fan of his because he didn't do anything on the Star Killer Base that would have warranted attention.  But that's beside the point.  What's truly baffling is what she's doing there; keeping people from escaping.  But... that's the whole point of what they're trying to do.  Leia even says later in the film that if at least one person escapes, they can be the spark that reignites the rebellion and restores freedom to the galaxy.  Well then, why not jam the escape pods full of people, launch them, and send them all in different directions.  For that matter, why not have the capitol ships all fly in different directions.  They also apparently have a transport ship that has enough fuel for several jumps as Fin and Rose leave and return on it.  I can't imagine that would be the only one of those transports on board, so use another one.  They could also call Rey back and fill the Falcon with people and have that fly in yet another direction.

            You might be countering this with two things.  First, that the escape pods don't have jump drive ability, which I would be with you on, but if that's the case, why did four people and Fin try to use them to escape in deep space?  Clearly they have hyperspace capabilities.  Second, there are enough First Order ships to follow each of them.  But they make it very clear that only one of them can track them.  So if the resistance just split up, the First Order could only follow one of them.

            But then comes one of the most face palming elements of the entire movie, and it baffles me that I haven't heard anyone else talk about this problem.  So apparently they can only get through the First Order shields with a code breaker, and in the entire galaxy, only two people can do it, Maz, and this person she knows.  Maz tells them she can't do it because she's involved in a labor dispute.  She says this while she's exchanging gunfire with someone.

            So... Let me get this straight.  Maz is... shooting at her employees, and they're shooting back at her.  Seriously.  This is one of the good guys, the owner of a bar who is literally shooting at her employees because of a labor dispute... Huh.  I'm afraid to ask what she does to an employee if they arrive five minutes late.  Also, supposedly she could break this code, but she's too busy to do that because of this labor dispute.  Nice to know that an employee strike at a bar takes precedence over saving the entire galactic republic.  Used to be a time when the rebellion versus the Empire meant something.  But now, it's all about who wants a day off or a raise.

            So Rose and Finn are off to the casino planet where they wax poetic about slavery and cruelty to animals.  Now, I relate to their plight for animals.  My girlfriend and I foster cats and are big into animal rescues.  It's an important issue to us.  But if Nazis were about to take over the world, I think I'd be a little more concerned with stopping them than whether or not someone was whipping a horse.

            In fact, when Rose sets one of the animals free and it runs into a field, I couldn't help but think of how it would look in an episode of The Simpsons.  It disappears into the tall grass, then we see a ship come down from above and scoop the animal up.  You see, setting the animals free in that moment wouldn't do anything.  All they accomplished was to inconvenience the slavers for a little bit.  The way to stop them would be to restore the republic and have that republic make these activities illegal.  You know, that republic that Rose and Fin are supposed to be saving, but might not because they're temporarily setting a few horses free?