Thank you, Christopher! Rays of God Part 2 is coming in a few days! I am looking forward to writing more about movies. (I really, really, really want Disclosure Day to be great!)
I'm torn about reading reviews for that film. It seems like Spielberg wants minimal information to be known about it. Should I go into it cold? For certain reasons, I know I won't be seeing it in theaters. Can I avoid the reviews that long?
This is a tough question! I’m of two minds on this. On the one hand, I do really enjoy the experience of going into a movie having no idea what to expect. On the other hand, I don’t *need* that to enjoy a movie, and I do feel like anti-spoiler culture long ago metastasized into something unhealthy and fetishistic.
Most of the time, a movie that can be truly “spoiled” by knowing what’s going to happen isn’t a good movie, or at least a viewing experience that can be spoiled that way isn’t a good viewing experience (whether it’s the fault of the movie or the viewer). In general, people who really love movies should be able to enjoy a good movie whether or not they know what’s going to happen. It might not be the *same* experience, but that doesn’t make it a lesser experience.
There *are* relatively rare movies with profoundly subversive twists that are best experienced as real twists. (At the age of 11, before The Empire Strikes Back even opened, I read a very brief novelization-type summary in a local newspaper that actually spoiled “I am your father” for me. Looking back, I can’t believe that was allowed to happen!)
But probably two-thirds or more of what many people call “spoilers” aren’t even spoilers at all. Most of the time, anything that happens in the first act shouldn’t be considered a spoiler. Just because something may be surprising when it happens doesn’t mean that knowing it ahead of time detracts from the experience. If it doesn’t cause you to radically reinterpret what you thought you knew (like From Dusk Till Dawn suddenly revealing itself as a vampire movie), and it doesn’t completely change the whole direction of the movie (like Janet Leigh being killed in Psycho), chances are it‘s not a spoiler. (Actually, I take it back about From Dusk Till Dawn. I’m not sure even that should be considered a spoiler.)
Sometimes knowing what’s going to happen can actually enhance a first viewing! You can appreciate better the artistry that would normally take a couple of viewings to recognize. This can actually be helpful for a critic!
In this case, though, I’m still too cold on Disclosure Day to advise you! After I see it, I’ll try to offer you the best guidance I can. 😄
Empire was spoiled for you? As Luke would say, "NOOOO!" (By the way, I've always known that twist.) The definitive movie twist of my generation was spoiled for me too. I used to "hang out" at chat rooms, and somebody revealed the ending of The Sixth Sense. Ugh... I still really enjoyed it when I saw it in theaters and I came to love it after a few more viewings on TV.
I was one of the first people in the US to know who Luke’s father was! And yes, it sucked! However, my experience watching The Sixth Sense was one of absolute, magical perfection—I will write about that some time! That’s a good example of a movie that survives knowing “the twist” though—I’ve watched it many, many times, and it’s very much worth watching over and over!
I look forward to Rays of God Part 2, as well as more movie articles. 👍
Thank you, Christopher! Rays of God Part 2 is coming in a few days! I am looking forward to writing more about movies. (I really, really, really want Disclosure Day to be great!)
I'm torn about reading reviews for that film. It seems like Spielberg wants minimal information to be known about it. Should I go into it cold? For certain reasons, I know I won't be seeing it in theaters. Can I avoid the reviews that long?
This is a tough question! I’m of two minds on this. On the one hand, I do really enjoy the experience of going into a movie having no idea what to expect. On the other hand, I don’t *need* that to enjoy a movie, and I do feel like anti-spoiler culture long ago metastasized into something unhealthy and fetishistic.
Most of the time, a movie that can be truly “spoiled” by knowing what’s going to happen isn’t a good movie, or at least a viewing experience that can be spoiled that way isn’t a good viewing experience (whether it’s the fault of the movie or the viewer). In general, people who really love movies should be able to enjoy a good movie whether or not they know what’s going to happen. It might not be the *same* experience, but that doesn’t make it a lesser experience.
There *are* relatively rare movies with profoundly subversive twists that are best experienced as real twists. (At the age of 11, before The Empire Strikes Back even opened, I read a very brief novelization-type summary in a local newspaper that actually spoiled “I am your father” for me. Looking back, I can’t believe that was allowed to happen!)
But probably two-thirds or more of what many people call “spoilers” aren’t even spoilers at all. Most of the time, anything that happens in the first act shouldn’t be considered a spoiler. Just because something may be surprising when it happens doesn’t mean that knowing it ahead of time detracts from the experience. If it doesn’t cause you to radically reinterpret what you thought you knew (like From Dusk Till Dawn suddenly revealing itself as a vampire movie), and it doesn’t completely change the whole direction of the movie (like Janet Leigh being killed in Psycho), chances are it‘s not a spoiler. (Actually, I take it back about From Dusk Till Dawn. I’m not sure even that should be considered a spoiler.)
Sometimes knowing what’s going to happen can actually enhance a first viewing! You can appreciate better the artistry that would normally take a couple of viewings to recognize. This can actually be helpful for a critic!
In this case, though, I’m still too cold on Disclosure Day to advise you! After I see it, I’ll try to offer you the best guidance I can. 😄
Empire was spoiled for you? As Luke would say, "NOOOO!" (By the way, I've always known that twist.) The definitive movie twist of my generation was spoiled for me too. I used to "hang out" at chat rooms, and somebody revealed the ending of The Sixth Sense. Ugh... I still really enjoyed it when I saw it in theaters and I came to love it after a few more viewings on TV.
I was one of the first people in the US to know who Luke’s father was! And yes, it sucked! However, my experience watching The Sixth Sense was one of absolute, magical perfection—I will write about that some time! That’s a good example of a movie that survives knowing “the twist” though—I’ve watched it many, many times, and it’s very much worth watching over and over!