The other night I grabbed a film I knew nothing about called "Remember Me." The movie bills itself as, "...an unforgettable story about the power of love, the strength of family, and the importance of living passionately and treasuring every day of one's life." What's not to like? Plus it leads with Rob Pattinson...which I don't get but apparently the girls dig him. Plus I actually dig him too. Team Edward.
Interesting note about this film is the disparity in approval rating from within the Rotten Tomatoes community. The "Critics" awarded Remember Me a dismal 25% on the tomatometer, while in the contrast the "Community" posted a healthy 72%. Makes you wonder about the purpose of the "critic" all together, which in the case of Remember Me is to let the community know they're wrong for liking it.
With user generated review platforms popping up everywhere and about everything (i.e. yelp!) our culture is increasingly relying on itself to be its own critic rather than take the word of an elite few.
Anyway...made me think of a great speech on criticism given by reformed food critic Anton Ego in Pixar's Ratatouille,
"In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little, yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new. The world is often unkind to new talents, new creations. The new needs friends...In the past, I have made no secret of my disdain for Chef Gusteau's famous motto, "Anyone can cook." But I realize - only now do I truly understand what he meant. Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere..."
Moral of the story? I don't know, how about; Enjoy the thoughts of others but not at the expense of your own.