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In (Uncertain) Praise Of Spoilers
San Francisco, 12:26 PM
Fri Dec 18
29 posts in the last 24 hours
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In (Uncertain) Praise Of Spoilers |
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01/18/09
When we could talk of 'spoiling a film,' we didn't need a specific word until recently. Previously, the worst chance was for a comment around the hypothetical water cooler. However, it was pretty much a given that we all had the same level of access to the same media.
That's been slowly becoming less true, partially because of media differentiation, but also because the water cooler is getting bigger. Add in how quickly that the internet can disperse a leaked piece of info.
At a certain point I had to realize that running into spoilers for my favorite shows is bound to happen on the internet. I'm going to read something, or some idiot on LiveJournal is going to have an icon, or I'll link somewhere and figure out something. It might not be directly stated, but it often doesn't have to be.
Now, while my reaction is to try harder to avoid spoilers, I can see how an equally reasonable reaction would be the opposite. Unless I see show X at time Y, the ending is likely to be ruined for me. Therefore, I ruin the ending on my own terms, which diminishes the power of the ending, but gives me a sense of control over the situation.
That, and a very monkey sense of gossip, is what I think the obsession with spoilers comes down to.
01/17/09
I also hate surprise parties too, though. So don't listen to me.
01/17/09
I guess I'm asking if, in this case, a reviewer's opinion of this episode would be any different if they hadn't known, and couldn't tell, the producers left something out?
BTW Kara only thinks she found her 'own' corpse, and Tigh only thinks that Ellen is one of the final five. I still think Tigh and the other three are a different species of Cylons and have no connection to the 'real' final five or the original twelve (basically being used as red herrings for the story).
01/17/09
01/17/09
And I think it was the best choice, not as a cheap shocker, but for the story as a whole. It looks like we're about to go into a weird, "what the hell is going on" back story we're about robots who live for thousands of years. A story like that can easily lack emotion. Putting a real, human relationship in the mix adds a lot of depth.
I actually think this would have worked best as a surprise, particularly after Dee's suicide. But I don't think it really was one to anyone who, like me, took the Last Supper picture seriously. I mean, look at it now, without the paranoid eyes. It's obvious.
01/17/09
01/17/09
I don't know, but I assume that's what he was getting at.
01/17/09
01/17/09
Have there been that many cases of that? Yikes. Not that it couldn't be useful, but art direction by fanboy reaction isn't a lot more appealing than art direction by studio head.
01/17/09
01/17/09
Well, "good" is relative. I mean, for some people, that would suck.
01/17/09
01/17/09
01/17/09
Film making isn't about twists, and M Night's films haven't been setups for a final twist.
Perhaps the studios should also be sending screeners missing the last minute, so that bloggers can review the value of a work not on shocking twists, but drama, writing, directing, acting, etc. All the craftmanship that goes into making a film.
focus on twists and ta-tah emotions is more of a sport / reality-tv frame of mind, imho.
01/17/09
"Film making isn't about twists, and M Night's films haven't been setups for a final twist."
Maybe they weren't before, but after the first couple films that's all anyone really watched them for. And after the first couple films, they started to be disappointed in the endings.
I recall something I read very recently, which was that the writer and director of The Usual Suspects said that they realized the film needed to be about more than just the ending. Basically, it needed to be a solid film even _after_ you'd watched it several times and knew (or at least thought you knew) what was really happening.