“If a movie is worth watching, it is worth watching again.” – T.J. Royal

And again, and again, and again. Thank you A Clockwork Orange, Friday, Star Wars and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

I have waaaay too many movies “to see” on my list here. But ya gotta have something to shoot for!

I like movies, perhaps too much! I’ve got a gaggle of ‘em on DVD, and I’ve seen lots more. I’m spending way too much time trying to procure Criterion DVDs that don’t cost an arm and a leg, and other classic movies on DVD as well.

I’m a fan of the latest Pixar motion picture as much as I am G.W. Pabst’s Pandora’s Box. I enjoy The Texas Chain Saw Massacre as much as The Wizard of Oz, 2001: A Space Odyssey as much as Mulholland Drive.

And I definitely like Ugetsu as much as A Clockwork Orange, though the latter is more thought-provoking.

I keep my trusty Timeout Film Guide 13th Edition (2005) not too far away from wherever I am, peaking into it and marking movies that I’ve already seen and ought to see. There have literally been hundreds of movies I’ve marked in there that I know I want to see, and several dozen that I have already seen thanks to its wonderful collection of reviews.

More movies to add, more to add……“as time goes by……”

Auteurs related: Do not hate me just because I share a birthday with Michael Bay (February 17). Or that I felt compelled to use “Michael Bay” and “auteur” within the same phrase.

Observation for June 10, 2010: First of all, if you’ve made it this far down my profile and you haven’t been bored yet, I give you a hearty slap on the back in congratulations.

This doesn’t apply in full to anyone who I am following, and it’s not intended to elicit disdain or to act as a guilt trip. This is really just me fully expressing my thoughts on what my movie ratings mean to me, and how I wish to have my expressed taste in movies understood and reflected upon. I also see a trend developing here on The Auteurs that I address.

Usually when I want to watch a movie, I am seeking out one that I believe I will enjoy, whether it’s a completely mainstream experience or something a little more out of the way. The vast majority of movies I end up watching (particularly nowadays) I really do end up enjoying. I have never been a movie-goer who was willing to subject myself to cinema that I have every reason to believe will be unfulfilling, rubbish, disappointing or otherwise unpleasant. That’s why I didn’t go see Valentine’s Day or some other crap on opening weekend this past year.

I guess when I’m rating a movie, I’m simultaneously making a statement for myself, my approval or disapproval of a particular movie. And, with the cumulative effect of ratings over several different films, I’m wishing to make a statement for myself about my taste in movies, which not everyone will agree with or respect, but that I feel perfectly stands on its own and will continue to do so. It’s a reflection of what I enjoy most about cinema, and what I look forward to catching up with in the future.

My enjoyment of recent mainstream fare (The Hangover, The Dark Knight, Kung Fu Panda and Avatar spring to mind) doesn’t mean, however, that I can’t enjoy the upcoming works of someone like Wong Kar-Wai, Sarah Polley or other international or small-scale movies that I haven’t gotten around to seeing, or that I haven’t had my attention drawn to yet. I will never, ever be a stooge to mainstream opinion on films, filmmakers or personalities, even though I do have my favorites, as well as my expectations for future releases. If I give a 4 or 5 star rating to some mainstream motion picture, I genuinely enjoyed it. And I probably enjoyed it for a lot of different reasons too. I’m never going to be dishonest (or negatively attention seeking) with my ratings, and even if you don’t agree with my assessment, you’ll know I’m never, ever trying to pull a fast one over on anybody.

There’s another statement that’s made, however, through movie ratings by some users at this site that I don’t feel said people fully understand when they’re making them.

I like looking through y’all’s movie ratings, to see if our tastes are compatible. (Jared Mobarak has EXCELLENT taste, by the way, since he’s pretty similar to me.) What I’ll see sometimes is somebody with perhaps upwards of 600-2,000 movie ratings, and soooooo many of them will be 1, 2, even 3 star ratings. The 4 and 5 star ratings are sparse.

I’m going to put some thoughts into some people’s heads here, because you all know as well as I do that this is (supposedly) serving a purpose for said person when they’re making the star choices. They are showing that they have “high standards” for their entertainment experiences that mere mortal filmmakers and storytellers can’t begin to approach. It’s, basically, a way of showing off to others.

Now, what they MIGHT not suspect is that this approach to film ratings suggests that they are perfectly willing to waste their time (since they have so much of it to waste) with WHOLE SETS of motion pictures that they know GOING IN they are not going to enjoy.

What that approach says to me is that the person is perfectly willing to sit through a movie they won’t enjoy. They basically have no taste, and are just as willing to sit through garbage as they would a movie truly worthy of attention. I have ZERO respect for such an individual or their taste in motion pictures, and I think in some circumstances it could been seen as a really poor (but accurate) reflection on who that person is.

When I am making my reviews, I typically don’t go into any sort of detail about why I thought the experience was good or awful. I just don’t feel like it at that time. But my ratings are always honest (even if they’re given to change over time, like with The Elephant Man), and I will NEVER have an ulterior motive of showering needless disdain (OR praise) onto motion pictures that don’t warrant it. That’s a promise you can take to the bank.

It’s great that we all agree to disagree about our favorite movies, and there are plenty of sacred cows that have been left unskewered. However, if you are the type of person who undiscerningly and consistently rates worthy movies (Say Seven Samurai or The Wizard of Oz) low, you make a mockery of yourself and your “taste,” and, in my opinion, expose yourself to be a complete imbecile and as someone who isn’t worth the attention that’s being sought nor another second of thought. Go off to your cave by yourself and leave the rest of us alone to enjoy our movies in peace.