'So Bad It's Good' Does Not Make It Good · 9:21pm Dec 5th, 2019
There's something I think I need to say...
So I hear a lot about how some people prefer films that are 'so bad it's good' over average or mediocre films.
So, for instance, people prefer Batman and Robin by Joel Schumacher to Batman VS Superman by Zack Snyder.
I mean, I see how this works. A film can certainly be entertainingly bad and gain more attention that way.
But then I hear how people wish films were made in the manner of 'So Bad It's Good'.
I'm sorry but...that doesn't work.
One thing people need to remember is that virtually no-one sets out to make a bad movie.
With modern film studios having so much influence in the field of advertising and marketing, it's fairly natural for not all those films to have as much lasting impact yet follow so many trends already-done.
Well, of course they follow the trends.
It's not that it's cheap, it's that it's safe. Investors need to be certain the film's going to work.
A film that takes risks is always hopeful but if it doesn't work, it can have a very negative impact, not just on the money but on the art.
People aren't going to want to try those risks again, or support those that do.
That's not to say filmmakers should never take risks. But care is essential.
Those films everyone laughs at when they're not meant to...well, they are just that.
And we can't expect the same sort of film to be made because the films themselves were mistakes. And a filmmaker that repeats their own mistakes rarely ever lasts long.
When a trend goes bad, it can take years to recover and stuff that could actually have been good gets put on hold indefinitely. And we, the public must take some responsibility for that, not just the producers and investors.
The misaimed support for 'So Bad It's Good' filmmaking creates a culture of 'Village-Idiocy'. Laughing at those who don't mean to be laughed at sounds harmless in theory but what about the people on the other end? It can affect them very badly.
That shouldn't be something the film industry should pursue.
I get very hacked off when people rail on wonderful film-makers like Tim Burton, Peter Jackson or Guy Richie for making big-budget, trend-following films that don't go over so well while supporting films like The Room.
Tommy Wiseau is not a misunderstood filmmaking genius. Nothing he has ever done intentionally gives that impression and everything he's done accidentally doesn't give him any credit to that regard. In his first time making a film, he did things that have gotten better directors, actors and producers blacklisted by the public and people still adore him because they think it's all a joke.
It's not. And that's one of the reasons I pity him quite a bit.
He doesn't need more media attention. He needs help.
It's like a playground mentality. The 'Class Clown' thing. Some poor kid will do stupid things that puts his future at risk because he feels its the only way he can get love and attention from his peers.
Now, I'm not saying people shouldn't enjoy films that are 'So Bad, It's Good'. But I don't think people should push for that to be a goal in filmmaking.
Let me finish my point by using this analogy.
A teacher has two papers from two kids.
One paper is worth a D-.
The other is worth an F.
Now, the teacher might have had a more memorable, maybe even amusing time marking the F paper.
But she's not going to give that F paper more credit for that.
Both should aim to improve but the D- is closer to an actually good mark. Push that further.
For the F, there's a lot of other things going wrong and it might be better to just move the kid down and let him work out whatever mess he's in with a better environment.
Either way, you don't let either of them off and you certainly don't put the F paper before the D-.
I guess I'm a bit worked up about this. I just feel like the whole 'So Bad It's Good' stuff may one day cause more harm than good.
And hell, if it becomes a trend, you'll get the mediocre just as much as any other trend. So you'll have shot yourself in the foot pushing it to become the very thing you hate.
Think on it.
wise words, my friend, wise words.
I don't judge a film on anything but their characters.... specifically the villains.
And in the case of what you mentioned...
Arnolds ice puns is a thousand times better than Eisenbergs nervous little twitch's
5170184
I am aware.
Still, that's not what audiences at the time thought.
Films can improve vastly with age but that style of filmmaking was, at the time, as tired and overdone as the 'Grimdark Super-Anti-Hero' is today.
And just like that film, has caused audiences to regard the style as unfashionable as a result.
Yes. So much yes.
I have never, ever, understood what makes people deliberately seek out terrible movies in the interest of enjoying them in some ironic fashion. Doesn't matter if it's The Room, Troll 2, or whatever else you want to think up.
5182856
Well, I mean, I can understand just enjoying them.
There are a few rather poor films I enjoy watching. Could be someone's very over-the-top performance or a very weird design.
But I draw the line at actually encouraging the emulation of famous cinematic failures.