ratings

[jfb]

Every time you see a film at Cinequest they ask you to rate it from 1 to 5, so they can give out audience awards at the end of the festival. There are words on the card to tell you what the numbers mean, but like everyone else I have my own definitions. A 2 is a movie I dislike, and is getting less common as Cinequest gets better movies and I get better at screening out the ones I won't like. A 1 is exceedlingly rare (none yet this year), and means that I not only disliked it but could detect no sincere human emotion behind its creation.

Most of my ratings are cradled in the 3-to-4 range. A 3 means I didn't really think there was anything wrong with the movie, it just wasn't my thing. A 4 is a movie I liked. And a 5 is better than a 4.

I saw several 5s last weekend, and then not one all week--lots of good solid 4s, but no 5s at all. I was beginning to wonder if I'd unconsciously raised my standards, or if the sheer blur of so many movies had rendered me incapable of evaluating them. Then late tonight Miles Ahead reminded me what a 5 is: It's a movie that thrills me. Maybe not all the way through, but for some significant stretch it has a physical effect on me--my heart beats faster or I stop blinking or I can't remember to close my mouth.

Shot in Asheville and Waynesville, NC, Miles Ahead is a story about a young man with a lot of grief to get through. It's very much in the love-or-hate vein of The Thin Red Line--slow, luminous shots, non-linear structure, and dialogue that's refreshingly sparse and yet still a little too explainy when it comes. (Hey, Malick's movie is one of my favorites ever, but nobody's perfect.) It also features a great Thomas-Newmanesque score by Joshua Chase, augmented by a montage of Miles Davis recordings.

It's not a masterpiece, but if you like this sort of thing, it's awfully good. Official site, Cinequest page (with trailer), IMDb page.

Comments

interesting

[talking-sock.livejournal.com]

Rating things on Netflix, I stick around 3 and 4 most of the time -- partly because I'm rarely renting something that's a total mystery, the way I use it. I can't recall what I gave a 2 or 1 to, and don't think I've yet given a 5 either.

In my personal universe of film-going recently, Triplets of Belleville is still my only 5 since New Year. I had my mouth open all during that. It was a huge miscarriage of justice not to give it Best Animated and Best Song at the Oscars, but whatever. They suck.

Re: interesting

[jfb.livejournal.com]

Well, the Oscars are not about quality: They are about Oscarness. Finding Nemo was no The English Patient, but it was more Oscary than some wacky French cartoon.

I used to go to a book club where they let us give things fractional ratings, and one of the participants good-naturedly mocked me for always hovering in the 3-to-3.5 range. "I'm going to go out on a limb on this one and give it... three and five ninths."

So I've been working on being a little more open with my opinions, and on Netflix in particular--where nobody else sees my harsh or ecstatic ratings--my distribution is pretty even. I figure if I supply exaggerated versions of my real opinions the recommender will have a much better chance of figuring something out.

Re: interesting

[talking-sock.livejournal.com]

ah, good point. But I would have to be able to actually figure out what an exaggerated version of my own opinion would be, and I just feel pretty jaded by most films now (even without a film festival) and probably can't do it.

Re: interesting

[copperqueen.livejournal.com]

It's that good, eh? I'm always hesitant about animated features for some reason. I'll have to Netflix that one, however.

Re: interesting

[jfb.livejournal.com]

I don't remember if Triplets was a 4 or a 5 for me, but I'd recommend it too. Although I like animated features.

also

[talking-sock.livejournal.com]

I finally remembered another one I thought was amazing-- Last Tango in Paris. I mean, it's gorgeous and weird and the beautiful saturated colors spoke to me. Just a huge shame about the ending. I'd've given it a 5 if it hadn't been for the lame ending. Why aren't more directors this challenging and surprising?

[copperqueen.livejournal.com]

I wonder if it will pick up a distributor? Sounds like something I'd like to see.

[jfb.livejournal.com]

Yeah--I think you'd just mentioned a couple days ago that TTRL is your favorite film, so I was thinking about you when I wrote this up. Although I was also mentioning it as a guidepost for people who hated the Malick movie, so they'd know this isn't the one for them. Sigh.

Of course, they're different, too, so, well, never mind.

Anyway, re distributor, I don't know yet. Their world premiere was here, so it'll probably be a while before any general release. It's very high quality for an indie film--in terms of cinematography and sound, I mean--and it's got Ben Allison, who was in Cold Mountain, so he may be an up-and-comer. I guess I'd hope for a theatrical release, and expect it at least to hit DVD.