Round of 64 (Tier 4): The Social Network vs. The Godfather • Page 3

I wouldn’t say critics are the main factor when it comes to who chooses if a film is great or not. Otherwise any film that got universal acclaim on Metacritic would objectively be the greatest films ever made.

 

Not really. Deep critical analysis and academic readings of cinema tend to bear out consistent high points in the medium, and often those films are beloved by audiences who have seen them as well. Critics aren't perfect, obviously, but when we talk about most praised films, I think critical appraisals or compilations of critic polls are a good place to point to and start off from.

 

You know what also is very commonly on those retrospective lists? The Social Network.

 

Yes it does. This whole poll is talking about many of the greatest films ever made, after all.

 

Quick glances at a couple "best of the century lists"

The Guardian
54. The Social Network
26. Yi Yi
11. Mulholland Drive
5. In the Mood for Love

BBC
27. The Social Network
8. Yi Yi
2. In the Mood for Love
1. Mulholland Drive

 

Literally nobody has said this. Ridiculous strawman.

 

I couldn’t disagree more. Especially if we compare how critics view a film compared to an audience and their polls for greatest films. The critics make up a much smaller number so I wouldn’t say they make the bigger impact when it comes to art.

 

Critics are (at least partially) why films like The Godfather, The Social Network, and In the Mood for Love are remembered as the greatest films of their times. I do weigh the thoughts of critics I respect far more than the thoughts of general audiences, they know more about film as an art. The box office and Rotten Tomatoes can measure how popular a film is, for a measure of greatness, I want to hear from those who know what they’re talking about

 

no one has said a single time in this thread that the social network sucks. what a baffling series of posts by that dude

 

They Shoot Pictures has In the Mood for Love, Mulholland Dr., and Yi Yi as their top three, I just had the order wrong.

General audiences are part of the equation but critics are more likely to help shape the long-term understanding of the classics. They saved Citizen Kane from obscurity and invented the whole concept behind auteur theory.

 

A reminder: this is a matchup of each year's winners. It is like comparing Olympic gold medalists or teams that won the World Series. For all we know, The Social Network could be someone's second favorite film of all time but just happens to be going against their favorite, The Godfather. It is not a slight to lose to The Godfather.

 

Sure they help some films stay relevant in this day but there are films that critics didn’t favor as much but I’m sure many people would find to be among the greats.

Prime example: Forrest Gump. It’s often regarding from polls I’ve seen (made from critics and non critics) as one of the greatest ever made but on Metacritic it got an 82 and on RT it got like a 71 or something

 

Critics aren't a monolith; I can't think of a single revered film that doesn't have some sort of school of film criticism backing it.

 

I’m not sure what you mean, it seems your example of a film dismissed by critics is Forrest Gump, which you also cite as being polled by critics as one of the greatest films ever made.

 

Is Forrest Gump still well-regarded? It always felt like people started to like it less and less over time.

 

Beating Pulp Fiction at every award show hasn’t been good for its legacy.

 

I’m mostly pointing out that it’s a film I’ve seen critics and non critics both regard as a great film, yet it’s critic scores don’t reflect that.

 

In 2011 it was selected by the library of congress to be placed in the national film registry so I’d say so.

 

Forrest Gump is a really divisive film, though. It always had some hatred for its right-wing politics, and that chorus has only grown louder over time. It is not as universally beloved as The Godfather.

 

they made a joke in the big sick like five years ago about how people don’t like it anymore

 

Sure, I was talking more about write ups and retrospectives and aggregate “great films” lists, put together by publications and film critics and scholars, less so Metacritic and RT, who just take review scores on a film and try to quantify them, which I don’t really value as important at all.

 

Ahhh got it

 

The Social Network Sucks.

(someone now said it)

Whether I believe it or not, is open to interpretation.

 

jason

 

I thought you wanted someone to say it, and then we can discuss it...