Beware the Spoilerfinks, my son!
The pix that wreck, the blurbs that pillage!
Beware the cover art and shun
The ruinous menu spillage!
That’s the prelude to this entertaining piece by Jim Emerson about DVD packaging that can spoil a movie’s surprises. Also, don’t miss this nostalgic aside:
“… one of the Great Mysteries of Cinema that we've now lost…For most of the first century of the existence of motion pictures the average moviegoer could not own a film. It was an evanescent experience, like a dream you can't fully remember. You could only rent it as it flashed before your eyes…”
Read the full story. And (spoiler alert) here’s a DVD spoiler list.
why do people expect others not to reveal the plots, specially of films which were released years ago?!!
ReplyDeleteit is interesting if you compare it with literature. no one will point a finger if you, say, reveal that {SPOILER} Madame Bovary dies in the end !! why this special treatment for films.
I think this self-imposed injunction severely hampers good public discussion on films.
Well, I can sympathize with someone who doesn't want to know about a film's plot beforehand - which is why spoiler alerts are, I suppose, necessary. But if someone opts to read a lengthy write-up about a movie and then complains that too much was disclosed - well, that's plain silly. My reviews (and the kinds of reviews I enjoy reading) are more often than not discussions, so it probably makes sense to read them after seeing the film.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking as a reviwer, I'd say it's pointless to discuss in abstractions. At points discussion of the plot becomes rather important, don't you think?
ReplyDeleteTherefore, like Jabberwock, I'd say read the reviews only after you know what they are referring to. Or if you aren't really bothered about the suspense factor.
But the DVD pre-movie/ cover pic spoilers are painful. If you get them even if you aren't looking...
Jabberwock:
ReplyDeleteI had to scroll a looong way down to get to this window (after another few clicks) and now I hve forgotten what I was supposed to write rather comment. Yeah, frankly I woudnt be bothered with the movies (the C and the D grade that you seem to like) but i do feel that revealing plots (prior to watching) actually gives you an insight on what you are about to suffer/watch. Personally speaking, it saves you all that tension or anxiety.
PS: By the way I think Helen is a great comfort to ladies today who think they are flabby. They need to just rewind a few tapes, sit back and luxuriate in a feeling that underlines 'You are better than her, atleast!'
PJ
"the C and the D grade that you seem to like"
ReplyDeleteHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHa...
Thanks PJ, you've just made my day! That was brilliant! You should change your initials to GJ now (for Good Joke)...
And sorry for making you scroll a looong way down - must've been really inconvenient.