Movie reviewers: spill less, kill less

How far should a movie reviewer go when describing plot elements?

It's not easy finding the right balance.

However, I think reviewers who outline entire stories and sprinkle in the odd observation are movie killers. Roger Ebert is one. After all, there's no sense in seeing a movie if you know everything; you'll just be ticking off a list of events as they happen. Wouldn't you rather concentrate on other more interesting things, like the music, the cinematography or maybe the dialogue?

Informed viewers read magazines or keep track of upcoming releases online. They know general plot summaries, who's in what and whether it's likely to be a bomb or a revelation. They may not want to know more until they actually hit the multiplexes.

Some super-serious movie fans wait for many years for Hollywood (or another country's filmmakers) to adapt stories. This is certainly the case for fans of "Watchmen," a comic book series that many believed was unfilmable but is now doing reasonably well in theatres. (According to Wired.com's Underwire blog (http://blog.wired.com/underwire/2009/03/watchmen-receip.html) the film will easily make back Warner Bros' $200 million investment - and probably a lot more after the DVD release). Fans of films like these don't need much from reviewers. Actually rabid fans are almost impervious to poor reviews.

Yes, there are people who spend little time thinking about movies before their release dates, and they want reviews to help them make intelligent choices. And there's value for all in knowing if a movie is bad or good.

But there's a fine line between reviewing and deconstructing.

Personally, if a reviewer has told me the whole story before I've had the chance to see it unfold naturally, it's impossible for me to enjoy it. I want a movie to take me somewhere, but I don't want the road map and a pen to trace it with. I want a story to wash over me. The journey is the experience.

Here's my message to reviewers who get their jollies from spilling beans: save the grade-four-book-report-style reviews for grade four book reports. Set up the story without telling it all. Tease me a bit. Tell me why the movie is unique, who directed it and who's in it. Tell me cool stories about how the movie came to be. Hell, tell me anything that's relevant and interesting, just don't give away the whole thing.

If you truly love movies - and I assume you do - keep the magic alive long enough for your readers to experience it too. Don't be a movie killer. It's not your job.

The film experience: Will you still love me tomorrow?

When was the last time you saw a movie that grabbed you hard and wouldn't let you go? You know, one that really made you think.

I don't just mean one with a complicated plot, I'm talking about a film so engaging or compelling that you found yourself daydreaming about it for the next week or two or three (when, let's face it, you should have been working)?

And does that make it a good film?

I guess it depends to a certain extent on what you want to take away from your movie experience. I have friends who just want to zone out for 90-120 minutes, plow through a jumbo popcorn and a Coke and go home. For these viewers, all but the name of the movie may be a distant memory by the time head hits pillow, and that's just fine with them.

I'm not dismissing this type of experience, but I tend to hold most movies to a higher standard. What I really like is when a story gets stuck to me, like a piece of double-sided tape fusing two of my fingers, and I just can't shake it off.

The Oscar nominated "The Reader" is one such story. I admit that I approached this particular movie night with trepidation because of the reviews I scanned (I never read full reviews until after; don't want a spoiler ruining my night!). They were mixed. As I write this, http://www.rottentomatoes.com/ gives it 61% fresh approval rating, meaning 61% per cent of the reviewers the site includes in its consensus ratings offered a positive review. This is quite a low rating for this site; most Best Picture nominees hit well over 80 per cent.

But "The Reader" was superb. I came away with questions about the characters' motivations and actions - and inaction - that kept me going for days. I thought that Kate Winslet and 15-year-old German actor David Kross, who played her lover, were heartbreaking. Ralph Fiennes, playing the 15-year-old as an older man, was wonderful too, and he had to breathe life into a brooding, rather troubled man. I don't believe his Michael Berg character ever cracks a smile.

I found "Slumdog Millionaire" to be a glorious film too. Why? Because I cared deeply for the main characters and I wanted them to succeed, against terrible odds. The visuals, the music, the cinematography in "Slumdog" was superior to the other films I saw in 2008, which helped burn it into my brain. I still think about it often.

Yet I saw several movies last summer that I also loved. "Iron Man" and "The Dark Knight." were both incredibly exciting, offering farfetched but highly entertaining story lines, good acting, frightening villains (especially Heath Ledger's Joker, possibly the most terrifying screen villain of all time) and cool effects. On the comedic side, "Tropic Thunder" was a hilarious send-up of the filmmaking and actor's processes.

The problem is I can't honestly remember much about "Iron Man" or "The Dark Knight" today. I know that they contained excellent action scenes but I can't recall more than a few. I can't even remember their climactic hero-versus-villain battles. Not good - and I have a pretty good memory for such things. And "Tropic Thunder" made me laugh hard, but it feels like a distant memory.

Sure, there are movies that get better upon repeated viewings. They get under your skin because you uncover more layers to them and you like what you're uncovering. You can even learn to appreciate what you first thought was a bad movie. Maybe my three summer movies will get better with age, and another viewing.

But a film that you love right away and think about a lot afterward - like "The Reader" for me - is bound to stay with you the longest. Have a think about your favorite movies of all time. Do they fall into the "acquired tastes" or "thinkers" category? I'm guessing the latter.

So next time you find yourself daydreaming about a movie you saw recently, let your friends know about it. It's probably a good sign.