What do you think makes a good movie good? Explain
In contrast, what makes a bad movie bad? explain

Give examples of films and explanations

It wil be interesting to hear different takes on this topic. So sound off, let us hear your opinions, i'll give mine later or if someone asks but i hate typing.

Have fun and good luck in your discussions and stories

Chemistry between actors for one. A good story line two.

I good director and script.

That too.:D

What do you define as a 'good' director, 'good' script, 'good' plotline?
How much or what kind of chemistry are you speaking of?

Details, we need details...:)

mr and Mrs Smith. Brad Pitt and Angelia Jolie had good chemistry together. Sexy and wonderful on screen chemistry.

i forgot the director of the film but to put atogether a good movie like that he must of had great working chemistry for the actors and crew.

I prefer a character driven movie as opposed to action just for the sake of action. If I don't care about at least one character in the movie I won't get through it.

The plot has to be well developed and if it has multi-levels it will hold my interest.

Correct casting will also make or break a movie. Nobody else could have made Hannibal Lecter as terrifying or real as Anthony Hopkins.

Originally posted by leela_zoid
mr and Mrs Smith. Brad Pitt and Angelia Jolie had good chemistry together. Sexy and wonderful on screen chemistry.



Chemistry so good....it broke up his marriage.

Really! But I think they had issues too. She didnt want to put her career on hold to have kids and he wanted some. But who knows?
I personally am rooting for Brad and Angelina.

Originally posted by leela_zoid
mr and Mrs Smith. Brad Pitt and Angelia Jolie had good chemistry together. Sexy and wonderful on screen chemistry.

i forgot the director of the film but to put atogether a good movie like that he must of had great working chemistry for the actors and crew.

Doug Liman, director of Swingers and The Bourne Identity

Originally posted by ~Sal~
I prefer a character driven movie as opposed to action just for the sake of action. If I don't care about at least one character in the movie I won't get through it.

The plot has to be well developed and if it has multi-levels it will hold my interest.

Correct casting will also make or break a movie. Nobody else could have made Hannibal Lecter as terrifying or real as Anthony Hopkins.

excellent points made, i agree

PS: Although Hopkins is fantastic in those films, i do believe SOMEONE out there could have done a great job with him also. 6 billion people on the planet someone bound to be able to play him well.

Originally posted by leela_zoid
Really! But I think they had issues too. She didnt want to put her career on hold to have kids and he wanted some. But who knows?
I personally am rooting for Brad and Angelina.


NOOOOOOO00000000000000ooooooooooooooo!!!!
Please, i beg you, don't turn my thread into the weekly gossip column about hollywood stars.

May we please get back to discussing: What makes a good movie good?

Originally posted by Evakian
What do you think makes a good movie good? Explain
Someone nice to share it with.

Originally posted by BorgHunter
Someone nice to share it with.

Malarkey!

Originally posted by BorgHunter
Someone nice to share it with.

Oooooooooh jasus help us...heeeeeeeeeere we go...you have been bitten and smiten...hence forth all shall be about "the" relationship... good luck with this stage in your life...and may gawd help the rest of us... LMAO...:D

Originally posted by ~Sal~
Oooooooooh jasus help us...heeeeeeeeeere we go...you have been bitten and smiten...hence forth all shall be about "the" relationship... good luck with this stage in your life...and may gawd help the rest of us... LMAO...:D
What can I say; I'm a romantic. ;)

yea romantic:rolleyes:, did you send her your nerd love poetry?:p

Poetry, Shmoetry.

I wrote my X a 100 page letter once.

No way, 100 pages???

1. Good writing and believable dialog.
2. A director that understands the under-currents of the story and how to bring them out (hitchcock was a master at this).
3. Casting is important in that you need actors that can make the part believable. A movie needs either truly top grade actors or actors that are excellent in their specific genre of acting. The people I consider to be truly top grade actors can play just about any part well. If I can see them in a comedy one day and a disaster movie the next and a crime drama the next and they are believable in all of them, then I consider them top grade actors. (Tom Hanks comes to mind). As an aside Pitt couldn't act his way out of a paperbag, but he is cute and the camera loves him, same with Julia Roberts -llimited much talent but fun to watch. (though I admit she did an above average job on Erin Brecken????? - damn the name escapes me- about sueing a corporate polluter).
4. A story line that is believable, isn't obvious and doesn't leave unanswered questions about the story.

I prefer movies that are character driven, or that make me think, but an occasional knock down, rock-um, sock-um, blow things up special effects movie is great. I find romantic comedies boring and predictable. Love westerns and war movies, crime drama, sci fi (my favorite) and historical films.

Erin Brockovich*

SF is your favorite, but those are not believable ;)

A story line that is believable, isn't obvious and doesn't leave unanswered questions about the story- Echo2

But sometimes implied messages or actions make the movie better, leaving it to the imagination.

I prefer movies that are character driven, or that make me think, but an occasional knock down, rock-um, sock-um, blow things up special effects movie is great. I find romantic comedies boring and predictable. Love westerns and war movies, crime drama, sci fi (my favorite) and historical films.- Echo2

Overall we have very similar taste

I don't have a set criteria to evaluate. Whenever I try to set some criteria, I find that I can immediately come up with movies that I like very much that do not conform to the criteria.

It might sound like a cop out, but I think a movie can be called good when it managed to not suck miserably in any particular department--when no glaring mistake is seen, unsatisfactory execution is identified, personal dislike elicited. Yet, even so, many good movies don't conform to this rule. The three newer Star Wars have dreadful dialogues, but they are good movies. Monty Python's Holy Grail may be a classic, but I find myself enjoying only the most brilliant scenes, not the movie as a whole. Before Sunrise and Before Sunset are fabulous movies about two people falling in love at the most elusive moment, that they carried with them long after the event--the chemistry and script are superb, but the long dialogues can be both their strength and weakness. The list goes on and on of movies that have weaknesses but are nevertheless good in different ways.

I suppose that, yeah, in general, some indicators are the quality of direction, acting, chemistry, script, consistency, and cinematography (watch Coppala and Kurosawa). Interesting premise or plot helps (Usual Suspect, The Matrix), but not for all movies. Some action movies can be mediocre in a lot of these things and still manage to entertain.

Kurosawa and Coppola definitely, I would add Hitchcock there as well as Tarantino and the up and coming Mendes seems to be shaping out.

And Holy Grail is pwnage. Great Great Great movie.

I agree with Dio - it's difficult to give general rules or criterias for a good movie.
I would say a good movie is a movie you won't forget, a movie with something that makes it unique.
It can have many flaws but sometimes one unique feature is enough to make it great.


Some of my favourites recent american movies :

Lost in Translation
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
War of the worlds
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

Originally posted by Evakian
No way, 100 pages???

Oh...way!

50 peices of Meade paper written on each side baby!

Originally posted by astrapol2

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind


Oh yes!

Yet another Kaufman that totally rocks.

good choices astra, are you a Bill Murray fan?

Yes, I am !

I forgot "Gattaca" and "American Splendor" as some of my favourites of these last years.

American Splendor was fantastic

"I'm driving to Toledo on friday to see Revenge of the Nerds"

The acting was perfectly accurate to the real people

American Beauty was an awesome film for lots of reasons though you really have to see it to appreciate it's sheer brilliance.

Also Thirteen as the 2 lead actresses played screwed up drug addicted alcholic slut 13 year olds with such grace its almost as if thay are. Gritty and brilliant

Originally posted by Evakian
American Splendor was fantastic

"I'm driving to Toledo on friday to see Revenge of the Nerds"

The acting was perfectly accurate to the real people

A very exciting and humane movie. I appreciate the fact that its characters are never made fun of - it would have been easy to make some kind of "freak show" with theses common people, but on the contrary they are always depicted as human and loveable. I like directors who love their characters !

Oh, another brilliant piece of cinema was "Ghost World". Same remark applies. And Scarlett Johansson is really great. Like in American Beauty, BTW.

Do you like foreign movies too ? Which ones ?

I'm fond of asiatic movies. Wong Kar Wai is one of my favourites directors - Hong Kong Express being one of my all times favourites movies.

We have some great movies here in France but I guess only a few are exported in the USA (like Amelie Poulain which I didn't like so much).

Do you like foreign movies too ? Which ones ?

I've a weakness for cheesy hong kong action flicks :D
I watch my share of foreign films, German, Thai, French (although i too did not enjoy Amelie very much), and if i can manage i get in from elsewhere, such as Brazil or Saudi Arabia occasionally shoots out a movie. Whereas India spits them out by the dozens per week, its disgusting how low quality they are on all fronts (usually), acting, effects, story, cinematography, dialogue, pacing, everything, its just a nightmare to watch Bollywood musicals.

Here is my take on what makes a movie good, for the most part:


Story/Plot-A good story is the most quintessential part of a piece of cinema. The premise, the ending, the development, the twists and turns all need to engage and interest you. There cannot be wasted characters and wasted scenes. It needs to move along fluid, and be lacking in the cliche department. Story is the fuel of what the movie drives on.
Acting-Does this actor/actress make you forget who they are so that you only think of their character? (although sometimes this plays into the humor of certain comedies). Do they play the character well? is delivery of the lines proper? do they have a certain level of chemistry with the enviroment and other actors?
Pacing- How well does the movie move along? No boredom please, no wasteful sections please. How much or how little explained/shown can affect the artistic aspects of the piece.
Characters- Characters you hate, characters you cannot figure out, characters you root for, characters who are "cool", characters who are funny. Each film needs an array of differing characters that fit well and work of each other, chemistry is needed, as well as interesting people whom you get involved with.
Dialogue- No fat, and please do not treat me like a moron. Discourse among characters develops the plot. It makes you laugh, cry, think, and be shocked at. This is the basis for good characters and pacing.
Score- Sets the mood, and moves the story along as well as providing less monotonous scenes that drag on. A good score is imperative to have function well in many scenes in a movie.
Effects- This does not apply to all films, but a good share of them. Effects are crucial in certain films, it is important for the effects to not override the focus on the characters and events themselves. It is also important for the effects to be real and believable so that they cannot detract from the film by either making it look bad or distracting the viewer
Cinematography- This goes hand in hand with editing and style. Camera work is essential to movies, how the camera pans and moves, how the look and color tone is, how well action scenes are done, how well dramatic sequences are captured, and more. Depending on the "breed" of film, this may be a more or less important factor, but to be good it needs to be able to capture the feel of the movie, it needs to be original, and it definitely cannot be static.
Sound editing- Perhaps the least important and least attention paid to this area, but still can make or break movies. How well music is integrated, how well an action scene plays out, how intense the dialogue is played out. Et cetera
Visual editing- More important than sound, and feeds into the style and cinematography of a film. This determines the look and motion of the movie, what parts are excluded, what parts are put in and when to make the story working at its maximum potential. This makes or breaks how the movie works.
Style- All movies have a style, this is done by cinematography, dialogue, pacing, acting, characters, effects, and editing. It needs to carry itself without holding itself in too much high esteem (can't act better than it is), it needs to tell the story in its own unique and original way. Although this cannot override the more important factor of plot. Style over substance can fool viewers into thinking a movie is good. Truth is, it may be well done, but it still isn't good.
Emotional Charge/Message-What taste do you walk away with from the movie? Did it entertain and inform? Did it make you think? A message in the plot needs to be put across to the viewer, an emotional feel must be present, it affects how great a film can be, and how people look at it.



Well, that's a quick sum-up of my thoughts on movies. Notice i did mention any names, i figure that would take away from the passage. Although i will provide a movie that lives up to this expectation more than any i've yet to see, although it does not meet all fields entirely, if at all. But makes for a great movie to see.

Donnie Darko


Story/plot- Well done story that was basically a cloth for a much deeper, richer, complex movie. Fits together perfectly and never leaves the viewer bored. It also did not treat you like an idiot, you keep up or miss something. There are plenty of implied actions and meanings that leave you to think for yourself. This was a cerebral exercise.
Acting- Memorable performances that are at times satirical, comical, terrifying, and moody. No awards were merited when this came out, but the actors make you forget they are actors, and play the characters dead on.
Pacing-No pork, at least in the theatrical version, the DC was pointless new scenes. Moves along quick enough to keep your attention.
Characters-Boy oh boy, did these characters fit every realm needed in a movie. Aside from Donnie, no one gets development, they are all static (which you discover at the end to be for a reason), which could be viewed as bad, but not in this movie. I remembered these characters, well constructed people.
Dialogue- This movie had some meat dialogue in a few scenes, but the whole movie tends to be a giant puzzle where almost all (and believe me, i mean almost all) dialogue is relevant to the meaning and ending.
Score- Creepy, but enjoyable. Some scenes used it heavily, and that was executed great.
Effects- This film is rather cheap, and so had lackluster visual effects, it is also not a film that would use them heavily.
Cinematography- Set the mood well, but nothing groundbreaking.
Sound Editing- I did not notice many flaws
Visual Editing- The more frenetic sequences needed a bit of work
Style- This movie masquerades as many different genres, and does so very well, although the style was so unnoticeable that it didn't destroy anything else, but i couldn't even recognize much of one
Emotional Charge/Message- Utterly amazing and stupendous. This movie as i mentioned earlier is a puzzle that all the pieces fit, such a message, it gets you thinking about free will and destiny, God, love, human relationships, culture, and some scientific topics. I was blown away by its raw emotions (although even they could have been better compared to other movies) and felt the reverberations for a week after i viewed it.


All in all a good film.

And that is a quick take on my opinions of movies ;)

Originally posted by astrapol2
We have some great movies here in France but I guess only a few are exported in the USA (like Amelie Poulain which I didn't like so much).

They make it over here because I read reviews for them, but they never have very wide-spread release. Mainly just one or two theaters in the largest cities.