EVEN DeepER Blurting!: Are no thumbs, good thumbs?

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Are no thumbs, good thumbs?

Posted by DexterBG on 12/11/2007, 5:46 am

This week marks the release of the movie "Superbad" on DVD. But this posting isn't about the movie itself. It was the last movie to get a "thumbs up or down" review by the "Ebert and Roeper" Tv show. That was on August 24, I believe. Since then the movies that were reviewed have merely gotten a vague sort of approval or disapproval from the two reviewers. Lots of words, some heated, but no pointed thumbs. What happened?

Seem that the "thumbs up/down" is a trademark, owned by Roger Ebert himself. And Disney Entertainment claims that he withheld its use, during the show's new contract negotiations. However, another source quotes Ebert as saying that he offered Disney the use of it, in good faith during the negotiation period. But that the Disney company would not longer have any use of it on the show. So Roeper and quest, haven't been using their approving or disapproving digit, since the last August 2007 episode.

Here's what I think has happened. Whenever movie studios advertise their wares in the papers (or even on Tv) they usually quote some reviewers choice of superlatives. And never quote a negative one, only positive ones. With Eberts system, you either got "two thumbs up" or a mixed vote, or "two thumbs down". To quote anything other than "two thumbs up" for a movie, would indicate an automatic negative. And even not quoting Ebert's vote, ran the risk of sounding negative. So as long as the thumb vote existed, it's simplistic logic threatened all movies, good and bad.

And Disney has probably produced as many bad movies, as any other studio. So here's what they probably decided. Kill the thumb vote, while keeping the show alive as a figurehead review. Yes, you can still find out what the reviewers think about a movie. But you have to watch the entire show, and pay strict attention to their every word. No more "thumbs" during the show, or near its end. And movie advertisers can no longer (legally) print them as the crown jewel of E&R review approval. To paraphrase the saying, "no news is good news." No thumbs is good thumbs, to the movie studios.

Frankly, I was never too comfortable with the "thumbs up/down" system. Often one would hear Ebert or cohost, give a movie a "mild thumbs down or up". And other times, a "thumbs way down or way up". So obviously the system had drawbacks, if its most famous users could stick to its simple logic (up or down). As we know, other published movie reviewers tend to use a four to seven point system. Some even divide their indicators in half. As in a "Two and a half Stars" review. Others just keep them whole, but use more of them. Some give nothing less than a "1" (star or something), which they define as a movie "bomb". While others specify the "bomb" separately, below the "1" value.

I think that a movie rating system that larger than five points, is over-rated (ha), and just trying to be different from the rest. And any system less than five points, isn't being very fair to the subtle qualities of a movie. If the lowest point is expressed as a "bomb". Then only four more points should exist to express fair to excellent. To me, that sounds more than fair. Using half points, is simply splitting hairs. Who could realistically judge the quality of a half point, for a movie? Make it five stars, popcorns, bones, or tomatoes. And we'll all come to understand what is meant by this. But you're only ever going to see these points in some yearly published guide book. Most reviewers who appear on Tv (Maltin) never use their own book's point system in describing a movie. I'm sure that they are banned from saying it. And unless it's a "four" or "five star" review, the papers aren't going to use these points either. Who would advertise that their movie only got two stars from a SoAndSo film critic? Most of the ones that they do quote, are no doubt paid (or invented) to like every movie the studio paying them, makes.

So I quess the "thumbs up or down" label for movies is dead. Perhaps permanently. The movie studios would be far happier if people had no easy to remember rating system, to guide the viewing choices. Just go in blindly, pay and watch it. And the studios can hype up a bad movie (and often do) just to get it's first week's boxoffice score high enough, from curiousity alone. Word of mouth will kill that advantage, by the following week. And rarely is a movie so good, that it exceeds the first weeks sales figures, by word of mouth praise.
-Dex-