Teen Movie Critic is a Dream Machine Site The Dream Machine --- The Imagination of the World Wide Web

Letters to the Editor (October)

I noticed your web links to Other Critics and Interesting Places was rather brief. I want to suggest that you check out "David Siegel's home page" http://www.dsiegel.com/home.html. He seems to be a sort of consultant for screenplays.

Specifically see his "The Nine-Act Structure Home Page". He details this formula that he says is used extensively in films that have grossed over $100M. The trick he says is a two-goal plot.

I had noticed on my own that some films seemed to have a reversal in the middle which enabled the story to be interesting for the full two hours, but I was astounded at the statistic Mr. Siegel has arrived at. He concludes that "over 190 of the top-200 money-making films of all time have two-goal plots."

I have only read a few of your movie criticisms and I think they are ok. I had a objection to the review of "A Clockwork Orange". I do not like it when a reviewer runs down the plot as you do in the first paragraph. I think you have told too much of the story.

At the same time, I fail to see how you missed writing about the theme of the rehabilitation of criminals. BTW, I did not see this film as you put it, "a word of warning on how bad violence is." I saw the violence more as a powerful mechanism in the plot and less as the message of the movie.

Anyway, keep up the hard work.

Albir Tarsha - OS SQA Engineer

I am writing to you from Tokyo, Japan. I am an editor of "English Network," a monthly magazine for people who want to expand their English skills so that they can log on and make use of the Internet more effectively.

Now we would like to ask your permission for introducing your site in January issue of our magazine, which will be published on December 3. In the article we are going to tell how to find sites of movie critics on the Internet. Among all, your site covers most popular movies, so we would like to introduce your site in details. We would also like to introduce a part of critics as an example.

Tami Miyatsu

I wrote and directed a film called "omaha (the movie)" that just played last week at the University of Minnesota's Shoestring Film Showcase. In short, the movie's a low, low-budget indie romantic comedy set in Nebraska. It also features a roving gang of Iowa kickboxers (I noticed your kickboxing interest). Anyway, my partner, Dana Altman (he's Robert's grandson, but lives in Omaha), and I are currently in the midst of doing our own self-distribution for the film -- we've got it booked in about 70 theatres all across the country (including a full run at the Suburban World in Uptown Minneapolis, sometime in the next couple of months). The film's kind of unique because it's pretty rare to get this wide of a release for a couple guys from Nebraska doing their own distribution. Also, I was one of the founders of the Slamdance Film Festival (an alternative to Sundance) last year. Anyway, I'd love to send you a tape of the film and a press kit -- your site seems really appropriate for the film. In the meantime , you can check out our website at http://www.well.com/user/finc/mvff/33.html and also http://pacificnet.net/~rochlin/omaha/.

Dan Mirvish

I read the Hall of Flame stuff, and while crass and assinine to a fault, some of the entries have good points carefully hidden in them. For instance, one chowderhead mentioned that you review old movies. This is a VERY important point. No one is going to find a relatively obscure movie review site who isn't a freak for movies, like myself.

And freaks for movies have seen all the movies you list, and already have opinions of them (like myself). SO, if you want to do something really great with you website, give those movie freaks something interesting, offbeat, or maybe just a little more comprehensive.

For instance, there are a couple of music archive sites that take your ratings of movies and compare them to others, then give you a list of artists you've never heard of before, but that you'd probably like. Now, while that level of programming may be out of your league, maybe you could create some overlapping groups of movies, as sort of chained references to each other. You get the idea.

The point is, bonehead had a good point. If you present a list of old AND mainstream movies that movie buffs have all seen, then you aren't presenting anything that those buffs aren't already carrying around in their heads.

In general, I would counsel you to specialize in more obscure movies, or newer movies, or interesting relationships between movies, etc. And congratulations on a good start.

Zach Laine

My question to you is your brothers and sisters you have listed Jennifer (the younger) and Jennifer (the elder) and Robin (the man) and Robin (the woman). Are their names really the same??? If so how do you address them, call one Jen and the other Jenny?? or something like that. And if you dont mind me asking, why would your mother name the same names?? Is it like the George Foreman thing with 5 Georges?? Personally I come from a small family and couldn't imagine having all those brothers and sisters never mind ones with the same name I think I would be confused enough.

Mary-Beth

Roger replied:

Actually, my siblings are from other marriages. One of the other mothers named one Robin and one Jennifer. My own mother also has a Robin and Jennifer. Does that awnser your question?

It seems to me that alot of the people that read your reviews don't seem to realize what a critic is. A critic is simply someone that gives their OPINION about something, in this case, movies. And the person reading the review can either agree with it or not. After reading a few of your reviews and looking at the rating of most of them, it appears that you don't seem to like movies very much.

You know, for a sixteen year old you don't seem to be enjoying your childhood. Spending so much time in front of a computer or a TV isn't good for you. I also want you to know that this is all written as my opinion. I don't mean to knock you or put you down. After all, isn't there enough NEGATIVITY and curelity in this world?

God Bless.
Jeannette

Just thought I'd send you an email to let you know that we included your excellent site as part of our "Film on the Net" feature in CyberSurfer magazine #4.

I started the magazine a year ago and after only four issues we are distributed around the world... our last print run (for issue four) was 160,000! Anyway it has been great fun, especially because of great site like your own. You can find CyberSurfer on newsstands everywhere, and you can check out our webzine at http://csurfer.clever.net

peace & thanks for making our job easy!

Jason McCabe Calacanis
The CyberSurfer
Editor In Chief, CyberSurfer Magazine on newstands everywhere.
Editor In Chief, CyberSurfer's Webzine http://csurfer.clever.net
Check out Banned On the Net in the magazine & webzine!

Hi Roger. This is Keith Birch from Churchie in Brisbane, Australia again saying that I hope to be able to forward some of your student reviews to you soon as we discussed way back! In the meantime, our home page is growing, and we have some student work up (including film reviews) you might like to browse:

http://www.acgs.qld.edu.au/~kfb/home.htm

Just checked out your Hall of Flame, too. Some sad fools out there, without a doubt. You seem to handle it well, and your refusal to respond says much about your intelligence. This kind of attention is one of the hazards of being talented, wouldn't you say?! Keep up the good work.

Keith Birch

My name is Gordon Wills and I am a first year undergrad at the University of Warwick in England. My first time on the net was about a month and half ago at my elder brothers home, whilst browsing around I found the Netscape teams Whats Cool page. They were right about this one.

Cheers

Mr Gordon Peter Wills

I read your interesting site all about films. I, as English boy of 16, am curious about what someone of my age thinks of all the films which are about to hit our screens by the time it has been three times on the television, for you.

I, am also interested in films, and hope to direct a film when I am older. I have been told that I have a lot of natural talent. I wanted to start a martial art, but never got round to it. I also play a lot of tennis and I have played for Britain. You may have heard of me.

One thing which I reckon I will have before you is the new Oasis album, which isn't too bad. Give it a listen (if) before you buy it. Anyway, I wish you luck with your site. Could you, please, publish this article in your site and secondly get back to me.

Jim Gasteen

PS:You could be in my film?

Just wanted to tell you that I think you are doing a great job of the reviews. To tell you the truth most of your criticism matches mine. Good work!

BTW, you said that you parents were home-schooling you? Isn't there a school near where you live? Well, anyway allow me to introduce myself. People know me as Julian Yeoh and i am fifteen years old this year. I live in the Island of Penang, MALAYSIA (know where that is?)

Unfortunately, for me movies which are released in the US take quite a while to get here. So I check up your page often to see what's new.

Bye!

Julian Yeoh

I read your page from time to time while I'm bored here at work. I don't really have a big opinion about your page, I mean I don't even have a home page so what can I say. Sometimes I think you're a dork, and sometimes you make sense with a truely honest review. This brings me to my point.

I want to be in your Hall of Flame. You see, I've never been published before and this could be my 15 minutes of flame. I mean fame.

So...you suck.

Will that do it? Cool. BTW, I didn't really mean it.

Ciao,

Jeff Green
SuperSlackers Professional Web Surfers Ltd.

PS-Your sisters are pretty hot.

PPS-I used to live in Minneapolis...great city.

Wow. Just read your Hall of Flame. Shocking. Frankly, I think you and your folks deserve lots of credit for your page. Having your own home page is a pretty nifty learning experience, regardless of content. I read your page weekly, just for the entertainment value. Maybe I agree with some of your reviews, and maybe I disagree with others, but I appreciate the fact that you are offering an opinion. I'm sorry other people feel the need to express their own opinions about your personal opinion in such a negative manner, but I'm impressed that you are able to deal with it in such a positive way. I'm sure I'm not saying anything you haven't heard lots of times before, but I just wanted to put in my two cents. I look forward to next week's column.

L. Whitaker

I'm so glad that you are so much more in tune with the world of entertainment than the rest of us ignorant assholes. I always make sure that I consult your reputable reviews before I think about doing anything stupid such as actually forming my own opinion about a movie. It is so helpful to look through your reviews before heading out to the movie theater, especially since most of your reviews are of movies that have been gathering dust on the shelves at the local Blockbuster Store. My sister and I decided to look through some of the reviews from a while back. For example: what dark crevice of your body did you pull your review of *Eddie Murphy:Raw* from?? *Raw* was absolutely hilarious. To compare it with *Delirious* was simply using poor taste. The content in *Delirious* is disgusting. Before tackling movies with ratings that are for grown-ups, why don't you try watching G and PG movies? In the meantime, keep up the good work. I'm afraid to leave my house without consulting you first.

Jaime Kimble

Editor's note:

The letter above is, in our opinion, close to the line of being hate mail. Still, despite its rough language, it is a criticism (mostly) of Roger's reviews. The author at least goes to the trouble of using sarcasm (irony?) to express his opinion. So, we honor him here.

I have been enjoying the reviews posted by you. But this visit has been depressing because of "the hall of flame". Encouraging people to write hate-mail to people who don't agree with you is childish and in extremely bad taste. Personal mails and email addresses are not supposed to be made public.

I hope that as you grow up you'll learn to handle criticism as well as praise better.

Kalyan

Editor's note:

We have received a couple of letters like this, criticizing the "Hall of Flames." First of all, we would like to point out that this was not Roger's idea, although he agreed with it. The purpose of the Hall is to give writers of hate-mail a taste of their own medicine. At least one writer recanted after only a week of getting hate-mail himself. I guess you have to experience it to understand. By the way, we, Roger and all the rest of us, welcome criticism and disagreement. We just don't like ti when it gets personal.

As far as keeping the email addresses of hate-mailers private, becuase they are "personal." Nonsense! When you write nasty letters to strangers it is neither personal nor protected.

Showgirls? You are 16 years old, you shouldn't have seen that movie. Just kidding, I am 16 to and I saw it. I adree with what you think about the movie.

ILC

Your writing in the reviews is great. I read a few I didn't like, and a few I did. I didn't read them all, but it's 12:45am, and I'll catch up tomorrow. Anyway, A few I hadn't seen, like Species, but was considering. Your review was pretty much what I had heard, but I hadn't heard about Henstridge's performance. I appreciate your review of Showgirls, as I was considering maybe watching it. I have a few comments and questions about other reviews... Natural Born Killers, have you seen it again? The first time I saw it I thought it was a decent commentary on media in this country. Albiet violent and graphic commentary. I tried watching it again when it came out on laserdisc, and couldn't finish the second side, all the death and killing made me physically sick to my stomach. I watched it before my shift started at work (Laser Disc Exchange in Belmont, CA - Laserdex@aol.com) and almost had to leave early because I watched SOME of it. And The Net, Sandra Bullock was great, Dennis Miller was okay, and the story was sweet. But a few of the technical screens with "Rita's" name on them looked a little too "Hollywood," and not very "Government." Other than that it was a good thriller. I probably have a few more comments, but I'll let you know... Last thing, I saw you mentioned Laserdiscs somewhere in your site, and was wondering if you have one.

Sean Bradshaw

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