Opinion

I saw a really breath taking movie (The Tree Of Life) the other day. I won't go into to much detail because, to be honest, it's one of those things you just have to see. After seeing the movie, I decided to look up reviews to see if maybe I could learn a little bit more about the symbolism that I may have missed (there was a lot). I started reading reviews from reputable sources and the longer I read them the more I just felt unagreeable. Why am I listening to these people?

Then all of a sudden it all felt very silly to me. I was literally going online to find people that could tell me what they thought of a movie (presumably, what I should think of the movie). I didn't know these people. They might not have similar tastes to me, even. So why on earth was I spending my time listening to them ramble on about a movie?

Why does anyone? Well, I think that question is quite easy to answer and hard at the same time.  People seek movie reviews so they don't have to form their own opinion. But it also goes deeper.

"Ehh, I looked it up. Bad reviews. I'm not gonna bother," is something I've heard far too many times. Or better yet, "Well, it looked good but gosh it's getting bad reviews. Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 20%. I'm not wasting my money on that".

Since when are we complacent to listen to other people's choices, feelings, and convictions? These days, it seems that to have an "opinion" one must  search the internet, television, and magazines just to get an idea of what's worth the effort or time. People are decided if they like something well before they ever see, read, or try it. It's sad that these are the ways of our world. Or rather, these are the ways of our society. I hate to sound hipsterish (yeah...I just coined that) but I would love to live some place in Europe where art, your true beliefs, and a love of life are all that guide you.