Skip to main content

First Cow is a Litmus Test for Pretentious Film Snobs

By Keegan Tran

First Cow: The Milk Of Human Kindness | The Frida Cinema

Am I dumb? Do I just not get it? You're telling me a movie shot nearly 40% at night with no lighting who's subtitles read "grunting" for a vast amount of its runtime is being lauded by many film critics as one of the best films of 2020?

In the same way we're allowed to give in to our innate urges and blindly enjoy superhero films, considered to be "low-brow" filmmaking; so to are we to renounce unenjoyable, pretentious drivel. Often times I describe the films produced under the A24 banner as "peculiar caucasian characters played by big name actors acting peculiarly", a sentiment encapsulated by First Cow almost to a T (sans a Chinese lead).

First Cow

There's certainly fun to be had with our two leads, but it hardly justifies seeing the film through to completion.

Look, I don't hate "First Cow". And I don't want the takeaway from this article to be "I didn't enjoy First Cow, so there's no way you did either!" Truly - I'm glad it exists. What bothers me is the compulsion far too many film critics give in to; that is, to disingenuously place a film that feels like other critics will enjoy and respect you for in your top 10 list. There exists a disconnect in the way critics create their top 10 lists. Are these films you want to push into the spotlight and encourage more people to experience, films they personally enjoyed and will return to, or their highest rated films of the year? It's here that we find glaring disparities.

Take for example Roger Ebert's "Ten Best Films of 2020" list.

#10 - The Assistant (4 Stars)
#9 - The Nest (4 Stars)
#8 - Never Rarely Sometimes Always (3.5 Stars)
#7 - Beanpole (4 Stars)
#6 - Minari (3.5 Stars)
#5 - Da 5 Bloods (4 Stars)
#4 - First Cow (4 Stars)
#3 - American Utopia (4 Stars) 
#2 - Nomadland (4 Stars)
#1 - Lovers Rock (4 Stars)

This is a list undoubtedly populated with diverse and interesting stories; but what sticks out to me is the leaning towards the unknown, the unheard of, and dare I say, the pretentious. It is a list that doesn't prioritize score either. While I'm sure many writers and editors worked together to compile the list, (individual reviews are often written by one writer one editor) it wasn't particularly difficult to find films with similar (or higher) scores on the site, conveniently left out of the publication's top 10. A few examples:

The Invisible Man (4 Stars)
Palm Springs (3.5 Stars)
Color out of Space (3.5 Stars)
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (3.5 Stars)

Does Roger Ebert as a journalistic entity have a vendetta against mainstream releases, so much so that they review them highly and omit them from their top 10 list? Certainly not, and I'm not so dramatic to suggest that's the case. 

You're allowed to like the things you like, as are all of us as cinephiles; and this wealth and diversity of opinion in the critic community has introduced me to many films I never would have approached over the years. My problem comes when critics put two movies (that they may have given identical scores) against one another for a spot in their top 10 and choose the more "critically acceptable" film over an incredibly well made film that just so happens to have been produced by a major studio. It's these compulsions to present oneself as an enlightened and holier-than-though film critic who is above enjoying theatrical releases that I take issue with.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Filmtran's Top Film and Television of 2020

By Keegan Tran In a year devoid of traditional theatrical releases due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the film and television landscape was changed immeasurably. Wonder Woman 1984, Trolls World Tour, and Christopher Nolan's Tenet have fundamentally changed the way studios and theater chains approach releases. Studios scrambled to adjust their release calendars and salvage their investments by transitioning to streaming. However, 2020 stands as a phenomenal year for film and television, from big budget superhero titles to quaint indie productions. Join editor in chief Keegan Tran, senior writer Greetan Kan, and managing editor Neeran Gran for Filmtran's top film and television of 2020. As we are a small operation, it's important to note that this is an incomplete sampling of the year's releases, and as film's such as Minari and Nomadland become more easily viewable, we may amend this list. Honorable Mentions #Alive By all counts a traditional zombie movie; a fun premise a...
Post a Comment
Read more

Why isn't Josh Brolin a Household Name?

     Josh Brolin’s prowess as a film actor is both unquestionable and well-proven, appearing in films adored by critics and audiences alike. Why then, do we so rarely see his name alongside performers of equivalent skill; the DiCaprio’s and Gyllenhaal’s. With roles as far back as 1985’s The Goonies, and 21 Jump Street two years later, Brolin is no stranger to the big screen. The mid 2000’s represented a resurgence in his career, appearing in Grindhouse, Planet Terror, and a leading role in the Coehn Brothers’ No Country for Old Men, which is widely regarded as a modern classic. Representing Brolin’s largest critical success at the time, he was shockingly overlooked come awards season. Despite No Country winning numerous Oscars, Golden Globes, and BAFTAs, Brolin’s name remains oddly absent less a SAG win for “Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture,” an aggregate category that he would share with six other actors (including Tess Harper with a collective si...
Post a Comment
Read more