Misunderstood films from the 90's - 00's

“Misunderstood” is a collection of online pieces that defend critically panned films, box-office flops and forgotten features from 1990 until 2010. These are films that still, to this day, have a bad reputation or simply never come up in conversation. All films discussed are mainstream productions, meaning they had some form of studio backing and were widely circulated in theaters. They also, upon release, were reviewed in major outlets across the country. They are also available nowadays on a large number of on-demand media platforms, including iTunes, Amazon Instant Watch, HBO Go and/or Netflix. Part of the appeal of revisiting mid to large-scale, financially disappointing films is that it allows casual filmgoers to revisit the past two decades of film and reignite debate and conversation. ❧ “Misunderstood” consists of seven 300-1000 word write-ups in the form of online posts intended for a film-centric site like Slant Magazine, The Film Experience or IndieWire. My thesis project would ideally be broken down into weekly posts, with one entry (meaning one film review) posted each week. If the column receives enough hits, my goal is to continue probing the past, beyond the two decades I’ve written about here, in search of box office flops or critically skewered films that deserve a second look. ❧ “Misunderstood” highlights how much money each film made at the domestic box office compared to the film’s overall production budget. These numbers are pulled from the website Box Office Mojo. I also include the film’s Rotten Tomatoes tomatometer rating as a way of underscoring what the critical consensus was for each feature. Below the tomatometer, I include a direct quote from a reputable film critic who more or less summarizes the general critical consensus surrounding the film at the time of its theatrical release. ❧ In each of my writings, I break down why the film drew the ire of film critics, scared away moviegoers or, if the film was well received, why it no longer comes up in conversation or critical writings. I then do my best to articulate a robust defense of the feature before encouraging readers to give the film a second look. Should the piece get posted online, I intend to include a high-resolution scene from each of the films (most likely a vimeo link or YouTube video) below my review as well as links to the film’s availability on different media sites. ❧ Readers should feel encouraged to create their own lists and explanations of films they believe were unfairly criticized or under appreciated at the time of their release. The site’s comment section would require an “up-vote” system in place, much like the one they have in the comment section of Reddit. Whichever comments receive the most votes on the site will then be published as a “Reader’s Approved Guide to Misunderstood Films” of whichever decade we’re currently discussing, continuing the dialogue beyond my own writing.《被误解的影片》（*Misunderstood*）是一档线上专栏合集，旨在为1990年至2010年间饱受评论界诟病、票房惨败或早已被遗忘的长片作品正名。这些影片时至今日依然口碑不佳，或是干脆从未被影迷提及讨论。所有收录影片均为主流制作，即均获得影视工作室的资金支持，并曾在院线大范围公映；影片上映期间，还获得了全美各大主流媒体的影评报道。时至今日，这些影片也可在大量按需点播媒体平台观看，包括iTunes、Amazon Instant Watch、HBO Go以及Netflix。重访中等及大制作、票房失利的影片，其魅力之一在于能让普通影迷回溯近二十年的影史脉络，并重新激活相关讨论与思辨。 《被误解的影片》共包含7篇篇幅在300至1000字的线上文稿，旨在面向《斜向杂志》（Slant Magazine）、《电影体验》（The Film Experience）或IndieWire这类影视专业站点发布。本毕业设计项目理想状态下将以周更形式推出，每周更新一篇影评（即单篇文稿对应一部影片的评析）。若该专栏获得足够流量，我计划继续拓展研究范围，突破本次收录的二十年时间跨度，挖掘更多值得重新审视的票房败绩影片或饱受差评的作品。 《被误解的影片》会对比展示每部影片的北美票房收入与总制作成本，相关数据均取自Box Office Mojo网站。同时，我还会附上影片在烂番茄（Rotten Tomatoes）上的新鲜度指数（tomatometer），以清晰呈现该影片当时的影评界整体评价。在新鲜度指数下方，我会引用一位知名影评人的原话，以此概括该影片在院线上映时期的整体影评界共识。 在每篇文稿中，我会先剖析影片招致影评人不满、劝退普通观众的原因；若影片上映初期口碑尚可，则会分析其为何如今已被影迷与影评界淡忘。随后我会尽力为该影片展开充分有力的辩护，并呼吁读者重新审视这部作品。若文稿成功上线，我还会在影评下方附上该影片的高分辨率场景素材（通常通过Vimeo或YouTube的链接提供），并附上该影片在各点播平台的观看链接。 我也鼓励读者自行整理片单，并阐释那些在上映时期遭受不公批评或未获应有认可的影片。站点评论区将采用类似Reddit的点赞投票机制。获赞最多的评论将被收录为《[对应年代]被误解影片读者精选指南》，以此延续除我本人文稿之外的讨论氛围。