Capone of Ain't It Cool News has this to say:
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/50065
[...]let me warn you about some terminology that you may stumble upon variation of while reading any positive reaction to this film.
"It's not perfect." No shit. Here's a newsflash: no film is perfect. This is an empty statement that critics and people use to mean "This movie is equal to or less than 50 percent shit."
"It good for what it is." Wait a second. If the movie is shit, are you saying it's good shit? In certain circles, this may be considered the ultimate slam on any movie. What I think this also empty statement is that the film isn't designated High Art, so it should be given a pass for its shortcomings on elements like plot and character development. My response: Bullshit. Every movie should strive to be great, and just because a film is designated a summer blockbuster or somehow feeding into the pop culture doesn't mean it gets to skate by in areas that wouldn't have cost any extra money to get right.
"I didn't hate it." Gee, aren't you generous. Guess what folks, you aren't supposed to hate it. This statement is not a compliment. The mission of the filmmakers was not to construct a movie that you didn't hate. You either liked it or you didn't. This statement reminds me of another favorite, "My expectations were low, therefore [something positive]." Again, not really a rousing endorsement. Just because a film met or didn't meet your expectations isn't really a gauge of its quality. Ideally, you walk into every film with neutral expectations (which is not the same as no expectations); let the film guide you through its good and bad moments on its own merits. I realize we all bring a certain level of expectational baggage into every film, but at least allow a movie to be something different than what you thought. Just because a movie is different from what you thought it would be doesn't mean it's bad; it's just unexpected, which is often quite fun.
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Thanks, Capone.
Let these terms help guide you away from the critics who have lined pockets(I.E. Harry Knowles of Ain't It Cool) and towards critics with opinions. Don't judge a film by a letter or number, use the opinion of the review judge.
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