Having My Say: why anticipation hurts movies

We're two days away from John Wick Chapter 3 - Parabellum. I've been jonesing for this movie since the final moments of John Wick Chapter 2 two years ago. My anticipation is through the roof.

And this worries me.

I've been burned by anticipation before. The first time was 1989's Batman. I'd read every article, watched every trailer, devoured every tidbit of knowledge. I stood in line for four hours waiting to see it (no advance ticket sales in those days) and was giddy with excitement when the lights went down.

Two hours later, I thought the film was alright. Not great, not shitty. Just alright. My anticipation gave me false expectations on how good the movie would actually be. Anything less than what I wanted just wasn't good enough. In the end, a highly enjoyable -- albeit flawed -- film was a huge letdown.

This has happened time and time again. Studio hype machines flood our media and socials with content designed to create huge opening weekend box office. Most are subpar products at best but boy, do those marketing wizards ever make you want to see them.

Then there's the recent Star Wars films. The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi had fans salivating, but when the film's didn't match their expectations -- what they anticipated the movies should be -- people got pissed off.

So I'm trying to keep my anticipation in check as I head into the third John Wick film. I want to enjoy it for what it is, and not what I want it to be. Maybe, as movie fans, we should all set our anticipation aside and remember that what we're watching is just a movie. Nothing more, nothing less.

And, in the end, it's all just bullshit anyway.

Comments

Justin Cider welcomes a Homewrecker to the Fanily

COVID-19 has impacted pretty much everything and, although some industries have slowly been able to get rolling again, sport is one that remains in limbo. This holds true for the world of Thrash Wrestling, which we in The Basement are a proud sponsor of. But the men and woman of Thrash Wrestling continue to challenge each other, and entertain fans, in a creative way. Which is why Jason and Shawn welcome Thrash Wrestler Justin Cider into the ring... err, Basement, when From The Basements takes over the Radio NL 610 AM airwaves at 6:05 tonight! Cider will update listeners on how Thrash Wrestling continues with social distancing in place. And he'll shed some light on the future of the sport, how people can support his Fanily, and more! And stick with us, as Justin joins The Basement Boys for a review of the new horror/comedy Homewrecker starring Alex Essoe and Precious Chong. Does this female-focused comedic thriller deliver the goods? Tune in after the 6 o'clock news ...

Top 5 quotes from the Rambo franchise

It's Rambo Day, which means it's a day we celebrate all things Rambo. And no, we didn't make that up. It's a real thing, and part of the lead in to Rambo: Last Blood coming out on Friday. We were going to celebrate by doing a Top 5 favourite Rambo kills, but the fine folks at Arrow in the Head already did something like that, so I figured why not share our favourite Rambo quotes. I like quotes. Quotes are good. Anyway, here we go with our Top 5, in no particular order: 5) "They drew first blood." - John Rambo, First Blood (1982) Because it's always cool when the hero references the title of the movie in a quote. 4) "Live for nothing, or die for something. Your call." - John Rambo, Rambo (2008) Because it's 100-per-cent truth, and is the exclamation mark on a great monologue by Stallone. 3) "I could have killed 'em all. I could kill you. In town, you're the law. Out here, it's me. Don't push it, or I'l...

Grace Victoria Patterson returns

What's this? Two podcasts From The Basement in less than nine months? Has the world gone mad!?! No, but when past Basement guest Grace Victoria Patterson asked nicely if she could return to this fine podcast, Jason and Shawn -- agreeable sorts that they are -- said yes. Hence we have this new episode for your ear holes! Grace provides an update on her career, which has seen the cheerleader-turned-actress appear in no fewer than eight films plus a TV series, with more projects on the way. She and Jason talk all about this, plus some other stuff. What kind of stuff? Stick with us! And stay tuned, as The Basement Boys discuss a whole slew of movies and television, including the Netflix Jimmy Savile documentary, The Batman, the horror romp The Cellar and more! It's podcasting that's so awesome, you'll be awesomed out by its awesomeness! What are you waiting for? Push play and enjoy!

Search This Blog