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Tuesday, July 06, 2004 · posted at 11:02 PM

Jedi Mind Tricks

Spider-Man 2 broke opening day records by grossing $40.5 million at the box office on Wednesday. Moviegoers spent more than $115 million in ticket sales at the theaters this weekend. E! Online gave it an A-, TV Guide lends 4 out of 5 stars, even Entertainment Weekly gave it a rave review and an A! Quotes like “2002's Spider-Man was good bubble gum, but this movie is a Willie Wonka Everlasting Gobstopper” and “You can’t help but like the movie. The blending of action, humor, drama, angst and romance is as balanced as a high-wire performance” litter Rotten Tomatoes’ website which serves a very un-tomato score of 94%.

How could the masses be so wrong?

All my friends (all 2 of them) told me this was a good movie, “better than the first” and the summer “must see.” Damn you… I’m bitter.

Spider-Man 2 has seen more than its share of lawsuits, calamities and barriers including Marvel vs. Sony, Stan Lee vs. Marvel, and a benched Spidey (Coincidently, in the film, Spider-Man soars from the rooftop screaming, “I’m back, I’m back” then falls from the rooftop bemoaning, “My back, my back” for an easy chuckle from the audience).

I can’t even reiterate all the things that bothered me about the movie because my brain has a 10-gripe/subject memory limit and high blood pressure is never a good thing.

The dialogue is incredibly cheesy (what works in comics doesn't translate well to the silver screen), all the characters are unsympathetic, there’s a troubadour singing in a bad Asian accent, and don't even get me started on the laws of physics in the subway sequence.

Spider-Man is one of my favorite superheroes, and I really liked Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker in the first movie. I liked the themes of self-identity, obligations and responsibility. However, what I don’t like is getting beat over the head with it in the sequel. Spider-Man 2 and all that heroism talk could potentially be a more dangerous drinking game than the Dynasty slap.

I watched in disbelief as the audience around me laughed, cried, oohh- and ahhed on command during the film. Had it been so long since I’d seen a good theater movie that I couldn’t even recognize one? Had the popcorn and soda machines been spiked with opiates? Had I suddenly stepped into a 19th century Hans Christian Anderson fairytale?

Not even the dashing James Franco wearing those incredible suits could redeem the movie.

So back to the question, How could the masses be so wrong?

I see three possible explanations:

1. They’re right and I’m wrong.
Evidence for:
    Numbers don’t lie. Spider-Man 2 played in 4,152 sites and accounted for 54% of ticket sales.
Evidence against:
    It was a really bad movie.

2. I’m a movie snob.
Evidence for:
    Armageddon, Con Air and Serendipity will never make my Top 5 list.
Evidence against:
    I am far from the film student/indie watcher who longs to sit through Tarkofsky’s Solaris

3. Cognitive dissonance
Evidence for:
    Cognitive dissonance is a psychological phenomenon which refers to the discomfort felt at a discrepancy between what you already know or believe, and new information or interpretation.

Basically this means that people need their attitudes (thoughts) and behaviors (actions) to match and when they conflict with each other, people will usually change one in order to create harmony within themselves.

Behavior: Buying an expensive movie ticket (plus refreshments if you such desire) and spending 2+ hours waiting in line, sitting through commercials, and then watching the movie.
Attitude: This movie sucked.

This will create cognitive dissonance.

How does one reduce cognitive dissonance? In this case, the action (wasting the time and money) has already occurred and can’t be reversed. Thus, most people will change what they think.

Attitude: Everyone and their Aunt May liked it. I liked it.
Attitude: Well maybe the movie was lacking in some areas, but wow the special effects alone were worth it!
Attitude: It wasn’t as good as I hoped, but oh well, watching good movies isn’t important to me and it was only $10.

Behavior (expensive ticket) + Attitude (that movie was great!) = happy face

Evidence against:
None?

So what of people who are angry, mad, or miserable? Clearly cognitive dissonance is not working on them. I may be biased, but I like to think of these people as capable of higher thinking and aware of the tricks of human nature, not so easily swayed by the characteristics of human beings that have been honed by survival of the fittest over so many years.

Go get ‘em Tiger.



	Tuesday, July 06, 2004 · posted at 11:02 PM Jedi Mind Tricks Spider-Man 2 broke opening day records by grossing $40.5 million at the box office on Wednesday. Moviegoers spent more than $115 million in ticket sales at the theaters this weekend. E! Online gave it an A-, TV Guide lends 4 out of 5 stars, even Entertainment Weekly gave it a rave review and an A! Quotes like “2002's Spider-Man was good bubble gum, but this movie is a Willie Wonka Everlasting Gobstopper” and “You can’t help but like the movie. The blending of action, humor, drama, angst and romance is as balanced as a high-wire performance” litter Rotten Tomatoes’ website which serves a very un-tomato score of 94%. How could the masses be so wrong? All my friends (all 2 of them) told me this was a good movie, “better than the first” and the summer “must see.” Damn you… I’m bitter. Spider-Man 2 has seen more than its share of lawsuits, calamities and barriers including Marvel vs. Sony, Stan Lee vs. Marvel, and a benched Spidey (Coincidently, in the film, Spider-Man soars from the rooftop screaming, “I’m back, I’m back” then falls from the rooftop bemoaning, “My back, my back” for an easy chuckle from the audience). I can’t even reiterate all the things that bothered me about the movie because my brain has a 10-gripe/subject memory limit and high blood pressure is never a good thing. The dialogue is incredibly cheesy (what works in comics doesn't translate well to the silver screen), all the characters are unsympathetic, there’s a troubadour singing in a bad Asian accent, and don't even get me started on the laws of physics in the subway sequence. Spider-Man is one of my favorite superheroes, and I really liked Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker in the first movie. I liked the themes of self-identity, obligations and responsibility. However, what I don’t like is getting beat over the head with it in the sequel. Spider-Man 2 and all that heroism talk could potentially be a more dangerous drinking game than the Dynasty slap. I watched in disbelief as the audience around me laughed, cried, oohh- and ahhed on command during the film. Had it been so long since I’d seen a good theater movie that I couldn’t even recognize one? Had the popcorn and soda machines been spiked with opiates? Had I suddenly stepped into a 19th century Hans Christian Anderson fairytale? Not even the dashing James Franco wearing those incredible suits could redeem the movie. So back to the question, How could the masses be so wrong? I see three possible explanations: 1. They’re right and I’m wrong. Evidence for: Numbers don’t lie. Spider-Man 2 played in 4,152 sites and accounted for 54% of ticket sales. Evidence against: It was a really bad movie. 2. I’m a movie snob. Evidence for: Armageddon, Con Air and Serendipity will never make my Top 5 list. Evidence against: I am far from the film student/indie watcher who longs to sit through Tarkofsky’s Solaris 3. Cognitive dissonance Evidence for: Cognitive dissonance is a psychological phenomenon which refers to the discomfort felt at a discrepancy between what you already know or believe, and new information or interpretation. Basically this means that people need their attitudes (thoughts) and behaviors (actions) to match and when they conflict with each other, people will usually change one in order to create harmony within themselves. Behavior: Buying an expensive movie ticket (plus refreshments if you such desire) and spending 2+ hours waiting in line, sitting through commercials, and then watching the movie. Attitude: This movie sucked. This will create cognitive dissonance. How does one reduce cognitive dissonance? In this case, the action (wasting the time and money) has already occurred and can’t be reversed. Thus, most people will change what they think. Attitude: Everyone and their Aunt May liked it. I liked it. Attitude: Well maybe the movie was lacking in some areas, but wow the special effects alone were worth it! Attitude: It wasn’t as good as I hoped, but oh well, watching good movies isn’t important to me and it was only $10. Behavior (expensive ticket) + Attitude (that movie was great!) = happy face Evidence against: None? So what of people who are angry, mad, or miserable? Clearly cognitive dissonance is not working on them. I may be biased, but I like to think of these people as capable of higher thinking and aware of the tricks of human nature, not so easily swayed by the characteristics of human beings that have been honed by survival of the fittest over so many years. Go get ‘em Tiger.	Recent Posts The problem with lies is that you build them up an... 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