Reader Feedback - by Cris Williamson
(WARNING: DEFINITE spoilers below; you might want to wait till you've
seen the movie first)
Let me just vent here for a second. I read the 3BC review of
The Visit. I thought it was a very good review in that it made
me want to really see the movie. In the review it was mentioned that
there was "something"" that connects some of the characters together
in an unexpected way. That was a week ago.
Well, I happened to be cruisin' another website and saw a review for
The Visit and the headline mentioned that the convict is dying
of AIDS. Whaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Why did they have to go there with such a
huge spoiler?!? I promise you that if I had read that review first I
would have assumed it was just a sappy, get things straight before I
die type of movie and probably would dismiss it until it came on cable.
How is it that you can write such an informative review without revealing
that kind of spoiler and another critic/reviewer relies heavily on the
spoiler?
I am probably not helping myself because I didn't not even finish
reading that review. I was just really disappointed in them revealing
such a huge piece of information. You are probably going to say, "that's
what I get for straying away from 3BC." I just may have learned a lesson.
[Bams' response: Thanks for the feedback on my review. I can't speak
for the other reviewer, except to say that it's hard sometimes to achieve
the right balance between saying too little (which leaves the reader
wondering what the movie is about) and saying too much (which spoils
the reader). I've struggled with that balance myself, and usually err
on the side of saying too little (in "The Story", that is; I'm known
for my over-long reviews, otherwise). I think that in that reviewer's
case, he/she didn't see the necessity of hiding the fact that Alex had
AIDS, because it wasn't crucial to the story. I thought it was important
enough to hint at instead of stating it outright. And so it goes. And
as for any "I told you so!", nah; I read other critics, too, after I've
posted my say. Nothin' wrong with getting a second opinion. I'm not
always right, y'know...]
