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Undistinguished Middle

I used to be something of a movie buff in what seems another life. For the past year or more time has been scarce and the movies watched few and far between. Yet I don't feel like I have missed much. The previews just don't entice me enough to make the whole three hour commitment. Maybe it has something to do with overwhelming mediocrity. I quite agree with A.O Scott's argument :

"Disasters and masterpieces, after all, often arise from the same impulses: extravagant ambition, irrational risk, pure chutzpah, a synergistic blend of vanity, vision and self-delusion. The tiniest miscalculation on the part of the artist - or of the audience - can mean the difference between adulation and derision. So in the realm of creative achievement, the worst is not just the opposite of the best, but also its neighbor. This year has produced plenty of candidates for a Bottom 10 (or 30 or 100) list, but I fear that none of the bad movies are truly worthy of being called the worst. And this may be why so few are worthy of being considered for the best."

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