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The author might be mistaken. I think there's a pretty chance this is simply a demographical difference between the sites' visitors, and I'm pretty disappointed

The author might be mistaken. I think there's a pretty chance this is simply a demographical difference between the sites' visitors, and I'm pretty disappointed this wasn't brought up early on. Rotten Tomatoes is a hipstometer (if you don't believe me, look at the artsy film festival movies that rank highest there, or read some of the pedantic reviews). Fandango is what a lot of the RT fans would call a "low brow" venue. More Hollywood-ish (huge budget, unrealistic, etc.) movies (transformers, 2012, The Fast & The Furious, etc.) rank well on fandango, but not on Rotten Tomatoes. The really great movies rank well on both (e.g., Captain Philips, Life of Pi, etc.). It's always been this way. I use a specific formula of Fandango, iTunes and Rotten Tomatoes scores to decide on a movie. If Fandango ranks it 4-5 stars and Rotten Tomatoes ranks it 50-70%, it's usually really good. If the rank is lower on Fandango and higher on Rotten Tomatoes, it's usually a bit too artsy and pretentious for me (I go watch a movie to be entertained, not to stoke my ego).

johnchristopher 11y ago
> If the rank is lower on Fandango and higher on Rotten Tomatoes, it's usually a bit too artsy and pretentious for me (I go watch a movie to be entertained, not to stoke my ego). Crass anti-intellectualism. I like the Sundance Festival, Movies from all over the world and wouldn't got see 2012 on screen but I don't go pissing online on fans of Transformers. Your definition of `artsy and pretentious' is just `things I don't like'.
- hugh4 11y ago
  That's why he said "too artsy and pretentious for me" instead of "too artsy and pretentious in absolute terms and those who disagree can suck it". Chill, nobody is insulting your taste in movies.
  - johnchristopher 11y ago
    > Chill, nobody is insulting your taste in movies. Yes, he is: the insult lies in the use of the `pretentious', 'artsy' and 'pedantic' word and the condescending tone regarding non-Hollywood movie. What if I told you a lot of people find Transformers: Dark of the Moon as pretentious and vapid as its title is ? One more thing ™: s/stoke my ego/make my brain sings
    - hugh4 11y ago
      > What if I told you a lot of people find Transformers: Dark of the Moon as pretentious and vapid as its title is ? Then I guess I'd say "yeah, probably"? I haven't seen any of the Transformers movies past the first one myself, but I hear they're pretty shit.
- rconti 11y ago
  Your usage of the phrase "crass anti-intellectualism" is far more absolute, dismissive, and disparaging than anything the parent said.
  - johnchristopher 11y ago
    I don't think so. Moreover dismissing an entire group of people (hipsterism ? really ?) by stating that watching and enjoying movies one doesn't like is akin to stoking one's ego and that such movies are pretentious seems way more... well... dismissive and absolute to me. Because, believe it or not, some people truly enjoy the movies he doesn't enjoy and it has nothing to do with ego. This is objectively anti-intellectualism.
    - mangeletti 11y ago
      My comment isn't intended to be anti-anything. I spend 10-15 hours per week studying philosophy, history, economics, ontology, physics (a little), and biology, even if it is largely via Wikipedia. I'm certainly not anti-intellectual. By assuming that watching "hipster movies" makes you intellectual, you've illustrated exactly my point, that (some) people watch these movies because they think it somehow makes them into intellectuals, which fits the definition of pretentious quite well. Also note, pertaining to pretentiousness, that pretending to be an "intellectual" by category or style doesn't change one's IQ by even a little.
      - johnchristopher 11y ago
        > By assuming that watching "hipster movies" makes you intellectual, you've illustrated exactly my point, that (some) people watch these movies because they think it somehow makes them into intellectuals, which fits the definition of pretentious quite well. Don't reverse the role, you are the one stating and assuming that people watching movies you don't enjoy are stoking their ego and you are the one who came up with the hipstometer word: > Rotten Tomatoes is a hipstometer (if you don't believe me, look at the artsy film festival movies that rank highest there, or read some of the pedantic reviews). > By assuming that watching "hipster movies" makes you intellectual, you've illustrated exactly my point, Really, what a weird line of reasoning. I never wrote that and you can't conclude that's my opinion from anything I wrote because I never qualified any movies as `hipster movies' (while you did). > that (some) people watch these movies because they think it somehow makes them into intellectuals, which fits the definition of pretentious quite well. Likewise you seem to put yourself above them by not watching them and being a real intellectual while they would be frauds. Yeah, not pretentious at all.

johnchristopher 11y ago

> If the rank is lower on Fandango and higher on Rotten Tomatoes, it's usually a bit too artsy and pretentious for me (I go watch a movie to be entertained, not to stoke my ego). Crass anti-intellectualism. I like the Sundance Festival, Movies from all over the world and wouldn't got see 2012 on screen but I don't go pissing online on fans of Transformers. Your definition of `artsy and pretentious' is just `things I don't like'.

hugh4 11y ago
That's why he said "too artsy and pretentious for me" instead of "too artsy and pretentious in absolute terms and those who disagree can suck it". Chill, nobody is insulting your taste in movies.
- johnchristopher 11y ago
  > Chill, nobody is insulting your taste in movies. Yes, he is: the insult lies in the use of the `pretentious', 'artsy' and 'pedantic' word and the condescending tone regarding non-Hollywood movie. What if I told you a lot of people find Transformers: Dark of the Moon as pretentious and vapid as its title is ? One more thing ™: s/stoke my ego/make my brain sings
  - hugh4 11y ago
    > What if I told you a lot of people find Transformers: Dark of the Moon as pretentious and vapid as its title is ? Then I guess I'd say "yeah, probably"? I haven't seen any of the Transformers movies past the first one myself, but I hear they're pretty shit.
rconti 11y ago
Your usage of the phrase "crass anti-intellectualism" is far more absolute, dismissive, and disparaging than anything the parent said.
- johnchristopher 11y ago
  I don't think so. Moreover dismissing an entire group of people (hipsterism ? really ?) by stating that watching and enjoying movies one doesn't like is akin to stoking one's ego and that such movies are pretentious seems way more... well... dismissive and absolute to me. Because, believe it or not, some people truly enjoy the movies he doesn't enjoy and it has nothing to do with ego. This is objectively anti-intellectualism.
  - mangeletti 11y ago
    My comment isn't intended to be anti-anything. I spend 10-15 hours per week studying philosophy, history, economics, ontology, physics (a little), and biology, even if it is largely via Wikipedia. I'm certainly not anti-intellectual. By assuming that watching "hipster movies" makes you intellectual, you've illustrated exactly my point, that (some) people watch these movies because they think it somehow makes them into intellectuals, which fits the definition of pretentious quite well. Also note, pertaining to pretentiousness, that pretending to be an "intellectual" by category or style doesn't change one's IQ by even a little.
    - johnchristopher 11y ago
      > By assuming that watching "hipster movies" makes you intellectual, you've illustrated exactly my point, that (some) people watch these movies because they think it somehow makes them into intellectuals, which fits the definition of pretentious quite well. Don't reverse the role, you are the one stating and assuming that people watching movies you don't enjoy are stoking their ego and you are the one who came up with the hipstometer word: > Rotten Tomatoes is a hipstometer (if you don't believe me, look at the artsy film festival movies that rank highest there, or read some of the pedantic reviews). > By assuming that watching "hipster movies" makes you intellectual, you've illustrated exactly my point, Really, what a weird line of reasoning. I never wrote that and you can't conclude that's my opinion from anything I wrote because I never qualified any movies as `hipster movies' (while you did). > that (some) people watch these movies because they think it somehow makes them into intellectuals, which fits the definition of pretentious quite well. Likewise you seem to put yourself above them by not watching them and being a real intellectual while they would be frauds. Yeah, not pretentious at all.