At movie's end, I - like 80 percent of the audience who journeyed with me - stood and applauded. There were no serious or minor missteps that made me remember I was escaping.
There was humor and anger, laughter and louder laughter, and with each scene, the plot and tension pulled me in deeper and deeper. So, did BearCity take me on a journey? Yes! All the necessary pieces were in place. The only question is: Is the movie a complete trip, as described above, to sustain my journey, my escape. I go to movies to escape from my here and now and to go on the creative journeys others provide.
I do not project my past onto the art of the movie makers. It is under this simplified rendition of how I watch movies, that judge whether a movie is good. A movie is good when a script is plausible, the directing taking risks while making smart, wise choices, the actors loose themselves and find an inner voice, and the music, wardrobe, location and atmosphere comprehensively transport me from my personal reality to the reality of the 'living' movie.
