This started as a response to Robyn’s post but I thought it was important enough to create a blog about.
The things that make a “good” film are hard to list. There are those films that we have a campy feeling for (Schwarzenegger and Bronson anybody?), but some films excel at some things that others do not. This is not just limited to the plot. Citizen Kane is widely known as the greatest film of all time. Do film buffs watch it constantly? I doubt it. The story is great, but it’s a somewhat “slow” film. A good film is just like a good book. You look at how the story is constructed in a book don’t you? You do the same thing with film. If the filmmaker is doing sophisticated things with the film (lighting, sound, composition, color, etc.) and you recognize them as such, then that film could be considered “good.” If it’s your first time analyzing film, you don’t recognize these things when you’re in the theater. Eventually you will though and you feel so much more a part of the film. A lot of it is still skeptical, but there are some guildlines as to what makes a good film. Coherence and originality are two things to think about when watching a film. What I like to focus on when watching a film is the temporal and spatial relations of each shot. Basically where are things and when do they show up. You can really find out some interesting things about the filmmaking if you pay attention to these. Remember: every shot, sound, movement, title, EVERYTHING has been done on purpose. Treat it that way and you’ll do fine with your analysis.