Constructive feedback from Peter
Someone named Peter posted a comment on my very negative review of “The Informers.” This is what he wrote:
Great movie, Eric and his site blows.
While I don’t dispute the second part of Peter’s statement, I’m curious about his motives. What is his desired goal in posting such a message? I assume he hopes that other readers will have this thought process:
“Hmm, Eric has written a very negative review of this film, explaining what’s wrong with it and why. But on the other hand, Peter says the movie is great, and that Eric and his site both blow. I don’t know who to believe!”
(Or maybe the person is more grammatical and thinks “whom to believe.” I bet Peter didn’t count on that, though.)
Consider also that “The Informers” has been widely panned. Rotten Tomatoes shows 62 negative reviews and only 10 positive. Is Peter visiting all 62 of those critics’ sites and pointing out that the movie is great and that those writers and their sites blow? If not, why was I singled out? Some of those critics hated the movie even more than I did, and some of them and their sites blow even more than my site and I do. Let’s be fair here, Peter.
But then I wonder if maybe I’m misreading Peter’s remarks. The punctuation is a little ambiguous, and the grammar is off. (The third-person plural form of the verb “to blow” is “blow,” not “blows.”) After a little brainstorming, I came up with these alternatives, any of which might reflect Peter’s true intent:
Great movie! Eric and his site blow.
Great — Movie Eric and his site blow.
Great, Movie Eric! And his site blows.
Great movie, Eric! And his site blows.
Great movie? Eric and his site blow?
Great. Movie, Eric, and his site blow.
Peter, if you’re reading this, please let us know what your intentions were so that we may better understand your analysis.
May 4th, 2009 at 5:55 am
It’s one thing to pick at Eric but why drag the site into it? What has this website done to Peter?
Also, I’ve found that to be effective, the term “to blow” should be followed by some object. For example: “Eric blows boat people” is much more original than just saying “Eric blows”. I’m just sayin’.
May 4th, 2009 at 6:43 am
To be fair, we all blow sometimes – on birthdays, when presented with a candle-covered cake, for example. But I doubt the website has ever had that pleasure. Maybe we should change that. When’s the website’s birthday?
May 4th, 2009 at 7:18 am
I have never blown anything in my life. I use a hair dryer to blow out my birthday candles.
May 4th, 2009 at 8:01 am
When I first read the sentence I understood it as:
“Great movie, Eric! And his site blows.”
I was wondering whose site he was talking about. The movie’s?
Now I know what he really meant, I guess.
May 4th, 2009 at 9:58 am
Here is yet another alternative.
Great Movie, Eric And His Site Blows.
People who capitalize every word in a sentence (and I have seen this before) bug the hell out of me.
May 4th, 2009 at 11:26 am
Maybe Peter is the Techno Viking!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwsntHcWiy4 [contains adult language]
May 4th, 2009 at 1:51 pm
How do we know Peter wasn’t a confused ESL student? If he knows “sucks” is a negative word, wouldn’t it’s opposite be a compliment?
I say its an innocent mistake!
May 4th, 2009 at 4:31 pm
Or may be it is:
Great movie (review), Eric! And (t)his site blows me away!
May 4th, 2009 at 10:23 pm
I just love the picture of Grampa Simpson typing complaints . . . “Here’s a list of words I never want to hear on television again . . . ” Classic Simpsons.
Also, I don’t know why so many people fail to realize the importance of punctuation. It’s not like it takes so much extra time to put things in the right places. This especially bothers me on places like Facebook where someone is only writing one sentence and you can barely decipher it. And I’m talking about people who are claiming to have actually graduated from high school — something that requires 4 whole years of English classes.
May 5th, 2009 at 6:38 am
The Anagram Server reveals Peter’s comment really means:
A Beseeched Virologist Wins A Trim.
Of course!
May 5th, 2009 at 6:39 am
Maybe there’s a new movie coming out, and this was Peter’s little review of it.
Great movie! “Eric and His Site Blows!”
Coming soon to a theater near you!
May 5th, 2009 at 6:41 am
Perhaps:
Great! Movie, Eric, and his site blow.
May 5th, 2009 at 12:28 pm
Hmm. Today’s gathering of “The Informers” fan club is now in session.
No one here … again??
May 6th, 2009 at 8:32 am
I personally read it as “Great movie, Eric! And his site blows”, but on further reflection, I think it’s actually “Great movie! Eric and his site blow” – this is the least nonsensical interpritation. How do you spell that? Interpretation. Gosh darn it.
May 6th, 2009 at 10:28 pm
Maybe he was referring to my site? I’ve been planning on a redesign, but just haven’t gotten around to it.