Do movie critics actually know better than moviegoers?

Two weeks ago, just as I had returned from the nice Spring Break vacation I told you about last time, there was this interesting article in Variety linked through the Drudge Report. It talked about how critics and moviegoers apparently disagree with what's actually good over at the local multiplex.The author, Peter Bart, comments on how recent box office leaders, such as 300, Ghost Rider, Wild Hogs and Norbit, were panned by most critics, but widely enjoyed by the average moviegoer.

"The situation underscores yet again the disconnect between the cinematic appetites of critics vs. those of the popcorn crowd. The kids who storm their multiplexes to catch the opening of Night at the Museum don't give a damn what the critics think," said Bart.

I think I mentioned once that my father and I often pick which movies will top the box offices every week. During one of the discussions, a complete stranger actually complimented us on our knowledge and critique abilities. And since I've kind of boiled down what to look for in a movie in regards to profitability in my own mind, my accuracy in picking the top movies has improved.

It's kind of like stock trading. With popcorn.

That being said, when 300 came out, I actually didn't think it'd do as well as it did. It was the movie version of the graphic novelist Frank Miller's retelling of ancient Spartan battle of Thermopylae. From what I saw when another of Miller's works, Sin City, was in theaters I was optimistic, but I actually went with Hogs, which was in it's second week of showing.

And you know what, I can already see a couple of upcoming movies that'll blast out the box offices, but will most likely get panned from the critic's balcony.

First off, we get a trio of "3" movies: Spiderman 3, Shrek the Third and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. Granted, few movies that reach the third installment of the series turn out to be winners, and I'm probably not going to go see the third Shrek movie. However, each of the predecessors for these three movies have found their way in the top 5 grossing movies for the year, so even though these may be wearing out their welcome, I expect these to be instant box office leaders. (You can tack on Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix to this as well.)

Second, there's the Grindhouse combination featuring full-length movies made by acclaimed directors Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino. It's probably going to get the full "ultra-violence" treatment by critics, and the only problem I can foresee with this is the possible length of this ber-film. However, I'm confident this will be popular with movie patrons, and one need only to look at the recent performances of Sin City (Rodriguez) and the Kill Bill films (Tarantino) to see how much this film has prepared for it.

Another film that I personally don't care for, but is coming out this week, is Blades of Glory, about two banned male skaters who have to skate together to compete for the gold medal. I expect this not to receive good reviews, but to take this weekend's box office in the interim. I look at the previous Will Ferrell comedies Talladega Nights and Anchorman to see how, despite the expected poor reviews, this'll be a comedy hit with moviegoers.

So, will critics ever change the way they see movies? Maybe not, and for some of the movies that often come out of Hollywood, it might not be a bad idea. Critics can review films that often may not be the top film at theaters, but could possibly be a hidden gem that some of the more serious movie patrons may want to see.

But I must concur with Bart that most critics and moviegoers have a disconnection between the movies they like. What most critics think are pieces of junk actually turn out to be something that the masses actually had a blast watching, while some of the flicks that critics praise often can't capture the interests of said masses. But that's as far as I'm concerned....