I like rottentomatoes.com as a movie recommendation service:
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/scott_pilgrims_vs_the_world/
you get the chance to view both worlds, the critics from one side and the viewers from the other.
Usually, when a movie gets a really high score, it is a good sign. when the high score comes from both sides, it is a really good sign.
so for example, Scott Pilgrim gets an overall 81% with critics at 79% and viewers at 88%
While the first Twilight gets an overall of 50% with critics at 56% and viewers at 82%

Do I listen to critics? well, my brother is one, and our taste is very similar (we do disagree on some movies), so in a way: yes. With other critics, I tend to see when I’m going to disagree with them since they are acting as “movie snobs” as your friend said, and when they are really giving a bad review since the movie was truly bad.
One thing I noticed since my brother is a movie critic – he tends to notice stuff that I don’t – so sometimes we disagree on some points or on the whole movie since something really bothered him in the movie in terms of movie making while I didn’t notice it at all.

Sorry, my bad :)

You wrote it very well, I think. I was just concurring with your opinion and adding my own feelings.

It was exactly my point, Alphast.
Maybe I write it down in the wrong way.
I think the way the people approach high ideas and concepts is reflected by the way they approach advises and opinions and guidance offered by the said élite.
Everything is boiled down to “the majority is right”, and since the élite isn’t the majority, it is rejected, with rights and duties (and so real democracy) pushed in the background.

Democracy is not about being “right” it is about having “rights”. It is not about reason but about freedom. Hence democracy and box office figures should have nothing to do in a discussion about culture and good taste.

This said, I think both average Italians and average Americans have a profound aversion against what they perceived as elites. Which are, in fact mostly well educated people. There is a despise and even hostility in the USA, I think, against general culture and proper education. Apart from maths and related “hard sciences”, I have often been stricken by how many Americans (but certainly not only them) have a shallow knowledge. This exist in many countries (France and Netherlands, where I live, come to mind), but only in the USA do we see this described as a sort of political virtue. In France, many people are like that, but they are ashamed of it, and rightfully so. In the USA, it seems to be the norm and they are proud of it. Which gives us people like the Tea Party guys… But also on the Liberal side, all kinds of brain dead types (see Bidden).

I hear this kind of conversation over and over again, about everything. The party currently governing my country is there just because he is “the average Italian” and understand what the “gente” (people, but more stupid) wants.
The competition, the excellence here is almost always seen as something to avoid, because no one will recognize the value and the importance of it and because it makes people envious.
I have no excellence myself but, as you have stated: if I want something said or done, I would like to get it from someone how is trained and really skilled at it.
I don’t get this attitude as well.
Democracy and equality should not be seen in this way :|

I find it interesting how “educated” apparently has become a swear word. If someone has educated himself/herself in any given arena, that person is per definition wrong. That is completely backwards logic. In my opinion at least. I think really I am just appalled by the people you know.

im thinking of giving Scott Pilgrim vs the world a chance only because it has the director of my favorite movie ever Hot Fuzz, but not until its out on bluray, i hate cinemas, it feels like work going there, standing in line, sitting in an uncomfortably for 2 hours while trying to ignore the 10 dudes messing with their cellphones, the 2 babies crying like crazy and the kids kicking the back of my seat and now with the new addition of wearing a set of 3d glasses so filthy you might as well watch the movie though tinted glass smeared with grease, youll probably have higher risk of catching a STD from those glasses than all the hookers of the world mixed in a single entity, but i digress

@vacri: your friend speaks words of deep wisdom

sc2’s campaign sucked but i dont think it was because of the script, if you think back none of Blizzard’s games have a good story, the story in most of them is either very light (blackthorne, rock&roll racing, lost vikings, warcraft 1,2,3 and starcraft) or completely optional (diablo 1 and sort of with 2)

the main differences between sc2 and their old games are the budget and the lack of a proper ending (yeah some of their games had cliffhangers but they had an epic enough last stretch of missions/fights to satisfy your thirst for a while)

sc2 force feeds its huge budget one million at a time though completely pointless and disjointed scenes of whatever they thought it was cool at the time, barely going anywhere, teasing you with the possibility of a choice that never comes and then slap you with a “no ending for you!, try again in heart of the swarm, roll credits! kekeke” after “yet another timed mission” following a pretty disappointing campaign that was overshadowed by the much more longer, varied and fun war3 & war3xp

@ jambarama:

I absolutely agree with that review Hulk.

Oh, btw – some nonsensical bits you mentioned – like “HULK SMASH”, clapping hands to create shock waves and etc were just fan service. They basically wanted the superhero to say his catch phrase so that the fans in the theater can clap and cheer when it happens.

Honestly – the whole abomination subplot was unnecessary. In fact the army and the general’s pursuit of Hulk should have been a secondary plot. The main focus should be the love triangle between Ed Norton, Liv Tyler and the new boyfriend.

That’s sort of how Iron Man movies were designed – the characters and their relationships were front and center but they still delivered the big superhero showdown scenes and fan service.

A friend ruined a lot of big budget films for me with the single sentence: “If only they spent one million less on special effects and one million more on scriptwriting, they’d have an awesome story that still looks great”

Starcraft II’s single-player campaign also sucked for plot. Nutshelled it’s ’embattled loner does things his own way and wins in the end’, nothing new or fresh, and even has the ultra-corny line “maybe we can find some untouched paradise world somewhere and settle down”. Entirely predictable throughout, which is a letdown from the team at Blizz.