Have you ever seen a film that every critic under the sun has described as "The Best Film of the Year?" You rush to the theater to see it right away and fork down your ten bucks to see what all the fuss is about concerning this movie. The film has just ended and you feel cheated. It's not that the film was bad, it was just average. You feel left out and confused for perhaps missing the point of the film. What went wrong? You have just seen an overrated film. A film that one film critic labels a "classic" and everyone agrees so they don't feel left out. Well, feel left out no more! A new book entitled "101 Movies to Avoid: The Most Overrated Films Ever!" exposes those films. The book is written by Allan Smithee, which is not the author's real name. He changed his name for the book to protect himself. The book exposes such films as "The English Patient," "Ghost," "Platoon," "Pretty Woman," "Ray," "The Silence of the Lambs," "Titanic," and "War of the Worlds." While I might not agree with everything the author has to say in his book, I do agree with a lot of his viewpoints regarding critics and Hollywood.

TONY: What set you off and inspired you to write a book about the most overrated films of all time?

ALLAN: I like to think of it as drawing a line in the sand for the average cinema-goer who's been intellectually bullied for years. Films should be enjoyed for what they are - cinema is the most modern and accessible of all art-forms. But like the other arts the snobs are trying to take over. If the book makes one person decide to judge each film on its individual merits then it's been a success.

TONY: You have decided to use a pen name for this project. Why did you decide to do that?

ALLAN: It started off as a joke ... "you'll never work in the business again after the industry sees this!" Although it's an open secret in most of the London film world that I'm the author (doing radio interviews with such a distinct voice doesn't help - nor the fact that I've got such a big mouth!). The main reason though is that I work essentially in script development now, and some of my clients thought it might intimidate new writers if they knew they would be working with the author of such a harsh critique. I also liked the joke of using Allan Smithee as the pseudonym.

TONY: You state how the purpose of your book is to expose overrated films. What do you think is the difference between an overrated film and a bad film?

ALLAN: No one goes out to make a bad movie, and it's always a shame when they turn out disappointing (I've been in those cutting rooms). It's easy, and particularly boring, to list bad films. This is more about the films that everybody tells you are good, and you "must see", when in fact they are as much of a stinker in their own way as "Police Academy 6" or "Ishtar." The book is more focused on outing the pretentious, and the Emperor's new clothes that no one wants to admit to.

TONY: Even though I'm an aspiring critic, I do agree with you that sometimes a critic can have too much influence. Do you think reading a review before you see a film can hurt your thought process going into a movie?

ALLAN: I think good criticism should inspire you to think for yourself, but a lot of the reviews today are just lazy and asinine. I've discovered many a cinematic gem from reading reviews of films that I wouldn't have considered watching - and that's great. I also like to read critics who put forward a good argument - even though you might disagree when you see the movie, it makes you think. What I don't like is cheap shots and facile statements ... that's what I'm here for!

TONY: Why do you think the gap between critical success and box office success is so wide?

ALLAN: I think it shows how out of touch many of the critics have become (although a snob would conversely say that it illustrates how tastes have descended). Like the tree falling in the forest, a film is not good if no one goes to see it. The fact that many papers especially chose to run their major review on a one-print release (no matter how good it is), and yet disparage the big multiplex opener with a tiny and barbed postscript, is just insulting.

TONY: David Lynch is an interesting director in terms of his career. He seems like a director who sometimes likes to mess with the audience. On the same token, he can build a masterpiece. Why do you think Lynch goes through so many weird periods in his career?

ALLAN: I really don't know. Personally I find him frustrating. I watched "The Straight Story" again the other night, and just wallowed in how good it was. The opening half of "Mulholland Drive" was also very close to a masterpiece - then he went and spoiled it. Right now there are critics showering "Inland Empire" with praise, most saying that we won't understand it but it's a "must-see". I've given up; I don't want to go to the cinema to get confused (I get enough of that in real life).

TONY: Your book has received a lot of controversy since it has been released. How have you dealt with this?

ALLAN: It would be churlish for me to get annoyed about criticism when I've just slated over 100 movies. Many of the complaints are justified, if rather obvious - if I'm listing 101 films that I think are pretentious and arty then there is going to be a bit of repetition (the thesaurus only stretches so far). And yes, it is just my view - you want to read your view, write your own bloody book! Critics especially seem to have taken exception to it - which kinda proves a point. On the whole I feel that many have missed the joke (or maybe I just told it wrong) - yes it's lazy, rude and opinionated ... that was the point.

TONY: Out of all the films in your book, which film has received the most support in terms of fans defending that particular film?

ALLAN: Strangely it is "Mary Poppins." People seem to be very defensive about their childhood memories, and feel it sacrilege for me to stomp all over them.

TONY: Do you think Hollywood has forgotten how to entertain its audience? It seems like too many directors are worried about a film looking good rather than being entertaining.

ALLAN: A film that looks good is sometimes half the entertainment (try to get a copy of the Thai western "Tears of the Black Tiger" as the perfect example). I am still entertained every week by films, only last night I sat through "300" on the huge Imax screen in London and just delighted in the pure entertainment value. Tarantino has a lot to answer for, as many aspirants have tried to copy him without having the substance. But then, I wouldn't want to have missed out Quentin's work just because others cannot reach that bar.

TONY: What Academy Award winning film do you think is the most overrated?

ALLAN: It has to be "The Departed", which is the perfect example of the Academy thinking this must be a good movie because it's "Marty". All the good elements of the picture were direct steals from "Infernal Affairs", and everything added by the director is pretty poor (including Nicholson chewing the scenery). It is odd that when Scorsese was making masterpieces the Academy ignored him, and now that he's churning out lazy nonsense like "The Aviator" and "Gangs of New York" they are lauding him.

TONY: You mention some underrated films near the end of your book. Why do you think a lot of films don't catch on with critics or fans?

ALLAN: For the most part there's just too many films out there, most produced by the studios (or affiliates) so they have to be distributed no matter how they turn out. So unless you're lucky (and God bless Sundance, without which "Little Miss Sunshine" and "March of the Penguins" might have been straight to DVD titles) it is a long hard slog to get your film noticed, especially if you don't have money behind you. There's an incredibly funny Australian movie called "Kenny" which has hardly been seen outside Oz (it is finally getting a UK release this summer), which is a terrible shame.

TONY: Do you think too many directors can do no wrong in the eyes of certain fans? They think everything they do is great.

ALLAN: Definitely - and they make up excuses why the film should not be panned ("you just like his accessible work" or "this is an interesting new challenge in his career"). Everyone has a bad day at the office occasionally, and we shouldn't be afraid to stand up and say it. Many of my favorite directors are in the book for their bad work - Almodovar, Woody Allen, Scorsese etc.

TONY: Have you ever changed your mind on an overrated film? Have you seen a film again and enjoyed it better after a second viewing?

ALLAN: I have changed my mind on actors (Emma Thompson and Hugh Grant especially) and directors (Neil Jordan in particular after "Breakfast on Pluto"), but I'm probably too stubborn to warm to a movie after railing against it. Saying that, films always look different on a second viewing. The first "Airplane" was hilarious, but really didn't stand up to another look, whereas I was slightly bored by the second in the franchise until I saw it again.

TONY: Do you think critics tend to agree with each other too much? You don't see too many films that are split in
half in terms of reviews. Critics either fall in love with a film universally or hate a film universally.

ALLAN: Like everyone else, they don't like to appear to have missed the point. So many today will go with the general flow (even if you can read between the lines that they didn't really get it). Personally I hate it when people agree with me after a film; I really do prefer to debate the picture than just nod passively.

TONY: What is your definition of a great film?

ALLAN: Where I don't notice the edges of the screen because I'm so totally involved in the world of the movie. If I start becoming aware of the heads in front of me, or how long there might be left, then the film hasn't transported me as it should.

To purchase a copy of his book, please go to http://www.cyanbooks.com/