What do you think of movies based on video games, like ‘The Minecraft Movie?’

Dear Mick: What do you think about the trend of making movies based on video games? And how much would I have to pay you to sit through “The Minecraft Movie?”

Juzo Greenwood, Berkeley

Dear Juzo: It’s an awful trend, because there’s no built-in story to a video game, so the movie is at a deficit from its inception. But I don’t think you’d have to pay me much to see “The Minecraft Movie” because it’s only 101 minutes long, and the trailer looks funny. 

Basically, my rule these days is that I see no movie that I know going in that I won’t enjoy. That means, I’ll never see another “Avengers” movie or anything else involving superheroes. However, “The Minecraft Movie” looks like something I wouldn’t hate, so make me an offer, and I’ll get back to you.

Hi Mick: Are there films that you loved as a young adult, but are now reluctant to view again, for fear of disappointment?

Paul Sullam, San Francisco

Hi Paul: No, and I’ve never really understood why anyone would feel that way. The movie doesn’t change. It stays the same, and if you’ve changed, maybe that’s a good thing. At the very least, that could be interesting. So I never worry about spoiling a memory, and you shouldn’t either.

However, I do worry about something closely related to that — watching a cherished movie in the wrong way. If you remember loving some film you saw in a movie theater, don’t go back and watch it on your computer. Don’t watch it when you’re exhausted. Don’t watch it over five nights, and don’t watch it when you know you’re going to be interrupted. 

Recently, I watched what had been one of my favorite films, “The Mother and the Whore” (1973), on a computer, over four nights. After seeing it in such a ridiculous way, I didn’t like it as much. But I can’t be sure if that’s the movie’s fault. By investing nothing in the viewing experience, I may have wrecked a great film.

Dear Mick LaSalle: You touched on the subject of pornography, and I wondered if you reviewed the film “Deep Throat” when it was released?

Robert Freud Bastin, Petaluma

Dear Robert Freud Bastin: I was too young to see “Deep Throat” when it came out in 1972, and I have not bothered to see it since. I haven’t seen any of the trio of famous porn films of the 1970s, the other two being “The Devil in Miss Jones” and “Behind the Green Door.” I have zero interest. Few things are more depressingly futile than the sight of dead people having sex.

Hey Mick: How quickly do you choose which rendition of the Little Clapping Man to use when you review a movie? Do you ever find yourself struggling a bit, or is it easy?

Paul Cameron, San Francisco

Hey Paul: It’s easy, but it doesn’t mean I’ve always chosen correctly. For example, I believe I’ve handed out too many middle ratings — that is, the Little Man Interested — when I should have dished out more Little Man Sleepings. I realize now that the Interested rating shouldn’t be used for movies that are a little bit bad. If they’re bad, they’re bad, and there’s no reason to equivocate. 

Instead, the Interested rating should be used for movies like “Fifty Shades of Grey” or “The Bridges of Madison County,” which are neither bad nor good enough. In other words, the Little Man Interested should not be a big basket for catching mediocre work in general. It should be reserved for a specific slice of mid-quality work, while the Little Man Sleeping should be the clearing house for most varieties of lousy.

Have a question?  Ask Mick LaSalle at [email protected]. Include your name and city for publication, and a phone number for verification. Letters may be edited for clarity and length.