media gripe
You know that one episode of MST3K where Joel flips out and dares Frank and Dr. Forrester to riff a movie, and it's TERRIBLE? Everything they say is just kind of vague "Haha! They sure are in a... wacky situation. You could sure say something there!"
Every single review or reaction video I've ever seen on Youtube has sounded like that to me. No insight, no thesis, no analysis, just some 19-year-old kid giving us full real-time access to his hindbrain.
media gripe
@zebratron2084 If I may add to the pile: The copious "sins" videos stray into this territory.
"I will now point out minor inconsistencies I have observed, and provide no meaningful insight other than a smug sense of superiority"
re: media gripe
@Phorm I hate them so much. They're so superficial, so literal-minded, and so willfully ignorant of the ways good cinema SHOULDN'T AND MUSTN'T just blandly recapitulate material reality. I want to just.... pick up my old film prof and bludgeon the shallow fuckers with him. (Shit, he would probably *consent*. :) )
re: media gripe
Quite thoroughly agreed. I could go off on a very long screed here, particularly as this phenomenon has infested other media. I still remember seeing a video from [POPULAR TRASH RACIST YOUTUBER] years ago that spent upward of twenty minutes ripping a game apart.
After it was over it dawned on me that all the petty, meaningless criticisms that were leveled amounted to "THIS WASN'T THE GAME I EXPECTED IT TO BE", rather than any insight related to actual criticism of the game it WAS. That wasn't terribly shocking, but I remember being taken aback by how widespread the influence of that video was, and how it permeated throughout the internet quickly, halted all thought and reducing all discussion to "GAME BAD".
re: media gripe; "let me tell you about my project" O:)
@Phorm Oh gods, that's the other thing, the colossal sense of consumer entitlement. I am REALLY bracing -- should we ever be so lucky to have Parallax actually go anywhere -- for that kind of so-called "fan." Contact with the Steven Universe and MLP fandoms have pretty much soured me on the idea of having a following, and... tbh, I'm trying to fill Parallax full of red-herring bait for the compulsive theorists, whom I also can't stand. :>
re: media gripe; "let me tell you about my project" O:)
@zebratron2084 I wish you only the best fans, and thoroughly approve of your red herring plan :D Reminds me a bit about something Andy Price was talking about at an MLP comic panel at a covn-
Oh. Shoot. I'm one of those fans, aren't I? Ugh.
(Honestly, I know just what you mean. My experience with that kind of fandom has left me confused and tender to this day.)
re: media gripe
@zebratron2084 Oh! Also, on the topic of "Superficial Idiocy Passed Of As Legit Criticism of Movies" you might enjoy this video:
re: media gripe
@zebratron2084 @Phorm I mean, if you really want a refutation of Cinema Sins-style analysis, Shaun has a terrific takedown: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9IBlbfjNH0
re: media gripe - recommendations
@zebratron2084 You sound like you're in need of some Lindsey Ellis, Folding Ideas, and Movies with Mikey 
https://www.youtube.com/user/chezapoctube/videos
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyNtlmLB73-7gtlBz00XOQQ/videos (I highly recommend ""Annihilation and Decoding Metaphor" which is a deconstruction of exactly the attitudes that are annoying you)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdR3ZQbAIeg&list=PLdGl5mi0XeW2iK2sVp2ni_VDRKrmfF_-Z
re: media gripe - recommendations
@Aradia These all sound SUPER promising, thanks! <3 (Also, I've been real happy with that Nickelodeon historian I've been linking to recently, even if that YCDTOTV one was rough going...)
re: media gripe - recommendations
@zebratron2084 Also making sure you know Every Frame A Painting: https://www.youtube.com/user/everyframeapainting/videos
media gripe
@zebratron2084 the dualism and dramatic catastrophizing bugs me. It’s never something like “I loved Jurassic Park Fallen Kingdom BUT I think the story could be stronger if” it’s always “THEY RUINED THE FRANCHISE!” etc etc.
media gripe
I want to train youtube to just not even show videos with "reaction" or "reacts" in the title.
As for reviews, regular car reviews is kind of great, outside Xbox can be pretty ok, as can the know. Miniature war gaming can have some pretty ok board and tabletop reviews.
Other than that theres a few people who do video game let's plays that are pretty solid, unplayedathing, cheyplays, and Ross, who's last name I have totally blanked on, that did freeman's mind.
re: media gripe
@001zlnv @zebratron2084 Ross' channel is Accursed Farms, and it is mostly raving about old games: https://www.youtube.com/user/chilledsanity/videos
For actual game analysis, I recommend Errant Signal: https://www.youtube.com/user/Campster/videos
media gripe
@zebratron2084 TBF that's what most reaction videos are about? It's just "Let's watch this together" not riffing.
Hard agree on the rest though.
re: media gripe
This is why I love Tim Heidecker and Gregg Turkington's On Cinema, especially the early episodes before they got into all the soap opera stuff. They set out to make a film podcast that was as vacuous and obvious as the "real" ones, and... well, that's an unachievably high standard, but they *almost* hit it.
I know there are good Youtube commentators who can do more than sputter "LOL! WTF! I DON'T EVEN!" but damned if my old ass knows how to find 'em. Any recommendations?