During last Thursday’s Magnificent Seven TIFF press conference, Denzel Washington described the 9.16 Columbia release as “just a movie” and “a good time.” He’s blowing smoke, of course. I had an awful time watching Antoine Fuqua‘s film. Nobody loves good, crafty escapism more than myself, but when a lazy wank-off flick like The Magnificent Seven comes along and makes you feel drained and nauseous, people like Denzel and critic Lewis Beale say “hey, relax…it’s just a movie!” But there’s no relaxing when a film is flagrantly empty except in terms of the photography (Mauro Fiore‘s lensing is first-rate), and has nothing in the way of cleverness or fresh attitude up its sleeve. There is nothing so detestable as people who dismiss the potential of cinema by saying “it’s just a movie.” Can you imagine Arthur Miller saying “it’s just a play” or a respected architect saying “it’s just a home” or a clothier saying “it’s just a suit” or a gourmet chef saying “it’s just a souflee”? Or that any of these were created so you can have “a good time”?