OMG NOT ANOTHER LIST! (Slant Magazine's 100 Essential Films)

[ono]

http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/features/100essentialfilms.asp

This is kind of a weekly list, it seems.  Sort of like when Berardinelli was doing his silly top 100 of all time.  I like it because it has films I've never seen and some I've never heard of, and they're most certainly important for some reason or another.  I've only seen like two or three of these.  This'll definitely give you something to do on a rainy day.

[Pubrick]

This'll definitely give you something to do on a rainy day.

the only thing it's making me do is weep.

possibly the worst list i've ever seen, according to it the 40s and 50s must've been a dark period for cinema.

[ono]

"Only" 12 films from the 40s and 50s means they think it to be a dark era?  The list didn't claim to be one of the "best" films.  More of "an alternative compiled by a group of kinky film-lovers wanting to give serious critical thought to neglected, forgotten and misunderstood gems."  If you consider that sad, so be it.  Heaven forbid they leave out Citizen Kane and Casablanca.

[Pubrick]

did i say citizen kane or casablanca?

way to argue against urself man.

worse than typical movie lists, which i also loathe, this one is just a total try-hard.. really, "hi mom"? the list is a joke and if u acknowledge that then u shouldn't take it so personal when i address it as one.

[ono]

did i say citizen kane or casablanca?

way to argue against urself man.

No, P.  I did.  Vintage 40s or 50s movies everyone seems to cite.  That's all I'm saying.  You may as well be more specific if you had a point.  What would YOU put on a list of 100 obscure, essential films, if you don't like this list.

[Pubrick]

i'm not gonna give u a list. ur comments on the horror "genre" are embarrassing and ignorant considering ur defense of this list.

i hav nothing more to say or defend.

[NEON MERCURY]

I still haven't come across a horror movie worth my time, save The Shining.  It's a most laughably pathetic genre.  

no, that would be the dogme films

and ono, even thoguth this isnt the right thread for this [in 3 sentences] please sum up why horror is the "most laughably pathetic genre".  or if you posted your response to this before please link it for me.

[ono]

This seems to be the thread of edited and deleted material (and exhibitions of passive-aggressive behavior).  That is, Neon, what I wrote was in response to what Mac wrote, which he deleted before I replied.

Anyway, some people hate lists.  I think they're good only for creating awareness of films that you may not have been aware of.

As for horror, if you must know, every horror film I've seen I've been bored out of my mind or had my intelligence insulted.  This, from Halloween to Alien, and many films in between.  So because of that, it's just something I've never gotten into.

[NEON MERCURY]

As for horror, if you must know, every horror film I've seen I've been bored out of my mind or had my intelligence insulted.  This, from Halloween to Alien, and many films in between.  So because of that, it's just something I've never gotten into.

, forgive me but what excites you then?  i am not some huge horror buff [you may have even seen more horror films than i have] but i  dont see how you can find certian horror films boring.  now stupid, i can clearly see this because i find plenty of horror films that lowered my intelligence [which is usually low anyway]. but i dont understand how you could find a typical horror film that contains large gratuitious amounts of gore and sex  and  violence BORING?!?!?!  stupid-yes [depending on the film] but not boring IMO.

[RegularKarate]

NEON... stop arguing against horror movies like that.

[ono]

Well-written drama and effectively-executed comedy are exciting.  But that's not the issue, really.  As for horror, it's just personal taste.  I cited Halloween and Alien as two of the worst examples.  On the opposite end, Psycho and 28 Days Later would have to be two of the better examples.  I was pleasantly surprised by 28 Days Later, to say the least.  And this was because of the humanity injected into the characters.  In most horror films, there is no hook, no reason to care.  The characters are just pawns.  28 Days Later changed that.  One scene I still remember is where the father gets the contaminated blood drop in his eyes, realizes he's been infected, then says goodbye to his daughter.  That's good writing.  That's drama, that's what makes a good movie, and in this case, it made a horror movie worthwhile.

Gone are the days where horror movies are sex and gore fests.  It was the 80s where you'd see the chick with the nice rack get her neck skewered by a crossbow while she was showering.  Or something to that extent.  Very few films have a sort of fun, freewheeling element where you can champion sex as a factor.  Gore, maybe, yes.  But why, you must ask yourself, is gore something you'd want to see?  Unless it was cartoonish or comedic, there's really no reason for it.

I scroll down the IMDb top horror films list for the most popular ones, gauging whether I think they're worthwhile.  Horror buffs will find value in the quicker than I will.  And also, a lot of these films aren't strict horror fllms, and films that are able to bounce between genres are generally more successful, because they aren't slave to the rules of the genre.

[RegularKarate]

clearly you haven't watched much horror... letting that prejudice keep you from seeing some great films.

to each his own, but you have no place speaking out against something you clearly don't know much about.

[ono]

clearly you haven't watched much horror...

Clearly you're wrong in this case, as I have watched enough horror to know I generally don't like the genre.  I may not have watched as much as you, but that doesn't  invalidate my opinion.  It's not prejudice, having viewed films to base it on.  One doesn't need to see every horror film ever to have an opinion.

letting that prejudice keep you from seeing some great films.

Like?  I keep an open mind.  Everyone's always telling me how Halloween and Alien and films like that are the second coming, and then I see them, and they're total shit, so what should I expect?  So recommend me a good film or two.

[mogwai]

So recommend me a good film or two.

cannibal holocaust and cannibal ferox. they're like disney movies compared to halloween and alien.

[ono]

Haha.  I think you've got that analogy backwards, but Holocaust I've heard of, and wanted to check it out for a while thought it would take a sick mind to actually want to watch that.  Gotta be honest here.