I'm writing this in general response to a few snippets of things all over the site, and from discussions with people in general. Nothing makes me more upset (not angry, but confused and sad) when people nitpick films I love. As in my talks with GT about Stanley "I fucking hate everything" Kaufmann. Then shit on culturevulture website about them thinking PTA is a hack. There's a bad vibe about this shit. Why can't we just love movies and not impose our own shit on them? I'm in a place right now, whereby I go get a ton of movies a week from the library, then also add some dvds of my own, into a orgy of viewing. I'm just loving all of them right now, getting something out of each flick. It may be because I know generally what I like, and I've been watching a bunch of Italian Neorealist stuff and French New Wave stuff. But folks might go off on this whole pretentious kick, well fuck that, I love these movies. I wouldn't spend so much time if I wasn't enjoying myself. And at the same time I'm feeling my movie-consciousness is expanding. It feels fucking fantastic. That's what it is, I feel like an emotion-bundled pregnant woman you see who cries at everything. Damn damn damn I love movies!!!!!
Last week I told some old friends that I realized that there's so many good films out there, even if I spent all day watching movies, I still wouldn't see even 25% of them in my life. That means that I have to miss out on 75% of the great movies out there. Totally miss out. Never have a chance to experience. I told my friends that when I think about this I wanna cry. They looked at me like I was an idiot, and we had a long uncomfortable silence.
As we grow older and are forced to enter the "real world", I find that the 20-somethings around me yearn for financial success, families, security, whatever. All I want right now is to be exposed to more films, more art, more music, more literature. And yet I can't even find the time to fucking fully appreciate and take in the shit I'm on now, AND accomplish what I need to in terms of making my own movies and writing and music.
I think what other people get in terms of the anxiety in realizing that they will one day die, I get when I think of all the movies I could be watching right now. I don't care about my mortality, I care about my entertainment.
Gaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh...........
I understand what you're saying and I thought you stated it eloquently. I can relate somewhat, even though I'm 32 and that age feels about 40 years removed from "twentysomething."
Of course there are more great movies than you or I will ever see. Even crazier: If that's the case, why the hell do I sit around sometimes and watch "Con-Air" for the 11th time, when I've yet to get to "The Straight Story"? Because, like you said, I want to be entertained, and sometimes "entertainment" is comfort cinema.
Anyway, I guess I would say a couple things in response to your post:
(1) I applaud your attitude that you love movies, and you're not going to apologize for it. Hold onto that spirit.
(2) Don't spend an ounce of angst or sweat on the folks who hate this or that. As you said yourself, life is too short.
(3) You'll never see every great movie, so revel in the thrill of knowing that, if you wanted to, you could see a great movie that's new to you every day of the rest of your life, and never run out. Embrace the possibilities. Enjoy the fun of jumping from genre to genre, from director to director...
(4) Life, however, isn't just about movies. Or even just about art. That doesn't mean you can't love movies. But don't grow up to be like a certain 32-year-old I know, who has a huge DVD collection, a 70-hour work week and two cats. Get outside in the fresh air. Meet people. Fall in love.
That's all.
beautiful response.
as to #4: my life is my art, and my art is my life. I'd much prefer to be an observer than a doer, life-wise.
70 hour work week? What do you do?
i understand you well SoNowThen
and i think 'that love' some people, like you, feel for Cinema or art in general makes the difference between viewers and creators
Quote from: SoNowThen70 hour work week? What do you do?
Sports editor at a medium-sized newspaper.
Far, far, far less glamorous than it sounds....
Quote from: SoNowThen
As we grow older and are forced to enter the "real world", I find that the 20-somethings around me yearn for financial success, families, security, whatever. All I want right now is to be exposed to more films, more art, more music, more literature. And yet I can't even find the time to fucking fully appreciate and take in the shit I'm on now, AND accomplish what I need to in terms of making my own movies and writing and music.
I completely appreciate what you're saying here, but I think I'm too young and lacking enough experience to pass any kind of judgement on these things. Best I can do right now is rely on films...
RushmoreMr. Blume: What's the secret, Max?
Max Fischer: The secret?
Mr. Blume: Yeah, you seem to have it pretty figured out.
Max Fischer: The secret, I don't know... I guess you've just gotta find something you love to do and then... do it for the rest of your life.
Lost in TranslationBob: The more you know who you are and what you want, the less you'll let things upset you.
Full FrontalGus: Dont be one of the confused people. If you have purpose you can just wade right through. Its like running past people who are asleep.
I agree with everything said in this thread and it all makes me feel happy (just like...gasp...movies!).
It's a great feeling watching a good movie. But it is a pretty depressing feeling to watch one that stinks, especially if it had potential.
im still young, only seventeen. some days i just thank christ that movies exist, because it gets me through alot of tough shit. and some days i despise my love for movies because it gets in the way of growing up in many certain ways. that's my fault, i know, but it's overwhelming and sometimes i just - i dont know. i guess i just feel like, you know, maybe, if i go see kill bill opening night like i really want to on october tenth, i'll regret it, because homecoming is that night, where all my friends will be (they don't really give a shit about it, but everybody goes anyway), and my girlfriend will be there, and just all of these wonderful people that i love and who give my love for movies and my drive to make them some meaning. but would it be so bad if i went to see it on the eleventh? i dont know. its really stupid, but i dunno. its the truth. i fucking love movies so much i cant even tell you.
Quote from: ewardim still young, only seventeen. some days i just thank christ that movies exist, because it gets me through alot of tough shit. and some days i despise my love for movies because it gets in the way of growing up in many certain ways. that's my fault, i know, but it's overwhelming and sometimes i just - i dont know. i guess i just feel like, you know, maybe, if i go see kill bill opening night like i really want to on october tenth, i'll regret it, because homecoming is that night, where all my friends will be (they don't really give a shit about it, but everybody goes anyway), and my girlfriend will be there, and just all of these wonderful people that i love and who give my love for movies and my drive to make them some meaning. but would it be so bad if i went to see it on the eleventh? i dont know. its really stupid, but i dunno. its the truth. i fucking love movies so much i cant even tell you.
i totally agree and used to face similar dilemmas. I would miss events to go see Matrix Reloaded the night before at the midnight showing ect. ect......I really just gave up and let go and now movies hold more weight over just about anything
Movies :)
Word. I love movies to death. Only problem is that unless you have people in your life who share this passion, you end up spending a lot of time alone. Like last night I turned down an offer to hang out with some people at a bar in favor of watching Arizona Dream by myself.
That's a fucking great film! you did good!
Quote from: ewardim still young, only seventeen. some days i just thank christ that movies exist, because it gets me through alot of tough shit. and some days i despise my love for movies because it gets in the way of growing up in many certain ways. that's my fault, i know, but it's overwhelming and sometimes i just - i dont know. i guess i just feel like, you know, maybe, if i go see kill bill opening night like i really want to on october tenth, i'll regret it, because homecoming is that night, where all my friends will be (they don't really give a shit about it, but everybody goes anyway), and my girlfriend will be there, and just all of these wonderful people that i love and who give my love for movies and my drive to make them some meaning. but would it be so bad if i went to see it on the eleventh? i dont know. its really stupid, but i dunno. its the truth. i fucking love movies so much i cant even tell you.
My two cents, as someone who has a good bit of distance between himself and the "high school experience," --- Go to your homecoming. The movie can wait one day. You only get one shot at the memories & experiences your teenage years have to offer.
Quote from: Banky
i totally agree and used to face similar dilemmas. I would miss events to go see Matrix Reloaded the night before at the midnight showing ect. ect......I really just gave up and let go and now movies hold more weight over just about anything
Obviously not over your careful choosing of avatars ... god bless you
Quote from: Pas RapportQuote from: Banky
i totally agree and used to face similar dilemmas. I would miss events to go see Matrix Reloaded the night before at the midnight showing ect. ect......I really just gave up and let go and now movies hold more weight over just about anything
Obviously not over your careful choosing of avatars ... god bless you
just trying to boost morale
I guerss I'm going to have to defend myself. Its great that one wants to go and keep discovering new films and all, but SoNowThen, you getting frustated with me with posting negative reviews by Kauffmann goes against the position I hold to many people here and you have accepted of me generally and what you are trying to do in learning more about cinema and art.
To explain, I discovered Stanley Kauffmann and realized he disliked prolly around 75% of the movies I liked. He disliked every Kubrick film from 2001: A Space Odyssey on and I was a Kubrick fanatic! I didn't mind this though because I saw more knowledge in his critiquing than anyone I had come across. As everyone knows, I seek out disagreeing opinions and with Kauffmann, figured I could learn the best from him. And my position here, frankly for most is someone that disagrees with what everyone else mostly likes. I'm fine with this position and you were too. I thought that was cool.
Its great you want to know more about movies and discover art, but being disagreeable to hearing criticism is not the way the way to go about it. Its just watching movies and being upset when hearing any criticism about the films you like. People not willing to expand. Its your position if you don't want critique against Godard and think he is above it, but no one really is and everyone's taste evolves.
P.S. Kauffmann's critiques are not just knit picking. Explain why before saying that. You seem to want to avvoid even reading what he says.
~rougerum
The Gold Trumpet, that was the wrong thing to say.
Quote from: ShanghaiOrangeThe Gold Trumpet, that was the wrong thing to say.
I'll try to get it right someday.
~rougerum
I skipped every homecoming and prom, and chances are I was at a movie instead. Wasn't too much into the high school social scene.
Banky, your avatars boost my morale daily. Good job.
thanks alot
Quote from: SoNowThenAs we grow older and are forced to enter the "real world", I find that the 20-somethings around me yearn for financial success, families, security, whatever. All I want right now is to be exposed to more films, more art, more music, more literature. And yet I can't even find the time to fucking fully appreciate and take in the shit I'm on now, AND accomplish what I need to in terms of making my own movies and writing and music.
I think what other people get in terms of the anxiety in realizing that they will one day die, I get when I think of all the movies I could be watching right now. I don't care about my mortality, I care about my entertainment.
Gaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh...........
That is me 110%. Except replace "music" with "more films". And I do care about my morality, but I want my life to
be the entertainment I care about. Nothing more. Nothing less.
A love of cinema should never be a shameful thing...it's like a new reality...if you're watching a good film, it can put a lot of situations in your life into perspective; and that's where the love is.....filmmakers are the reigning artists, i think, in this world, it's a step above and it can really show completely how they view the world and how they think of the world in every aspect....passion makes the world go round, so it's a great thing to have such passion for such a meaningful medium....
Quote from: The Gold TrumpetI guerss I'm going to have to defend myself. Its great that one wants to go and keep discovering new films and all, but SoNowThen, you getting frustated with me with posting negative reviews by Kauffmann goes against the position I hold to many people here and you have accepted of me generally and what you are trying to do in learning more about cinema and art.
To explain, I discovered Stanley Kauffmann and realized he disliked prolly around 75% of the movies I liked. He disliked every Kubrick film from 2001: A Space Odyssey on and I was a Kubrick fanatic! I didn't mind this though because I saw more knowledge in his critiquing than anyone I had come across. As everyone knows, I seek out disagreeing opinions and with Kauffmann, figured I could learn the best from him. And my position here, frankly for most is someone that disagrees with what everyone else mostly likes. I'm fine with this position and you were too. I thought that was cool.
Its great you want to know more about movies and discover art, but being disagreeable to hearing criticism is not the way the way to go about it. Its just watching movies and being upset when hearing any criticism about the films you like. People not willing to expand. Its your position if you don't want critique against Godard and think he is above it, but no one really is and everyone's taste evolves.
P.S. Kauffmann's critiques are not just knit picking. Explain why before saying that. You seem to want to avvoid even reading what he says.
~rougerum
You're missing my point GT. What I'm saying is that I'm so into certain movies right now, that the movie worlds I'm watching become just as real or more real than the world I live in. That is, that I become totally immersed in them, and just observe. There's nothing that "doesn't work" for me, because I take the entirety of the film as realistic truth (in context of the movie -- it could be total fantasy, like LOTR, but I can be on board with THAT world). Kaufmann's criticisms are as if someone looked out the same window as me, and said "the sky doesn't work as blue, it should be neon yellow.... and those birds flying there are laughable, why wouldn't they fly somewhere else". Why not let it be and love it? That is getting me further than trying to be negative.
You still aren't really learning anything. Kauffmann isn't out to be negative to destroy your fantasy because like any well thought out criticism, it gives a new view on understanding what you see better and learning more. Its fine you say you are becoming immersed in this world and living it almost, but just getting pissed at criticism of the movies is not the way to go on learning anything. Its just identifying you are looking at it through different eyes and refuse any criticism.
~rougerum
Quote from: The Gold TrumpetYou still aren't really learning anything. Kauffmann isn't out to be negative to destroy your fantasy because like any well thought out criticism, it gives a new view on understanding what you see better and learning more. Its fine you say you are becoming immersed in this world and living it almost, but just getting pissed at criticism of the movies is not the way to go on learning anything. Its just identifying you are looking at it through different eyes and refuse any criticism.
~rougerum
In the same way, we shouldn't get pissed at Kevin Smith's criticism of "Magnolia." Instead, we should see what we can learn from Smith's opinions about PTA's film. :wink:
Let's leave it at this:
I love movies, and can decide for myself what I like/dislike about them. That is part of the fun of watching them.
I read critics and books and essays on films to help contextually: lots of writing tells how the person made the film, or under what conditions, or what influenced them, and makes attempts at categorizing certain parts of the process. I don't give two flying fucks if Stanley thinks Roma "lacks the mysticism of early Fellini", or whatever he said. If he can't enjoy Roma, it's HIS loss, not mine for not loving what he writes about it. See, his shit is the same as those dinks who thought that Fellini was "betraying communism and neorealism" from La Strada on. Heaven forbid someone can grow and change as an artist, and won't be pigeonholed by what you want them to be.