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View Full Version : That's it! Never again!


Tom D
11-25-2002, 11:43 AM
I spent $4.07 to rent Pi, based on recommendations on this forum.

Geesh.

Tom D

IrishHand
11-25-2002, 12:07 PM
Those lists of movies are, for the most part, what I consider artsy trash. There are some people who want to watch things like that and then spend hours trying to figure out what the director/writer/whoever meant or intended when he made it. Fortunately, the vast majority of moviegoes choose movies on the basis of their entertainment value (which makes sense, since it's supposed to be a form of entertainment). The most I want to think in a movie is figuring out the plot twists of a Mission: Impossible. I have no interest in sorting out a director's homosexual tendencies as shown in an impressionist collage of images and scenes. Mostly, I want to sit down for a couple hours and smile and laugh as I'm being entertained by an alternate reality that makes some sort of logical sense.

Irish

whiskeytown
11-25-2002, 12:13 PM
May I offer a suggestion and say you avoid that piece of crap "Eyes Wide Shut" as well...LOL

RB

Tom D
11-25-2002, 01:08 PM
Too late. My wife dragged me to that one at the theater. I knew going in, given the lead actors, that I was in for a long two hours.

Tom D

John Cole
11-25-2002, 02:46 PM
I'd be curious to know what films, in particular, drawn from any listing of say top one hundred movies, or more explicitly, from the Sight and Sound critics poll, you'd consider "artsy trash."

Furthermore, few critics or scholars read movies with the explicit goal of showing how any part of a movie relates to the director's life, for example.

In addition, you beg the question by claiming that movies are supposed to be entertainment. (Distributors might easily claim movies are simply popcprn selling machines.)Where is that written? Now, if trying to figure out plot twists in Mission Impossible is all you want, then you shouldn't have much trouble finding many films that fit the bill.

Don't get me wrong; I like to be entertained, too, but thinking doesn't bother me either. I'm just always surprised when I find people who claim that movies should only entertain. You might consider that what some people find entertaining gives others stomach cramps. (Mild overstatement.)

John

IrishHand
11-25-2002, 03:50 PM
I never said movies should only entertain. If they happen to enlighten or do other nice things, that's great. My point was that the primary purpose of movies (much like television, theater, etc) is to entertain. Where is it written? I was unaware I needed proof for something that's common knowledge. Poll 1000 movie-going Americans and the VAST majority will say the purpose of a movie is to entertain.

Looking at those top 100 lists from directors or critics, I recall seeing maybe 1 or 2 movies per list that I don't think are a complete waste of time. I admit I haven't seen the majority of them, but the 30-40% of them I have had the misfortune of watching left their scars. The worst crime a movie can perpetrate on me is to bore me, and as a general rule, the movies on those lists succeeded.

Irish

PS. To the above poster - you speak the truth. Eyes Wide Shut was another critically-acclaimed yet absolutely atrocious movie.

Clarkmeister
11-25-2002, 03:56 PM
No movie with a scantily clad Nicole Kidman is a total waste of time.

marbles
11-25-2002, 04:04 PM
Artsy film: A movie that leaves you wondering what you just spent the last two hours looking at. It's extra artsy if I would never have heard of if not for some expert's list. Even more bonus artsy points if the movie's foreign title does not have an english equivalent.

Artsy trash: Any film that meets any of the above requirements and sucks, too. I believe Eyes Wide Shut and Magnolia would both fit this category.

As for the S&S lists, I've kinda assumed most of the listed films were artsy because I hadn't heard of them, but I acknowledge this may be more of a reflection of my ignorance than their pretentiousness.

John Cole
11-25-2002, 04:44 PM
Poll 1000 Americans, and they'll claim L. Ron Hubbard should hold the top thirty positions on the best non-fiction books of the century list. And, you're quite right, you can assert something as common knowledge as long as it is common knowledge. Instead, you wish to pass off opinion as common knowledge, and, I'm sorry, I don't agree. I don't carry if all 1000 respondents agree.

Again, please name the movies that bored you; perhaps some of them bored the hell out of me, too. But we won't know unless you name 'em.

IrishHand
11-25-2002, 04:47 PM
All of them. Go read either of those lists posted, and assume that I think they're all useless. If you happen to come across one that I don't think is useless, I'll let you know.

Poll 1000 Americans, and they'll claim L. Ron Hubbard should hold the top thirty positions on the best non-fiction books of the century list.
You must interact with vastly different Americans than interact with. The ones I talk to actually read books.

Irish

Six_of_One
11-25-2002, 04:50 PM
I think my head is about to explode.

Eyes Wide Shut is a fantastic movie!!! And Magnolia...well, I haven't seen very many movies better than that in my life. Pi has a lot going for it as well, though it isn't in the league of the other two.

There must be someone out there who agrees with me...anyone? Hello?

John Cole
11-25-2002, 04:58 PM
I liked Eyes. So shoot me!

John

Glenn
11-25-2002, 04:59 PM
"You must interact with vastly different Americans than interact with. The ones I talk to actually read books."

ROTFLMAO!!!!!

Thank you for making me spit my drink on the computer screen. That was wonderfully ironic.

To john--The rest of us don't think you're THAT dumb... /forums/images/icons/tongue.gif

marbles
11-25-2002, 05:05 PM
Could you please explain to me what happened in Magnolia? I might appreciate it if I had a clue what that movie was about.

Here's what I saw: about 6 slightly connected but very depressing story lines, then one uplifting little love story in progress involving a cop or something, then a bunch of frogs.

Did I miss something?

John Cole
11-25-2002, 05:09 PM
No, the L. Ron Hubbard thing came from the Modern Library's attempt to open the voting to the public.

Interesting that when pressed for a real answer, you admit utter lack of knowledge. You could have just said your knowledge is limited; I wouldn't have held it against you. Many of my best friends have never seen any of those artsy, pretentious movies either.

John

HDPM
11-25-2002, 05:44 PM
I liked Eyes Wide Shut too. I confess. It was not as good as I expected though. Thought Kubrick didn't quite pull it off. And Nicole looked good, acted good. /forums/images/icons/wink.gif

HDPM
11-25-2002, 05:48 PM
What impact do you think Scientology had on Eyes Wide Shut? Kubrick was really involved w/ Scientology for a time. And so is Tom Cruise. A lot of the movie I thought was religious symbolism, but I couldn't quite pinpoint why Kubrick was doing a lot of it.

Homer
11-25-2002, 09:07 PM
You shoulda listened to good ole Homer! He said it sucked a nut!! /forums/images/icons/grin.gif

The_Baron
11-30-2002, 12:26 AM
I think Eyes Wide Shut could have done a lot better if Kubrick had gone for a 90 to 110 minute release instead of his epic. Personally, the fact that you can download bootleg copies of the nude-Nicole scenes for free make the idea of dropping the cash to catch it in the theater a bit over the edge for me.
When I look at Paths of Glory, Dr. Strangelove or Full Metal Jacket, I can see there's no doubt that "Eyes..." was Kubrick film... I just don't understand what he was trying to accomplish by ignoring so many of the mechanical techniques that made his earlier movies work so well.
As for Pi, it shames me to admit it, but I enjoyed the hell out of it. I loved the camera work and lighting. The way that the male lead was placed in an antagonistic relationship with not only the other characters but with his physical environment... incredibly good stuff from my view. When a director can make both a pencil and a power drill become valid characters in a movie, he's done something to impress me.

The Baron

DPCondit
11-30-2002, 05:47 AM
I'll agree with you on pi (haven't seen Magnolia). I found pi to be very entertaining (and disturbing, but I like that in a movie). The guy that made pi, also made another movie, "Requiem for a Dream" or something like that. Very dark, and disturbing, but I loved it.

Good luck,
Don