Generalizing is helpful in so few circumstances I am surprised not only that people still generalize, but that anybody would ever assume somebody was generalizing as their entire point.
Generalizing is helpful in so few circumstances I am surprised not only that people still generalize, but that anybody would ever assume somebody was generalizing as their entire point.
But aren't you just generalizing about generalizing .
There came a time when the Old Gods died! The Brave died with the Cunning! The Noble perished locked in battle with unleashed Evil! It was the last day for them! An ancient era was passing in fiery holocaust!
Old films weren't necessarily slow paced as a deliberate artistic choice though, a lot of it just had to do with the budgets and resources available at the time, along with audience expectations. If directors of the past could have made manic, CGI-filled blockbusters they definitely would have, and indeed there were plenty of expensive spectacles that aren't that well remembered today because the effects don't quite hold up.
Also, I do feel like this critique that audiences simply don't "get" certain films has kind of become a refuge of mediocre filmmakers who want to emulate the artsy, indie style but end up with something that's just not very good, and then try to play the misunderstood auteur to try and deflect legitimate criticism. Fundamentally, movies are supposed to a fun escape, not something that you have to put in work in order to understand, and good arthouse films take advantage of this by being enjoyable to casual viewers but offering an extra level of depth to people who really want to immerse themselves in the story. Just because a film is confusing, weird, or boring doesn't mean it's artistic.
Last edited by PwrdOn; 09-07-2021 at 05:31 AM.
I think I’d say that certain films are still high quality. But aren’t going to impress or engage people because they’re “niche” in who they appeal to; they *do* provide escape, but a limited one to only some demographics. Occasionally, filmmaker and art critics choose to try and argue this is a matter of greater artistic merit, when really, it might have the same artistic merit as a well-made blockbuster, but simply feature a creative philosophy more people don’t care about.
For instance, while I’d personally argue that The Last Jedi is in fact a heavily flawed, sometimes ignorant, and hypocritical movie regarding its themes, I also know that stuff like the Luke Skywalker story has fewer flaws, but is far more niche than the franchise usually aims for. Whereas other parts of that film convince me you have to have a shallow as hell bias to enjoy them, I see that their is genuine craftsmanship and execution in Luke’s story, and Inthink even most of its critics “get it”…they just reject the idea that he belongs in that kind of niche filmmaking.
Like action, adventure, rogues, and outlaws? Like anti-heroes, femme fatales, mysteries and thrillers?
I wrote a book with them. Outlaw’s Shadow: A Sherwood Noir. Robin Hood’s evil counterpart, Guy of Gisbourne, is the main character. Feel free to give it a look: https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asi...E2PKBNJFH76GQP
Another movie I like that gets called pretentious sometimes is Apocalypse Now . I don't think it's attacked on those grounds as much as certain other films because it actually works on a few different levels...as an action war movie, as dark satire, as an anti-war movie and as an art film. Different audiences can get completely different things from it and enjoy it.
Having said that, there's that infamous quote Coppola said I do think is pretentious..."Our movie isn't about Viet Nam, it is Viet Nam. We had too much money, we went into the jungle and we went crazy." It's like dude, you had a hard time making a movie. Guys that fought in that conflict got shot at and died.
The worst type of person is the one who swears they know someone when it's obvious they know next to nothing about that person.
There came a time when the Old Gods died! The Brave died with the Cunning! The Noble perished locked in battle with unleashed Evil! It was the last day for them! An ancient era was passing in fiery holocaust!
Sympathy is one thing, but it’d be loads better if there were more empathy in the world.
The Cover Contest Weekly Winners ThreadSo much winning!!
"When fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross." - Sinclair Lewis
“It’s your party and you can cry if you want to.” - Captain Europe
I wish to see Shakespeare's "Gay Boys in Bondage," which is about a "man's love for his fellow man". Also, "Buckaroo Banzai Against The World Crime League". We were promised that one. Also, I want to see a "Limu Emu (and Doug)" sitcom where they stop 70s crimes and sell insurance. And I'm more interested in Big Pizza than I am in Domino's Pizza. I might like a sitcom about them too...
Last edited by achilles; 09-10-2021 at 10:05 PM.
I don't think the problem is that people aren't empathetic, it's just that even the most conscientious people only really have a limited capacity to care about stuff and trying to worry about everyone else's problems all the time is extremely draining emotionally. This is why we need systems and institutions that push people to do the right thing and punish them for behaving selfishly, rather than just relying on random acts of kindness to solve all of our problems, because at the end of the day we all reach a point where the goodness in our hearts runs out and we just can't be bothered to deal with anyone else's issues.