New York Jets
Posts: 2087
Joined: 6/25/2001 From: St. Louis, MO but stuck in Bremerton,WA Status: offline
|
quote:
ORIGINAL: Jim_H I have this regualr "debate" with a close friend of mine. He's into comparing directors and their work, critiquing movies based on their social, political, religious etc. commentary and all this other rubbish. Just go watch the bloody film, switch off yer brain and enjoy being entertained. Good grief. As I stated, I enjoy being entertained differently than most moviegoers. I made that quite clear. quote:
I've even heard one idiot spouting almost religiously about the moral message in the original Star Wars. Talk about missing the point of going to the movies. Unbelievable. If you want politics, read a newspaper, watch the news, join a party. If you want religion, go to the nearest church, synagogue or wherever. If you want to be entertained, go to the cinema. Why does it have to be more complicated than that?  i just don't see things as simplistically as that. What is the point of film making? To tell a story. Stories can be about politics, religion, current events, morality plays, etc. And yes, sometimes just visceral entertainment. Example: Two great films (by any standard) areThe Ox Bow Incident and Twelve Angry Men. They were both what you would call a 'message movie'. The Ox Bow Incident told a story about the perils of mob violence and vigilante justice, set against a back drop of the old west. Twelve Angry Men was a courtroom drama that was really about the dangers of predjudice and bigotry. But, they were both hugely entertaining movies. Maybe not to you or some others on this board. I am entertained by watching an actor or a director practice his craft. quote:
Chris, I think you have it wrong. You seem to be under the impression that movies with lots of CGI, by definition, are a bad thing. Really? Surely, they are just making the most of the latest technology. I think some put too much emphasis on dialogue or violence or sex or whatever. Doesn't mean I'm any more right than you are. You cited one well known example of how not to use CGI and that's fair enough, but don't tar "too many directors" with that brush. I don't have it wrong because I never said movies with a lot of CGI are bad. I said too many directors rely on CGI/special effects to rescue their movies. I loved The Lord of the Rings trilogy. They were chock full of CGI. Gladiator was a good movie and it had a lot of CGI, as well. And I found them both entertaining. Plus they fit a lot of my other criteria for good movies. quote:
Before anyone comes in with a flamethrower, this post was meant to be more tongue in cheek than serious. Even so....learn how to relax and enjoy things at face value. Not everything has to have a hidden message or meaning. No flamethrower. Just opinion. Some of my favorite movies are not message pieces or have no underlying messages. I loved Kelly's Heroes. I still like watching John Wayne movies. I watch many James Bond movies. I know how to relax. As I stated over and over, I just relax, and am entertained, differently than you. I just, don't need to, and won't, 'shut off my brain' to do it. And, props to those others with the same, or even higher, standards. I'm a member of the 'film as art' school of thought. Some films just have more artistic value than others.
_____________________________
"There comes a time in every man's life, and I've had plenty of 'em." - Casey Stengel -
|