Films

[pinback]

So, you are letting these words define your experience of the film.

I'm just as guilty. When I read things like 'awesome', 'unmissable' and 'heartbreaking' I usually find the experience to be 'not bad', 'canny' and 'a bit ham'.

[worm]

Things like 'awsome' aren't really specific.

Edited January 31, 2009 by worm

[pinback]

Well they are. They mean provoking a sense of awe. This is of course emotive and suggestive rather than descriptive. So when applied to a film they relate to the specific author, and not the content. It's just shite criticism in truth. No different to advertising.

I do find things awesome. Like a sun set or beholding a beautiful lady. But that's in the experience. The conveying of such an experience just sounds cliche'd. That's because they're just words used a million times before. Whereas each experience is unique and treasured with its own unique sense.

Now I'm off to catch the match.

[worm]

No, I know the word 'awesome' means to invoke a sense of awe - what I meant is that's not the way it's used in everyday parlance, not just on film posters. It's just used be a person to say something positive about an object (the Americans I've met seem to use it approximately one time per sentence). Whereas when you are told a film is uplifting and when you're watching it, the protagonists are having a shit time, you KNOW it's going to end well for them otherwise it wouldn't be uplifting, would it? Even more so in a film which is a romantic fantasy like Slumdog Millionaire.

Edited January 31, 2009 by worm

[pinback]

I know that you mean that. I'm explaining why I reject that. Because its a misuse of the word. This misuse does not prove the literal meaning wrong. It's a very good descriptive word.

Uplifting is equally emotive and suggestive and suffers the same fate as awesome, it's just not as commonly recognised or expressed as a criticism. This is because it depends upon what the speaker thinks is uplifting, so it's subject to their experience. For instance, I find Requiem for a Dream uplifting because it it isn't congruent. 'Uplifting' being a synonym for 'incongruent', just as 'uplifting' said in a casual way is a synonym for 'standard' or 'meaningless' as it refers to a category or type of film.

'Uplifting', 'awesome', 'brilliant', these are all labels in the exact same sense as advertising. They signify the word itself and do not symbolise the experience at all. Basically, brand identity/superficial categories i.e. uplifting films, awesome films, brilliant films all being categories that we recognise and judge a film by, even though we haven't a f**king clue what they're being measured against because they're entirely meaningless.

I prefer like and dislike as a cetagory, to be honest. I'd rather proper criticism if we're talking ideals though.

[worm]

This post is as generic Cultseeker as it gets. I could've written it myself.

Edited January 31, 2009 by worm

[Greeny_Musicchild]

Watched V For Vendetta for the first time last night...stumped up a frankly massive (in hindsight) 4 pounds to buy it after being very impressed with the comic after i picked that up a month a go...

They ruined it so bad it made me want to hurl things at the TV...they just sucked all the darkness and dread out of the comic...made the oppressive fachists into loveable rouges and the man driven to insanity by chemical testing during a holocaust turned into yet another lovable rogue...

And don't get me started on Natalie Portman...worst acting ever. I can only assume the only reason i thought she was alright in films was cause she was so silent in Episode 1...

jesus, what a waste of time...i advise anyone to stear clear if they haven't seen it...

[pinback]

That'll be because it's me talking.

Maybe you'd have preferred the 'f**k parlance' approach. Certainly more sexy.

Eh? No idea what you're saying chap.

I find it uplifting because I see it as an antithesis to the usual congruent 'generic' shite in terms of narrative and characterisation. That's how I view films you see. As films. 'Dark' and 'morose' are very entertaining. I like seeing people getting f**ked up too. Very uplifting when considering the amount of happy ending bullshit out there.

So now that you know my subjectivity you can understand my criticism.

Oh, more lists based upon a meaningless category. Great!

[worm]

There's a lot of happy ending stuff that isn't bullshit also.

Edited January 31, 2009 by worm

[pinback]

That would be subjecive.

No, the category is 'uplifting'. What lifts me up, so to speak. That can be for a variety of reasons. I just listed a few. My point was that it depends upon your experience. It's subjective. Simply, was I uplifted.

I'm not altering it at all.

I'm showing that it is subject to your own view of what is uplifting. Your uplifting may not be my uplifting. That's all I'm saying. It's not objective because experience isn't. You could say that it's a film or a noir or a comedy, because these distinctions are not subjective. They are descriptive. But you can't say that it's uplifting in any objective sense because someone else may not think so because what uplifts us is subjective.

An uplifting film = the speaker was uplifted on viewing the film. That's all it tells you. It's shite criticism. I want to know why they were uplifted so that I can see if I think it uplifting.

[worm]

But, hold on, here you are worm with a bit of 'aah, but some people can be uplifted by watching a group of people self-destructing on Heroin, it's all subjective', like some Masters student who has just discovered post-structuralism. You've done this in SO MANY THREADS. Why not go the whole hog and say we each and can be uplifted (or not!!) by any given film (or on any subsequent re-viewing of that film!!)? I'll tell you why, because it's not necessary in this thread. It's the film thread not the deconstructionsubjectivitiespoststructarlist101thread.

[pinback]

Oooooo, get you!

[worm]

Sigh...Deja Vu all over again I'm not saying uplifting=objective, that is just your turn in the thread so you can bring subjectivities into the discussion again (again (again)).

Edited January 31, 2009 by worm

[worm]

Underneath this calm exterior, I'm a seething ball of hate.

Edited January 31, 2009 by worm

[pinback]

You could have just left it at my marked contempt for the world. A throw away remark indicating my contempt for convention. But no, like so many you had to go on.........

............and then blame the subsequent explanation on a sole protagonist. In short, don't antogonise me and I won't give any rationale.

[worm]

And you could have just left it at my casual remark about a film being 'uplifting', but you had to deconstruct. Who's antagonising who, eh?

[rachbon]

watched 'cass' last night - about the football hooligan cass pennant. really good film. i thought it was just going to a bunch of football hooligans fighting, but it was kind of the guy's life story. really enjoyed it.

Edited February 1, 2009 by _rachelbon

[Purple Monkey]

Frost/Nixon tonight

[G-Stud]

Role Models last night. Loved it! The end was genius

[t8yman]

watched 'cass' last night - about the football hooligan cass pennant. really good film. i thought it was just going to a bunch of football hooligans fighting, but it was kind of the guy's life story. really enjoyed it.

[t8yman]

I also watched "The Crew" over the weekend, brit gangster flick but not in the lock stock mould, more long good friday really.

actually enjoyed it, pretty good watch really. although certain plot elements were predictable.

[nightcrawler13]

Princess Monoke - stunning

[M a r k]

Nick and Norahs Infinite Playlist.

a bit too sickly sweet. nowt to it really.

[Katster]

I also watched "The Crew" over the weekend, brit gangster flick but not in the lock stock mould, more long good friday really.

actually enjoyed it, pretty good watch really. although certain plot elements were predictable.

[Purple Monkey]

Frost/Nixon tonight