me:>> writing from Tinsel Town, I ask, since when has anyone thought of Hollywood movies as representing reality? <<
Yoshie now:> Jim, have you not noticed the importance of at least making sex scenes realistic: ... <
the more realistic movie sex scenes are, the more they show the mechanics of the act, the more I find them to be boring (because I've seen it before many times, indeed been involved with it, or at least some types). A good movie sex scene leaves a lot to the imagination, which is probably the most important sex organ.
>In any event, Jim, you love King Kong: "Despite its extreme length,
this is an extremely good flick, the reason why God invented popcorn.
The special effects, the plot, much of the script, and even the acting
are very good" ... That demonstrates that you should get back to
writing about economics. :-> <
Maybe I should get back to economics to keep getting merit raises. But one thing I know is that _anyone_ can write about films if they want to. There really is no science to it. It's like literary criticism, just a matter of personal opinion. ;-)
there are two general types of films. One is the popcorn movie (of which KK is an exemplar). It's entertaining, even escapist. We all need that kind of film sometimes -- and there's not much point in thinking about them too much (though the treatment of the island residents in KK was pretty bad, as I noted in my review).
The polar-opposite type -- which BM's makers[*] are trying to make their film be -- is those films that resonate "for the ages," because they have some sort of universal meaning about the "human condition" (Man—Woman; Birth—Death; Infinity) or society or some other big issue. This type of movie is one that people will respect 10 or 20 years from now. A really good one will be seen as good even after capitalism goes away, because it speaks to people of all sorts (and perhaps even to aliens, when we meet them). These are the films worth thinking about. That, of course, is why Brian wrote so much about it.
of course, there are a lot of films in between the two poles. And there are a lot of other dimensions for classifying films.
I don't care if BM or KK wins an Oscar. It's just a popularity contest.
[*] or I should rather say "its movers," but but that would be a shitty pun. -- Jim Devine
"The price one pays for pursuing any profession or calling is an intimate knowledge of its ugly side." -- James Baldwin
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