Katie's got an interesting post on her blog about movies, books and the idea that one medium could be more important than the other.
I totally understand where she's coming from, because my friends have had to deal with me ranting furiously about movies -- even terrible brainless movies. I'm now used to the rolling of the eyes and changing of the subject after I hear the phrase, "It's only a movie."
Here's the thing. I expect better out of people. I expect better out of my books, music, movies, TV and art. I hate the idea of having media not challenge the way we look at the world. I hate the idea of just playing it safe for the quick buck.
Movies are art to me. They, like books, plays and other high-flautin' stuff, have the power to mess with your head (and for a cheaper rate than going to a play) and make you see the world in a different light.
I'll never forget seeing Fight Club for the first time. I realized at that moment that I'm not alone or weird for being pissed off at everything and the shit that people feed us to keep us docile and happy. I was happy to see people as pissed as I was.
I'll never forget Pulp Fiction and how I felt like I was hit in the gut when I saw it for the first time. It wasn't the same old, same old shit. The dialogue was pitch-perfect and the comedy mixed with gore was spot on.
The same could be said for Dogma, Clerks, Duck Soup, Casablanca, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and a host of other films. They've got the same impact as the books I've read, the plays that I have seen or the music I've listened to. They're all expressions of how people see the world. If done well, they leave an impact like nothing else. They shape who we are.
It's not just a movie. It's not always about mindless entertainment. I want to feel something. I don't want my senses to be dulled for a moment or to forget things. I want more out of my works of art. I want something that provokes a reaction out of me.
It's a bit snotty I know, but even "low" art forms (remember, plays historically were considered that too -- to be an actor was considered a pretty bad idea) have treasures in them. Shakespeare's Globe Theater, where the common mixed with the upper class had some fantastic plays about humanity mixed in with bawdy dialogue. There's treasure buried in the trash.
3 comments:
I think for me at least it comes down to the fact that so many movies have disappointed me so badly. Sure its amusing to watch Frankenhooker once, but its very hard to take it seriously enough to analyse it. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying its not worth while to analyse movies, but just as I'm not going to spend much effort analysing the core themes of Xanth novels or Nancy Drew books (which I loved as a kid, dispite their blatant pulp-mystery predictible crap) I can't really get up the effort to analyse movies like I Bought a Vampire Motorcycle or Troy.
There are movies that were lovingly crafted with strong and subtle themes, analogies, tiny clues spirited away in the background, and vague links to history alluding to other meanings/events. These movies are few and far between. I think we _should_ treasure such gems and think critically about them. I also think that you can analyse Frankenhooker if you really want to. Hell, you could probably come up with some relatively rational and interesting arguments about it. But for me analysing Frankenhooker would just take away from the reason I watched it, to be amused and laugh at the super crack and exploding hookers.
The thing is (and maybe it's because I'm too much of a cultural studies nerd), I can't NOT analyze a book, music, art or movies. I rarely have mindless pleasures, because I enjoy taking analyzing those things.
Again, it comes down to the whole idea of wanting more. I expect more and demand more out of my entertainment. But at the same time, I still enjoy some pretty trashy things (except Frankenhooker and Zardoz) like soap operas, MTV and VH1. But I'm also looking at them to see how they reflect on what they think our values are and how society has changed.
Viv, I do the same thing. I really don't know how to not think critically about movies or books or whatever. I enjoy crappy stuff too (I'm still watching "Charmed"), but even those I analyze for the messages, implied or otherwise, and the representation of our society and the society they try to portray.
For me, a big part of the entertainment and interestingness of something is what I see when I think critically about it. What are the implications of this scene or that character? Why were they included? There are just so many interesting questions that can be asked.
I don't think something has to be high art to have interesting things to say. I just find it pleasantly surprising when a bodice-ripper or something like "Frankenhooker" has something interesting.
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