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wall of shame

tv, film, and video some of the best movies you don't "get"

joined dec 4, 2022

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joined dec 4, 2022

citizen kane clapping

i finally get this background of this gif now

the other night i noticed "Citizen Kane" was back on HBO, so I figured I'd give it a watch. I know it's revered by a lot of people who understand film as the best movie ever made. Critics like Roger Ebert notes that:

"Reading the many accounts of "Citizen Kane" is a little like seeing the movie: The witnesses all have opinions, but often they disagree, and sometimes they simply throw up their hands in exasperation. And the movie stands there before them, a towering achievement that cannot be explained yet cannot be ignored. Fifty years later, it is as fresh, as provoking, as entertaining, as funny, as sad, as brilliant as it ever was. Many agree it is the greatest film of all time. Those who differ cannot seem to agree on their candidate." (source)

So I knew going into it that it was great for its time, but watching it as a non-film person, I couldn't see what made it so great. Like yeah the story was well written and the characters were lively, but it seemed just like an regularly interesting character study of some sad old man who wasted his life looking for love.

Anyone else watch movies like this that they don't understand? Movies that so many people love, but you just can't wrap your head around?

posted 3/2/2024, 12:09 am

joined jan 27, 2023

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joined jan 27, 2023

I'm right there with you. I think a lot of those old movies too get credit for inventing techniques, not necessarily for executing them well. Unfortunately I'm not well versed enough in film history to give an example, but I often hear people praising a movie for innovating on some style, or inventing some film making technique. Then you watch the movie, and it's kinda boring, because you've already seen two dozen movies that copied that style. I get that it deserves historical recognition, but that doesn't necessarily make it an enjoyable watch.

posted 3/2/2024, 4:56 am

joined jun 30, 2023

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joined jun 30, 2023

Part of the problem with old movies, tends to be cultural osmosis can ruin it for you.

There are tons of films that got referenced and parodied over the years, that you've seen enough of it even without having seen it. The Simpsons back in the 90's was great for this, on one of the DVD commentaries (I think) they speculate that you could piece together the entirety of A Clockwork Orange from the times they parodied it.

posted 3/4/2024, 7:22 pm

joined dec 4, 2022

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joined dec 4, 2022

quoting NobodyFix:

There are tons of films that got referenced and parodied over the years, that you've seen enough of it even without having seen it. The Simpsons back in the 90's was great for this, on one of the DVD commentaries (I think) they speculate that you could piece together the entirety of A Clockwork Orange from the times they parodied it.

it's funny i tried watching 2001: a space odyssey, and while i thought the movie stunk, i now appreciate all the parodies and references like the one in the beginning of the barbie movie

posted 3/9/2024, 10:18 am

joined jun 30, 2023

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joined jun 30, 2023

I can understand not liking 2001, it's slow, and philosophical, but it is wall to wall technical achievements and all that space ship porn looks amazing in 4k UHD.

Kubrick sadly, and smartly had everything destroyed after release to make sure none of it ended up in cheap knockoffs.

The killer apes intro sure hasn't aged well with what we know about evolution in 2024

edited 3/11/2024, 7:40 pm

tv, film, and video some of the best movies you don't "get"