What movies are you watching?

[epilogue]

For those interested, one of the greatest pieces of film criticism ever written: http://keepingmybrainalive.blogspot.com ... ience.html

Man, I couldn't finish this. I wanted to. But I felt like I was being attacked and condescended to and treated like a piece of shit.

We get what we deserve.

Ouch.

But that's probably fair. I really do want to read it. But I feel like that kind of criticism accomplishes nothing. It seems like it's trying to be superior to the supposed people who feel like they are superior. I don't know. I have a hard time with all of this. Like you said, it's probably my fault. God forbid I just like things without need to label and classify to the nith degree. *shrugs*

Haha, I was being semi-facetious. I didn't mean to insult you. But I think part of understanding criticism is being willing and able to confront personal beliefs and attitudes. A critic highlighting and explaining things thy have a problem with shouldn't be taken as an insult, even if they are being critical of a group you may feel you belong to.

I guess. I just have a problem with any critique that starts off with "a bunch of idiots are probably saying this about something, here's why they're wrong..." And that was the impression I got from the first few sentences. Again, I haven't seen the film being discussed. And I didn't read the whole review. It might be insightful. But by automatically lumping things I like in with comments I didn't make and casting judgement on all people for liking said thing isn't the best way to begin a conversation. It's no different than liberals calling all Trump voters "stupid" or "inbred" or "racist." I'm just not interested in that kind of dialogue.

[LoathedVermin72]

For those interested, one of the greatest pieces of film criticism ever written: http://keepingmybrainalive.blogspot.com ... ience.html

Man, I couldn't finish this. I wanted to. But I felt like I was being attacked and condescended to and treated like a piece of shit.

We get what we deserve.

Ouch.

But that's probably fair. I really do want to read it. But I feel like that kind of criticism accomplishes nothing. It seems like it's trying to be superior to the supposed people who feel like they are superior. I don't know. I have a hard time with all of this. Like you said, it's probably my fault. God forbid I just like things without need to label and classify to the nith degree. *shrugs*

Haha, I was being semi-facetious. I didn't mean to insult you. But I think part of understanding criticism is being willing and able to confront personal beliefs and attitudes. A critic highlighting and explaining things thy have a problem with shouldn't be taken as an insult, even if they are being critical of a group you may feel you belong to.

I guess. I just have a problem with any critique that starts off with "a bunch of idiots are probably saying this about something, here's why they're wrong..." And that was the impression I got from the first few sentences. Again, I haven't seen the film being discussed. And I didn't read the whole review. It might be insightful. But by automatically lumping things I like in with comments I didn't make and casting judgement on all people for liking said thing isn't the best way to begin a conversation. It's no different than liberals calling all Trump voters "stupid" or "inbred" or "racist." I'm just not interested in that kind of dialogue.

She addresses this issue of making generalizations right at the beginning of the piece. Also, she's not reviewing any one movie.

[epilogue]

For those interested, one of the greatest pieces of film criticism ever written: http://keepingmybrainalive.blogspot.com ... ience.html

Man, I couldn't finish this. I wanted to. But I felt like I was being attacked and condescended to and treated like a piece of shit.

We get what we deserve.

Ouch.

But that's probably fair. I really do want to read it. But I feel like that kind of criticism accomplishes nothing. It seems like it's trying to be superior to the supposed people who feel like they are superior. I don't know. I have a hard time with all of this. Like you said, it's probably my fault. God forbid I just like things without need to label and classify to the nith degree. *shrugs*

Haha, I was being semi-facetious. I didn't mean to insult you. But I think part of understanding criticism is being willing and able to confront personal beliefs and attitudes. A critic highlighting and explaining things thy have a problem with shouldn't be taken as an insult, even if they are being critical of a group you may feel you belong to.

I guess. I just have a problem with any critique that starts off with "a bunch of idiots are probably saying this about something, here's why they're wrong..." And that was the impression I got from the first few sentences. Again, I haven't seen the film being discussed. And I didn't read the whole review. It might be insightful. But by automatically lumping things I like in with comments I didn't make and casting judgement on all people for liking said thing isn't the best way to begin a conversation. It's no different than liberals calling all Trump voters "stupid" or "inbred" or "racist." I'm just not interested in that kind of dialogue.

She addresses this issue of making generalizations right at the beginning of the piece. Also, she's not reviewing any one movie.

Like I said, I didn't read it. I will. The beginning was off-putting and I hadn't seen the first movie she starts talking about, so I stopped. I fully admit my own ignorance here. Just my initial impressions as someone who only read the first few lines.

But I also have a problem with someone who makes generalizations and then says "I know I'm generalizing, just go with it." That seems like a cop-out to me.

[LoathedVermin72]

For those interested, one of the greatest pieces of film criticism ever written: http://keepingmybrainalive.blogspot.com ... ience.html

Man, I couldn't finish this. I wanted to. But I felt like I was being attacked and condescended to and treated like a piece of shit.

We get what we deserve.

Ouch.

But that's probably fair. I really do want to read it. But I feel like that kind of criticism accomplishes nothing. It seems like it's trying to be superior to the supposed people who feel like they are superior. I don't know. I have a hard time with all of this. Like you said, it's probably my fault. God forbid I just like things without need to label and classify to the nith degree. *shrugs*

Haha, I was being semi-facetious. I didn't mean to insult you. But I think part of understanding criticism is being willing and able to confront personal beliefs and attitudes. A critic highlighting and explaining things thy have a problem with shouldn't be taken as an insult, even if they are being critical of a group you may feel you belong to.

I guess. I just have a problem with any critique that starts off with "a bunch of idiots are probably saying this about something, here's why they're wrong..." And that was the impression I got from the first few sentences. Again, I haven't seen the film being discussed. And I didn't read the whole review. It might be insightful. But by automatically lumping things I like in with comments I didn't make and casting judgement on all people for liking said thing isn't the best way to begin a conversation. It's no different than liberals calling all Trump voters "stupid" or "inbred" or "racist." I'm just not interested in that kind of dialogue.

She addresses this issue of making generalizations right at the beginning of the piece. Also, she's not reviewing any one movie.

Like I said, I didn't read it. I will. The beginning was off-putting and I hadn't seen the first movie she starts talking about, so I stopped. I fully admit my own ignorance here. Just my initial impressions as someone who only read the first few lines.

But I also have a problem with someone who makes generalizations and then says "I know I'm generalizing, just go with it." That seems like a cop-out to me.

Dude.

"Obviously any of my generalizations are subject to numerous exceptions and infinite qualifications; let’s assume that I know this, and that I use large generalizations in order to be suggestive rather than definite."

In any case, the piece is filled with numerous examples and explanations and observations to illustrate her arguments. I understand bristling at first contact with something like this, but you're coming off overly defensive. She is not insulting you!

[epilogue]

THE REAL QUESTION HERE IS: WHO THE FUCK IN THEIR RIGHT MIND IS SPENDING ANY TIME AT A PARTY THAT SERVES PICKLED JERUSALEM ARTICHOKES?! I MEAN WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK??

[Strat]

I dont belong in this world anymore


Loved it. Elijah Wood was fantastic. What a quirky little movie.

[epilogue]

For those interested, one of the greatest pieces of film criticism ever written: http://keepingmybrainalive.blogspot.com ... ience.html

Man, I couldn't finish this. I wanted to. But I felt like I was being attacked and condescended to and treated like a piece of shit.

We get what we deserve.

Ouch.

But that's probably fair. I really do want to read it. But I feel like that kind of criticism accomplishes nothing. It seems like it's trying to be superior to the supposed people who feel like they are superior. I don't know. I have a hard time with all of this. Like you said, it's probably my fault. God forbid I just like things without need to label and classify to the nith degree. *shrugs*

Haha, I was being semi-facetious. I didn't mean to insult you. But I think part of understanding criticism is being willing and able to confront personal beliefs and attitudes. A critic highlighting and explaining things thy have a problem with shouldn't be taken as an insult, even if they are being critical of a group you may feel you belong to.

I guess. I just have a problem with any critique that starts off with "a bunch of idiots are probably saying this about something, here's why they're wrong..." And that was the impression I got from the first few sentences. Again, I haven't seen the film being discussed. And I didn't read the whole review. It might be insightful. But by automatically lumping things I like in with comments I didn't make and casting judgement on all people for liking said thing isn't the best way to begin a conversation. It's no different than liberals calling all Trump voters "stupid" or "inbred" or "racist." I'm just not interested in that kind of dialogue.

She addresses this issue of making generalizations right at the beginning of the piece. Also, she's not reviewing any one movie.

Like I said, I didn't read it. I will. The beginning was off-putting and I hadn't seen the first movie she starts talking about, so I stopped. I fully admit my own ignorance here. Just my initial impressions as someone who only read the first few lines.

But I also have a problem with someone who makes generalizations and then says "I know I'm generalizing, just go with it." That seems like a cop-out to me.

Dude.

"Obviously any of my generalizations are subject to numerous exceptions and infinite qualifications; let’s assume that I know this, and that I use large generalizations in order to be suggestive rather than definite."

In any case, the piece is filled with numerous examples and explanations and observations to illustrate her arguments. I understand bristling at first contact with something like this, but you're coming off overly defensive. She is not insulting you!

I certainly don't mean to come off as overly defensive. I've said over and over again that I didn't even read the whole thing. I feel like my clarifications on this are akin to her "generalizations." But whatever. I'm reading it now. And it's doing nothing to assuage my initial concerns. But I'm only half way through. We'll see how it turns out. It's tough, again, because I haven't seen this Hiroshima movie. Without knowing what she's talking about, it's hard to understand her concerns with it and with audience reactions. Though, in and of itself, that seems pretty fucking arrogant to me. Like, why does she get to tell audiences how to feel about a movie? Why is her reaction more valid than someone else's? Maybe there are these other films that have accomplished what this movie sets out to accomplish, and maybe they have done it better, but why assume that the entire audience has seen those films? And even if they have, why assume that they share your/her reaction? Different things move people, right? Why be so shitty about how people react to a piece of art? Why tell people they're assholes (and condescending assholes at that!) for having a legitimate reaction to a piece of artistic expression?

But, whatever, I still need to finish the article. And I'm not personally offended. I don't know this lady or Hiroshima movie. Just my primary thoughts to this piece that I haven't even finished yet. What do I know about anything?

[epilogue]

This thing gets far more interesting when she starts taking about Eroticism in the Cinema. This is far more interesting stuff, to me.

[lennytheweedwhacker]

harry potter and the chamber of secrets

[epilogue]

Alright, LV, that was a good read. Thanks for sharing it.

[LoathedVermin72]

For those interested, one of the greatest pieces of film criticism ever written: http://keepingmybrainalive.blogspot.com ... ience.html

Man, I couldn't finish this. I wanted to. But I felt like I was being attacked and condescended to and treated like a piece of shit.

We get what we deserve.

Ouch.

But that's probably fair. I really do want to read it. But I feel like that kind of criticism accomplishes nothing. It seems like it's trying to be superior to the supposed people who feel like they are superior. I don't know. I have a hard time with all of this. Like you said, it's probably my fault. God forbid I just like things without need to label and classify to the nith degree. *shrugs*

Haha, I was being semi-facetious. I didn't mean to insult you. But I think part of understanding criticism is being willing and able to confront personal beliefs and attitudes. A critic highlighting and explaining things thy have a problem with shouldn't be taken as an insult, even if they are being critical of a group you may feel you belong to.

I guess. I just have a problem with any critique that starts off with "a bunch of idiots are probably saying this about something, here's why they're wrong..." And that was the impression I got from the first few sentences. Again, I haven't seen the film being discussed. And I didn't read the whole review. It might be insightful. But by automatically lumping things I like in with comments I didn't make and casting judgement on all people for liking said thing isn't the best way to begin a conversation. It's no different than liberals calling all Trump voters "stupid" or "inbred" or "racist." I'm just not interested in that kind of dialogue.

She addresses this issue of making generalizations right at the beginning of the piece. Also, she's not reviewing any one movie.

Like I said, I didn't read it. I will. The beginning was off-putting and I hadn't seen the first movie she starts talking about, so I stopped. I fully admit my own ignorance here. Just my initial impressions as someone who only read the first few lines.

But I also have a problem with someone who makes generalizations and then says "I know I'm generalizing, just go with it." That seems like a cop-out to me.

Dude.

"Obviously any of my generalizations are subject to numerous exceptions and infinite qualifications; let’s assume that I know this, and that I use large generalizations in order to be suggestive rather than definite."

In any case, the piece is filled with numerous examples and explanations and observations to illustrate her arguments. I understand bristling at first contact with something like this, but you're coming off overly defensive. She is not insulting you!

I certainly don't mean to come off as overly defensive. I've said over and over again that I didn't even read the whole thing. I feel like my clarifications on this are akin to her "generalizations." But whatever. I'm reading it now. And it's doing nothing to assuage my initial concerns. But I'm only half way through. We'll see how it turns out. It's tough, again, because I haven't seen this Hiroshima movie. Without knowing what she's talking about, it's hard to understand her concerns with it and with audience reactions. Though, in and of itself, that seems pretty fucking arrogant to me. Like, why does she get to tell audiences how to feel about a movie? Why is her reaction more valid than someone else's? Maybe there are these other films that have accomplished what this movie sets out to accomplish, and maybe they have done it better, but why assume that the entire audience has seen those films? And even if they have, why assume that they share your/her reaction? Different things move people, right? Why be so shitty about how people react to a piece of art? Why tell people they're assholes (and condescending assholes at that!) for having a legitimate reaction to a piece of artistic expression?

But, whatever, I still need to finish the article. And I'm not personally offended. I don't know this lady or Hiroshima movie. Just my primary thoughts to this piece that I haven't even finished yet. What do I know about anything?

This is a complicated subject, to be sure. But my takeaway from this kind of cultural criticism isn't that people are assholes for their subjective reactions to art. I don't think that's what Kael is trying to get at. I think she identifies something in pop culture that she finds problematic and harmful (to culture, society, and art itself), and goes about explaining why it is a problem and why group behaviors that perpetuate that problem are harmful. I understand her feelings here, because a myriad of movies come out each year that I feel are condescending, patronizing, dishonest, and degrading to our collective intelligence and the quality of our art, and those movies are consistently and, I would argue, often thoughtlessly lauded as great and important works of art in a manner that indicates it is some kind of sacred cultural duty to watch and respect these vapid pieces of shit. Ultimately, I see it as an expression of classist elitism that exacerbates social division, damages cultural discourse, and reduces the human value of art. Patterns of group behavior absolutely exist around this stuff, and I think it's important to criticize those.

[epilogue]

For those interested, one of the greatest pieces of film criticism ever written: http://keepingmybrainalive.blogspot.com ... ience.html

Man, I couldn't finish this. I wanted to. But I felt like I was being attacked and condescended to and treated like a piece of shit.

We get what we deserve.

Ouch.

But that's probably fair. I really do want to read it. But I feel like that kind of criticism accomplishes nothing. It seems like it's trying to be superior to the supposed people who feel like they are superior. I don't know. I have a hard time with all of this. Like you said, it's probably my fault. God forbid I just like things without need to label and classify to the nith degree. *shrugs*

Haha, I was being semi-facetious. I didn't mean to insult you. But I think part of understanding criticism is being willing and able to confront personal beliefs and attitudes. A critic highlighting and explaining things thy have a problem with shouldn't be taken as an insult, even if they are being critical of a group you may feel you belong to.

I guess. I just have a problem with any critique that starts off with "a bunch of idiots are probably saying this about something, here's why they're wrong..." And that was the impression I got from the first few sentences. Again, I haven't seen the film being discussed. And I didn't read the whole review. It might be insightful. But by automatically lumping things I like in with comments I didn't make and casting judgement on all people for liking said thing isn't the best way to begin a conversation. It's no different than liberals calling all Trump voters "stupid" or "inbred" or "racist." I'm just not interested in that kind of dialogue.

She addresses this issue of making generalizations right at the beginning of the piece. Also, she's not reviewing any one movie.

Like I said, I didn't read it. I will. The beginning was off-putting and I hadn't seen the first movie she starts talking about, so I stopped. I fully admit my own ignorance here. Just my initial impressions as someone who only read the first few lines.

But I also have a problem with someone who makes generalizations and then says "I know I'm generalizing, just go with it." That seems like a cop-out to me.

Dude.

"Obviously any of my generalizations are subject to numerous exceptions and infinite qualifications; let’s assume that I know this, and that I use large generalizations in order to be suggestive rather than definite."

In any case, the piece is filled with numerous examples and explanations and observations to illustrate her arguments. I understand bristling at first contact with something like this, but you're coming off overly defensive. She is not insulting you!

I certainly don't mean to come off as overly defensive. I've said over and over again that I didn't even read the whole thing. I feel like my clarifications on this are akin to her "generalizations." But whatever. I'm reading it now. And it's doing nothing to assuage my initial concerns. But I'm only half way through. We'll see how it turns out. It's tough, again, because I haven't seen this Hiroshima movie. Without knowing what she's talking about, it's hard to understand her concerns with it and with audience reactions. Though, in and of itself, that seems pretty fucking arrogant to me. Like, why does she get to tell audiences how to feel about a movie? Why is her reaction more valid than someone else's? Maybe there are these other films that have accomplished what this movie sets out to accomplish, and maybe they have done it better, but why assume that the entire audience has seen those films? And even if they have, why assume that they share your/her reaction? Different things move people, right? Why be so shitty about how people react to a piece of art? Why tell people they're assholes (and condescending assholes at that!) for having a legitimate reaction to a piece of artistic expression?

But, whatever, I still need to finish the article. And I'm not personally offended. I don't know this lady or Hiroshima movie. Just my primary thoughts to this piece that I haven't even finished yet. What do I know about anything?

This is a complicated subject, to be sure. But my takeaway from this kind of cultural criticism isn't that people are assholes for their subjective reactions to art. I don't think that's what Kael is trying to get at. I think she identifies something in pop culture that she finds problematic and harmful (to culture, society, and art itself), and goes about explaining why it is a problem and why group behaviors that perpetuate that problem are harmful. I understand her feelings here, because a myriad of movies come out each year that I feel are condescending, patronizing, dishonest, and degrading to our collective intelligence and the quality of our art, and those movies are consistently and, I would argue, often thoughtlessly lauded as great and important works of art in a manner that indicates it is some kind of sacred cultural duty to watch and respect these vapid pieces of shit. Ultimately, I see it as an expression of classist elitism that exacerbates social division, damages cultural discourse, and reduces the human value of art. Patterns of group behavior absolutely exist around this stuff, and I think it's important to criticize those.

I probably don't disagree with the sentiment. But I'd be willing to bet that more often than not I disagree with the movies you'd classify as such. Which sort of negates the criticism to some degree, doesn't it?

Either way, yes. Nether the less. In principle, I agree. And I think I can dig the ultimate thrust of her article, now that I've read the entire thing. But, of course, there are points here and there that I disagree with, I still think it's a worthy topic for discussion and a really interesting read.

[VinylGuy]

I Dont Feel At Home In This World Anymore.

Well, pretty interesting first flick form that amazing actor that Macon Blair is...Its a mix between a crime movie, a comedy, a indie weird flick...and its violent and sad. Really sad.

Melanie Lynskey is awesome as always, is there a better actress out there? God she is a beauty. Elijah Wood is also terrific.

[dimejinky99]

Guardians of the galaxy.

Really fun film but you really don't know what's going on if you don't know the canon of the comic. And it assumes you do.

Still. Looks incredible. And is a ripping yarn.

[epilogue]

Guardians of the galaxy.

Really fun film but you really don't know what's going on if you don't know the canon of the comic. And it assumes you do.

Still. Looks incredible. And is a ripping yarn.

Disagree.

I know nothing about the comic and I was able to follow the film just fine.

[VinylGuy]

Guardians of the galaxy.

Really fun film but you really don't know what's going on if you don't know the canon of the comic. And it assumes you do.

Still. Looks incredible. And is a ripping yarn.

Disagree.

I know nothing about the comic and I was able to follow the film just fine.

Yeah, me too. And im not planning on reading anything with them, and i still want to see the movie. I almost wish they dont belong in the Marvel Universe. ugh. Marvel Universe.

[epilogue]

Guardians of the galaxy.

Really fun film but you really don't know what's going on if you don't know the canon of the comic. And it assumes you do.

Still. Looks incredible. And is a ripping yarn.

Disagree.

I know nothing about the comic and I was able to follow the film just fine.

Yeah, me too. And im not planning on reading anything with them, and i still want to see the movie. I almost wish they dont belong in the Marvel Universe. ugh. Marvel Universe.

Yeah, I have zero interest in reading the comics. Just the movies please.

[dimejinky99]

I was playing with my phone most of the time tbh

[epilogue]

I was playing with my phone most of the time tbh

You should go back and pay attention to the movie. It's a lot of fun.

[The Argonaut]

"Guardians of the Galaxy is a really fun film but you don't really know what's going on if you're not paying any attention to it."
-dimejinky