Red Mosquito

durdencommatyler wrote:

LoathedVermin72 wrote:Godard's Every Man for Himself. Sometimes, with how much I viciously hate the majority of contemporary arthouse cinema, it can be easy to forget just how inspirational, moving, illuminating, and profound the best arthouse films can be. Goddamn. What a movie.

Rank the most illuminating arthouse films.

The Argonaut wrote:Is labelling a film 'arthouse' basically the same thing as trag's insane film vs movie theory?

LoathedVermin72 wrote:

The Argonaut wrote:Is labelling a film 'arthouse' basically the same thing as trag's insane film vs movie theory?

No. I'd argue arthouse is a genre about as aesthetically defined as any other.

Steve Albini wrote:Whenever there's active promotion on the part of somebody else, whenever I see somebody all dolled up for a fancy photograph and someone's handing out flyers or whenever there's active promotion for something like that, as an imposition on my day, I hate all those people and I want them to fail. I have a visceral reaction to advertising and promotion. There's just something about salesmanship that grates on me on a very base level and I react very negatively towards it. I want those people to suffer and I want their enterprises to fail.

The Argonaut wrote:What makes a movie 'arthouse'? Is it a disregard for commercial concerns? Because the word arthouse means arthouse cinema means small movie theatre that plays movies that don't make a lot of money but do try to make an artistic statement. And that's exactly what trag was saying re: film v movie

durdencommatyler wrote:I'm gonna list some films. Please tell me which (if any) are "arthouse" films:

Mulholland Drive YES
Garden State NO
The Graduate NO
Winter's Bone Ehh 50/50 on this one
Moonlight (haven't seen but) YES
La La Land (haven't seen but probably not)
Hell or High Water NO
Kill Bill NO
Annie Hall NO
13 Conversations About One Thing (haven't seen)
Birdman YES
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (haven't seen)
Drinking Buddies (haven't seen)
Red State NO
Frances Ha YES

durdencommatyler wrote:Why is Garden State not an arthouse film?

Steve Albini wrote:Whenever there's active promotion on the part of somebody else, whenever I see somebody all dolled up for a fancy photograph and someone's handing out flyers or whenever there's active promotion for something like that, as an imposition on my day, I hate all those people and I want them to fail. I have a visceral reaction to advertising and promotion. There's just something about salesmanship that grates on me on a very base level and I react very negatively towards it. I want those people to suffer and I want their enterprises to fail.

LoathedVermin72 wrote:

durdencommatyler wrote:Why is Garden State not an arthouse film?

It's a quirky, but mainstream, indie movie. They were all the rage in the early '00s.

tragabigzanda wrote:I'm not taking this too seriously, but I do want to procrastinate on other stuff, so:

Mulholland Drive: Nah, too many big names attached, plus it's a thriller.

Garden State: Nah, it's got Natalie Portman and a popular music soundtrack.

The Graduate: Nah, it's not at all melodramatic. I'd say it's actually a very realistic depiction, given the time it came out.

Winter's Bone: Nah, again, not melodramatic. All the drama in this film was earned by the plot and characters.

Moonlight: Quite possibly. Haven't seen it yet.

La La Land: More like farthouse.

Hell or High Water: Good lord, no. This is a conventional movie masquerading as an indie flick.

Kill Bill: Don't be silly.

Annie Hall: Nah. Not melodramatic. Lighthearted and funny, and the drama feels realistic and neurotic. Also very dialogue-heavy.

13 Conversations About One Thing: I don't know anything about this.

Birdman: Nah. Post-modern/surrealist, but not arthouse.

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown: Quite possibly. Almodovar's films always have a comedic element, but he certainly lets the color, set design, and silences do a lot of the heavy lifting. Could probably debate this one all day.

Drinking Buddies: I have no idea what this is, but the title makes me thing no.

Red State: No, it's a thriller.

Frances Ha: Quite possibly. Haven't seen it yet. Wouldn't put any other Baumbach in this category, but the trailer for this one makes it a contender.

Steve Albini wrote:Whenever there's active promotion on the part of somebody else, whenever I see somebody all dolled up for a fancy photograph and someone's handing out flyers or whenever there's active promotion for something like that, as an imposition on my day, I hate all those people and I want them to fail. I have a visceral reaction to advertising and promotion. There's just something about salesmanship that grates on me on a very base level and I react very negatively towards it. I want those people to suffer and I want their enterprises to fail.

LoathedVermin72 wrote:If anything, arthouse movies usually aren't melodramatic at all. They tend to favor understatement.

Steve Albini wrote:Whenever there's active promotion on the part of somebody else, whenever I see somebody all dolled up for a fancy photograph and someone's handing out flyers or whenever there's active promotion for something like that, as an imposition on my day, I hate all those people and I want them to fail. I have a visceral reaction to advertising and promotion. There's just something about salesmanship that grates on me on a very base level and I react very negatively towards it. I want those people to suffer and I want their enterprises to fail.

The Argonaut wrote:Arthouse is a bullshit term, not a genre.