...Continued

Now, Brandon - I agree with most of your picks, though haven’t seen several of them. I didn’t like The Deer Hunter. Thought about adding it to my list.

Full Metal Jacket is easily Kubrick’s weakest film. I agree (for the most part) about the second half. It’s the one Kubrick film that I very infrequently re-watch.

Contempt is beautiful to look at, I agree. Beyond that...nothing.

Now, I do have an issue with La Dolce Vita and Blow-up. I can understand not liking them, but to invoke the word hipster? haha.

Because I have named La Dolce Vita and Blow-up among my favorites and because you invoked the word ‘hipster,’ I feel I have to defend myself against pretension. You don’t have to be a hipster to love these films.

I went to a tiny high school were was no such thing as a hipster. I wasn’t cool to like art films amongst any one I knew. I wasn’t even cool to like older films or anything not-current or mainstream. I discovered things like La Dolce Vita and Blowup on my own, not knowing whether it was remotely cool to like them. To me, when I saw these I felt genuine love and admiration independent of any cool factor involved. I didn’t know it was deemed “cool” to like shit like Fellini or Antonioni. The same thing with David Lynch. Discovered him in HS. Loved him. Got to college. Found out every “hip” person HAD to love him....Realized “fuck, now I’m considered a pretentious asshole for liking him.” Not fair I tells ya!

Anyway, I think La Dolce Vita is filled with wonderful energy and life and is a blast to watch. Considering its length, I think it goes by rather quickly. To me it’s like reading a great novel because it explores so much and communicates so much. There is a lot to read and interpret in it. And it’s fucking cool. I think it’s the work of an amazing director at the top of his game.

Blow-up. I can understand not liking it. Antonioni comes across as boring and pretentious to some. He can seem like both to me at times. But, Blow-up is a really fascinating movie in that it really isn’t that fascinating haha. It’s an anti-mystery. It completely goes against what you would expect to happen. The ending is insane and weird because it seems so banal. You are almost like, “really? that’s the movie?” I remember not getting it the first time and feeling like an idiot. But then I watched it again and couldn’t stop thinking about it. It went from mundane to kind of brilliant in my eyes. I really love Thomas Pynchon’s The Crying of Lot 49, and this movie felt like that to me. If you have read that and seen the movie, maybe you’ll know what I mean. I love a mystery that is not a mystery and leaves you completely unsatisfied (hence, the Mulholland Drive love). My brother knows this about me and can always predict whether I’ll like something based on this fact. I guess I’m predictable...

For your picks John-

I’m with Brandon about most. I love Raging Bull, The Fellowship of the Ring, Jaws, and Butch Cassidy. Everyone should know by now how much I worship Kubrick, so it goes with out saying that I adore Dr. Strangelove unconditionally. Kubrick is anti-life, but he is pro-cinema. I think that is a great combo haha...but I can see why you might not think so.

My brother loves The Graduate, so I have a soft spot for it and like it too.

The Sixth Sense is shit. I don’t really like MASH. I agree with Brandon about the visual blandness of One Flew Over the Cukoo’s Nest, though Jack deserves all the credit he gets for the film.

I think your picks are solid. You are free to dislike whatever you want and to feel like you should love whatever you want.

Ben- I look forward to your list. I will cry when I see the Seventh Seal on there, but I’ll get over it. Please, not too much Bergman bashing. I love him unconditionally and hurt easily haha.