Wow, you wrote a very sincere response back to my dumb, sarcastic one. haha. I think I owe you a more genuine one now. I'll do the whole copy-paste thing because its easier that way.
"My opinion is that if something is not to my taste or if I simply don't like it, that's one thing, but to relegate it to the trash bin simply because I personally can't see the value in it indicates a lack of balanced perspective on my part."
A very healthy perspective to have, indeed. Honestly, I only put things in the trash that I think really deserve it. These are usually things that I think are designed purely for profit. I'm not a fan of manipulating people for your own gains be it in the form of banks, bad movies, politicians, mega-churches, what have you. I respect your ability to see the positive value in things, but I firmly believe in calling a spade a spade. Plus, me calling something "shit" is so meaningless and and marginal that it borders on non-existence anyway, so I have no problem saying it.
And I do understand that calling something "shit" is a throwaway line. That's what it was when I wrote it and what it will always be. You're right to call me out on it. But, I'm always willing to give reasons for why I think something is shit; just ask me to clarify. For instance, TRANFORMERS is shit, to me, because it's dull, loud, extremely money-hungry, has flat characters, awful writing, no excitement, no thrills, etc. But, like I said, that's just me.
"They're not idiots or shit-lovers; they just are looking for something different in a moviegoing experience."
I agree. You're no idiot for liking TRANSFORMERS. I don't expect my opinion to influence anyone or to be a universal standard for judging quality. My hatred and disregard for it should have no impact on anyone's enjoyment of it. And it doesn't: TRANSFORMERS 4 will come out and make a billion dollars whether I like it or not. And feel free to be excited over it coming out! Don't let my indifference waylay you. Like what you like, my man.
"You didn't think I was referring to you with the no personality comment, did you? I'm not that subtle, to be honest."
No, I didn't think it was directed at me or anyone in our club. I just couldn't resist such an easy opportunity to take a cheapshot at myself.
"I just associate you so strongly with old movies and loving them almost unequivocally (I said "almost") and then conversely holding the newer stuff you see (particularly what's mainstream) to what seems like much higher standards."
I would say that Brandon does this exact same thing, BUT I'll put that aside for the moment. I won't try to hide from my bias towards older things. I just like older movies more because they make me happier. I also like old books, big band jazz, old cars, and old clothes. My effortless enjoyment of all old movies isn't so much about intellectual reasons as it is about purely sentimental ones. I just know what I like and what makes me happy. Newer films are easier to criticize because they are already handicapped by not being old (sorry new films). And then even easier to criticize if I think they are poorly written or poorly made (mainstream and indie films are both equally guilty here). I'm just biased.
"You don't write about watching horror movies nearly as much as Brandon and I (and Adrienne, even) do, so I know less about your experience with them."
I usually have horror marathons in October (I'm big into seasonal traditions), so I think most of my horror talk is limited to right around then. I've been on a horror kick since watching THE INNKEEPERS though, so perhaps I'll do a nice horror round-up for you soon. I seriously love watching horror movies, and I would defend the genre with you guys. As you can imagine, I can get down with just about any old horror movie (30s through 80s even) any day. I tend to be more discerning with modern horror films because I'm more discerning with everything modern. I loved THE INNKEEPERS and THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL so much because they felt like such throwbacks while also forging their own voice. I'm always curious to see a good, new horror film though. I just need a solid recommendation to go on and I'm there.
"On a side note, speaking of you and old movies, where on earth do you get what you watch from? And how do you even know what to watch?"
It's a combination of Turner Classic Movies, buying movies off Amazon, Netflix, NWI, Hulu+, youtube, "illegal" streaming websites, public library, and burrowing movies from John and Brandon. One of the great things about modern life is that, ironically, it makes just about everything old I love accessible. As for knowing what to watch, Brandon's and John's lists were good starting points. Ed Gonzalez's lists were a big help too. Knowing directors and actors you like gives you a lot of choices, as do films that are the most acclaimed or are recommended elsewhere. The more you see and the more you know makes it easier to find deeper cuts as well.
I seriously just have a word document on my computer with lists of movies to see for each year and I put a star next to the ones I've seen. Each year has grown from 10 movies to like 30 or 40 even. The more you see, the more you learn, and the hungrier you are for more.
"But I do consider 'you have a limited experience with it so you don't understand it' to be completely valid."
I agree!
"But you and John do seem to dislike a fairly decent amount of films, at least relative to someone like me, and I can't figure out how to account for it."
EVERYONE dislikes a fairly decent amount of films relative to someone like you. haha. You like just about everything! How is that the standard for comparison?? :)
Plus, why are the rest of the film club members left out of this? Brandon writes negative reviews all the time. As does Ben. As does Adrienne. As does Chris. If Lisa were posting, I'm sure she'd have a few more nasty ones about. We're not the only guilty ones. We all have our tastes and we stick to them.
Let's look at it this way, do you like all the music you hear or do you have specific type that you really respond to? If there's a type you really like, then you can understand how I feel about movies. A good movie to me is like hearing a song that sounds exactly right to my ear (mmmm...Bob Dylan). A bad movie is like hearing Nickleback.
Anyway, I'm glad you have posted so much recently AND that you went for the insults. That is the best way to get a response. Just ask Brandon :) Thankfully, I knew your posts were in good fun, unlike Brandon's. I thought he was trying to suckerpunch me, and I got it completely wrong. Lesson learned.
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