Brandon,
Wow, man, that response post to Jason was epic. You both should be proud for having the attention span/ambition to write that much. I seem to lack both. I glad you guys don't.
The only thing I'll say back to that particular post is that "troll of the clubhouse" is probably the greatest phrase of the year. Maybe because I picture an actual troll in a clubhouse, I don't know. Anyway, I think you're right. We are probably all guilty at one time or another of getting enjoyment out of being the dissenting voice amongst a sea of praise. This isn't necessarily a bad thing all the time either. Sometimes it's fun to kick the dust up, especially if you don't really care either way. Like you said about starting fights, it forces the other person to think more about why they really like something or maybe why they don't like it as much as they thought they did. But I'd say that mostly being a contrarian for its own sake is really bad form and annoying. I try to avoid it. Those positive instances are rare.
You did kick me right in the nose, but it was worth it. There's nothing more fun than singing along at the top of your lungs to your friends' songs. It makes me incredibly proud to know such talented people. As for your "tiny penis" quip....looks like it's time to pull out the ace: takes one to know one! haha Yes! Got 'em!
THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL has tremendous style, and I think it won me over instantly with its super-retro opening title sequence. Ti West is a seriously intelligent filmmaker. I really admire the guy's aesthetic. He's young but he's already cultivated a voice for himself and become a real stalwart within the genre. I think those two films are enough to know that he's legit. Can't wait to see what he does next. I count myself a big fan.
I'm also a big fan of apologies because I genuinely regret nearly everything I say or do.
I can only ever be scary on a blog...and maybe on a soccer field. In any other setting, I sound like an even wimpier and more shrill version of Jerry Seinfeld trying to get angry. It's pathetic.
You're right, sometimes it's just easier and lazier to call something shit and move on. I feel like doing it all the time. And some things deserve a simple dismissal, especially when they are particularly egregious.
I was just having the conversation about money and art with a friend not too long ago. She paints, and she was telling me that she feels uneasy about selling her artwork for money. I told her that at one time I wanted to be a writer, but felt uneasy about trying to sell anything I wrote as well (not out of any real sense of artistic integrity, mostly just feeling like anything I created wouldn't be worth paying for). I understand that if you want to be an artist, you gotta make some money or else you can't really do it anymore. I also understand the reticence over turning something very personal into a product that is bought and sold like Crest Tooth Paste. But, I was in a band once too, and I had no problem making music and selling it. Like you said, selling records and making money off shows means that you get to make more records or play more shows. Plus, it's not like it's a purely selfish thing, making money from your art. People get pleasure out of it and are willing to pay you for that enjoyment. I think as long as your intentions with your art are square, you're doing it for the right reasons. So yeah, I understand what you're saying, Brandon, but I also didn't really mean that all money making in art is wicked. What I specifically meant in terms of TRANSFORMERS is that I feel that the people behind that didn't care about making a good product, they just cared about all the bank they would get from it. To me, that's evil and corrupt. You're purposefully manipulating people for your own gains. Fuck that.
Dude, the only thing to love about the current Hollywood system is the talented individuals that provide the artistic visions we love so much (your PTAs, your Tarantinos, Your Scorseses). Most of the actual Hollywood brass behind pictures nowadays is pure evil. We're talking massive corporations with one goal in mind: how to exploit people into getting more money. It's one of the reasons why there are so many shitty movies released every year. The major studios have shifted away from making a few quality pictures a year towards making an inordinate mass of inferior pictures to bleed us all dry. Studios obviously want PTA and Taratino's movies to do them a solid financially. But, do you think PTA and Tarantino are sitting their licking their lips over how much profit they will reap from their pictures? No, they make movies because they love doing it and because they strive for no less than a masterpiece with each one they make. To me, that motivation is much different than Michael Bay saying, "dude, let's make another TRANSFORMERS because the last one made a shit load of money." I know I'm preaching to the converted here.
This segues nicely into your quality vs. quantity/old movies vs. new movies talk. I love the old Hollywood system as well. Obviously, its motives weren't entirely pure (they wanted money, for sure), but back then, the studio heads were mostly visionaries who cared about making quality products and giving the reins to talented people they knew could deliver. Today's massive market economy demands more, more, more, more–all the time. It has literally changed every artistic output, especially filmmaking. But, I think the problem with Hollywood, new technology, and just wider availability means that the supply has far exceeded the demand. We are constantly being inundated with so many products, which is why you see so many movies flop at the box office or so many tv shows cancelled after two episodes. I think greed has taken over completely at this point. Greed increases the quantity exponentially and the quality suffers for it. Wow, I'm just ranting at this point. haha. Do you think this stuff makes me mad?
"Born in the wrong generation" for sure. I think Jade and I have this conversation every time we bump into each other. I enjoy the escapism of older things more than the hard-hitting realism of today. One of my favorite novels is FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD, and I think I respond to it so much because it takes place in this old-world agrarian setting where one could live completely isolated and free on one's own land. It's simple and idyllic, and in a lot of ways that's what I pine for. Old movies have this similar straight-forward and beautiful simplicity to them that I find very endearing.
I guess you and I just gotta meet Jason. Hopefully, I'm a little less douchy in person. No guarantees though.
Feel free to pick on me all you want, anyone and everyone. I can take it (wipes tear from eye and goes in the corner to cry because Brandon called him a wiener).
Good talk!
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