4th Movie Hall of Fame Nominations

Sigh...

Also do you like 8 1/2 bluedeed? I just checked through the thread and saw that you have seen it.

It's a natural human reflex to anticipate if something is gonna be fun or not, good or not, but sometime I'm wrong and it's the quality of the film that makes me wrong. I'll give you some exemples: I thought Kramer vs Kramer was going to be your typical american cheesy movie, but it wasn't I had low anticipation and the movie proved me wrong, same thing happened for Magnolia (I dont reall like PTA's other work), Black Cat White Cat, etc.

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I do not speak english perfectly so expect some mistakes here and there in my messages

It sucks that the chances of 8 1/2 are now pretty much screwed.

There's much more to the film than merely a plot about a moviemaker who's struggling to make a film, but you have to be open for it, of course (and you obviously weren't, Pussy). You shouldn't have watched it with reluctance. It's always going to turn out bad, if you do.
It's indeed a film that requires some effort to think or at least feel about what you're seeing, but why are people seeing this as a bad thing, especially when the film is pretty transparent about its themes?
It's not solely a movie about filmmaking. It merely uses that concept to explore much larger ideas. It's a film about the creative process, about fantasies, about relationships, about the past, about depression, about dissatisfaction... In the end, it's just a film about life itself.
You need to welcome the images on the screen and interpret them, while at the same time also admiring the sheer craft and symbolic genius that went into the film.

It's a shame that so many people can't connect with this film. It's a masterpiece of cinema. It's cool, it's beautiful, it's profound and in my opinion, it's also hugely entertaining. I don't get people who are bored by films like 8 1/2. Yes, you have to view it with a certain intensity, but when you do and once you've found that connection with it, 8 1/2 is one of the most rewarding films ever, in my opinion.

I'm just wondering, though, PG. Why exactly can't you find interest for movies that are less plot-oriented or straight-forward? Why can't they be entertaining for you? What do you not like about them? Haven't you ever thought of something more surreal yourself?

You're all entitled to your opinion of course, but I'm just trying to understand why people don't enjoy masterful movies like 2001 and 8 1/2.

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Cobpyth's Movie Log ~ 2019

2001 is respectable. 8 1/2? Beg to differ

They're pretty much two completely different films of course, because 2001 talks about "the universe" in general (its themes are in a way grander), while 8 1/2 is way more human-oriented and personal. Despite that, the latter also has that epic quality that 2001 posseses, though (fueled by bombastic use of classical music and ambitious visuals).

Both are amazing pieces of (surreal) film art, though.

I don't think 8 1/2 will get out of my bottom 2 but we will see.

I remember liking it, but it's been long enough since I've seen it that I'm planning on watching it again for this

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Mubi

Good 4 u

Why? What was not good about it? Explain!

I can't explain now as I'm on my phone. Like Sean I'm a character man and I could not have cared less for anyone in the film. I got hardly anything out of it.

That's odd, because the whole film is one big character piece. It's full of insightful monologues and dialogues about the characters (and especially the main character). It's one big philosophical meditation about life from a first person's point of view.

I also don't really know what "not caring" means in this context. Don't you care about the character's fate or do you just don't care about who he is and what he has to say?

If it's the latter, you have a genuine problem with this film. If it's the former... Well, that's not really the point of the film, so it's OK to not care about the character's fate.

I'm all for argumentation and don't believe in relativism so I enjoyed your well written and argumented answer as opposed to the ''good 4 you'' by bluedeed and I'll try to answer the best I can.

First, I actually couldn't make the difference between what was his fantasies and what was reality, the effect of that was that I had difficulty to actually follow the movie and I was lost. That's probably my problem, but I also couldn't differentiate the actress so I didn't know who was who, that didn't helped either. I think I expressed myself badly, I don't dislike every surreal movie, I actually like some of them (Bunuel, Blue Velvet, Stalker, The Seventh Seal, Three colors White, etc.) but I rarely like them the first time I watch them with time the images and the themes stick with me and I finish wanting to rewatch them and ultimately love them. I remember posting here that I didn't know what the hell Stalker was about, but know in retrospect I'd really want to rewatch it. Maybe the same thing will happen with 8 1/2 I don't know, at least now I know what to expect and that's why I watched it a long time before sending my list to give me time to think about it. However I really feel that it was more painfull then those I mentionned before.

It doesn't matter if its a character piece if I could care less about those involved.

A rewatch in the future could help you with that problem with the actresses. Also, it's not that important in this film to know what's reality and what's fantasy. The line between them is kind of blurry, so you have to just flow with it. There's a certain distinction most of the times, but when you're not sure, just don't start worrying about it, but enjoy the piece you're seeing and try to unravel its meaning. That's much more important than trying to figure out what's real and what's not real.

Ah, yes, I get what you're saying. Well, all I can say is that I hope your interest in the film eventually comes. It's a very rich film and it's really not that hard to grasp too. Maybe read a couple of reviews about it, rewatch some scenes, think it over a little and then give it another try when you feel like it sometime. This is a great film that anyone should be able to enjoy.

Thanks for your explanation.

You didn't answer my question. In what way don't you care about the characters?

I don't know how not caring about a character or disliking them makes them a bad character, or the film bad. And I honestly don't think 8 1/2 is that surreal and hard to follow, it seems simple to me that we're just seeing this man's life, his dreams, thoughts etc.

My response was to the point, if a bit curt.

It's better to go into everything with no expectations at all, but I understand where Pussy is coming from. It's pretty hard to detach yourself from those expectations, whether you are excited or anxious. You can control if you are looking for reasons to dislike something though, but I am not saying that's what Pussy did or anything like that. However, I don't think it's entirely fair to criticize his approach, even if it's understandably frustrating that he didn't go into it clear minded.

Have not watched 81/2 yet so I am going to switch gears. Cherry Blossoms is indeed very realistic like WT says. It really had me through the first half. I enjoyed my time with this family quite a bit. The mother with enough love in heart for the entire family. The children who are annoyed by their parents just for existing. The significant others who see the parents in such a different light than the actual children. I love the misdirection and how the story packs an emotional punch in a way that the audience does not expect. Once the story gets to Japan it just loses me a small step at a time. I just found myself caring less and less about this journey the farther it went. I think it is an important journey for the character but was just not a very compelling narrative. Not a bad film by any stretch of the imagination. I am glad I saw it but ultimately that is where it ends for me.

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Letterboxd

Don't worry Cob, there's only two people who are seemingly rating it low. Now, if a third pops up, then it's in trouble.