Re: Watching Movies Alone with crumbsroom
 

I haven't delved too deeply into the critic reviews, but I'm seeing a greater volume of obnoxious, kneejerk reactions on Letterboxd than usual (from the Film Twitter types, of course).

It's particularly bad there. Amazing how a movie so incredibly unsubtle has flown right over the heads of people on both sides of the argument.

While it's silly to obsess over likes (and one of the reasons my Letterboxd experience has been pretty enjoyable is that I've kept my network small and have been selective about the people I follow), it is annoying that the stupidest, snarkiest comments get thousands of likes while reviews that people put actual effort into don't get nearly as much.

I have a feeling that this is in some ways related to this 'death of discourse' I'm talking about. It seems like what compels some one to like something, is less an engagement with the content that has been written (which might offer a new way of seeing things, or ways to elaborate on how we already feel about a movie) and more a binary choice between 'agree' or 'disagree' with the overall stated opinion. It seems to be why I've noticed some people get upwards of a thousand likes on a review which simply will state 'epic!'. Apparently the point is that these people also agree with said 'epicness'. Anything beyond that simple assertation is significantly less relevant. It's once again this choice between teams. The reasoning for why we might choose one team over another? Who cares? At least now we have someone who agrees with us. And who has over a thousand likes!

I think that there is a lot of un-nuanced tribalism when it comes to any opinion in the online space. I am not active in many online spaces (basically here, a private forum for alumni from my college, and I used IMDb to rate and track films). But I do have kind of a fascination with reading 1/10 star reviews of films I like. And, like you say, a lot of these reviews get a ton of thumbs up just for being like "This was terrible garbage that isn't as smart as it thinks it is" or "This is a good example of how PC culture is ruining films. Awful."

I honestly think that a lot of it comes down to the way that a lot of people exist in the internet space, where there are just so many things clamoring for attention. I sometimes get overwhelmed even on this site trying to keep up with threads. It's just a fact that longer, more nuanced takes on a film involves more writing and reading. I don't like responding to posts (even with a "like") without having read and thought about what the person wrote. There is a temptation to just read the "quick takes" and react to those, while they tend to be more binary in their assessments.

And, really, something like a thumbs up/thumbs down is a better fit for a statement that has no nuance. A review like "Epic!" just conveys enthusiasm for the film, and if you liked the film also, it's easy to endorse that. But a long-form review with some things you agree with and some things you don't? A thumbs up/down doesn't really fit that as well. The culture of "likes" trains us to seek out and respond to flatter takes on things.

Hmm; if I had to make a top ten list of my favorite Superhero movies (limiting it to one per franchise), I think it would currently look like...

10. Hellboy 2
9. Unbreakable
8. Batman Returns
7. Superman
6. Avengers: Endgame
5. Logan
4. Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse
3. Spider-Man 2
2. The Incredibles
1. The Dark Knight

You?Oh yeah; while I have no problem in general with enjoying a Superhero movie (when they're good of course), one big problem that the genre has often had is the general lack of real stakes to the conflicts they portray, owing to the sheer size of those superpowered conflicts in the first place. I mean, besides the difficulty of becoming engaged with a struggle to save the Earth (or even the universe) once you've seen it done for the tenth time, there's also a pretty much zero chance that the bad guys are going to "win" and actually end up destroying the world, so there's next to no real tension in a lot of Supermovies when it comes to that aspect.

And, even when something bad happens, there's still often no real lasting consequences, because, just like the comics a lot of them derive from, Superhero movies have the tendency to find a way reverse whatever negative events occured in them, all the way from the original Superman, where he

1-10. Logan

Some of the genre has settled back into that "same ol'" since Logan, but I contend that plenty of the more memorable Superhero/comic movies since 2017 can be compared to Logan and its successful attempt to make a more ambitious example of the format, even when the influence of Mangold's film on them may be more indirect, such as the unexpected social themes of Black Panther, the dark R-rated content of Joker, or even the visual splendor of Into The Spider-Verse. And, I'd also contend that the impact of Logan can be felt even in the "safer" Superhero movies, like the way that Justice League seemed even more milktoast than it was, since it came out the same year that Logan showed what's possible for the genre when Superhero movies get "old":

https://youtu.be/pT75YHqlD9k https://i.ibb.co/M6f3SsL/again-there-you-go-again.gif

Tribalism runs amuck.

Re: Watching Movies Alone with crumbsroom
 

So far I hate Themroc.


So far it's essential viewing.

Re: Watching Movies Alone with crumbsroom
 

It gets more watchable after the first half hour or so, I think.

The movie is deliberately alienating in so many ways I certainly get why people would hate it. Having its characters just grunt and scream and babble doesn't just function as keeping us on the outside of what they are saying, but defies the audience to take what is happening seriously. Ultimately, it's a very silly, ridiculous movie. And yet it is frequently presented as this very somber thing. Maybe even a howl of rage at modern society. The whole thing just seems at odds with itself, with us caght in the middle, not quite able to laugh at it, but not quite willing to listen to whatever it is saying.



Which is what made it so compulsively watchable for me, even if I didn't technically enjoy it, and I think whatever it was trying to say was completely muddled beyond its **** you gestures to the audience (and society in general). In short, very much the kind of movie I'm glad exists. It takes chances. Even if it's a failure (and I wouldn't even argue that) the world needs more Themrocs.


Which gets us to the point of such a movie being somehow inexcusable as a communal selection. Sure, maybe if you are having a movie marathon with some passive movie fans you might not want to go here. But the notion that there is some injustice in nominating this to watch amongst a bunch of supposed movie junkies? Um, seems totally fair game to me. It's not like its thaaaat obnoxiously impenetrable. It's simply strange. And maybe not that great. But so what?

Re: Watching Movies Alone with crumbsroom
 

https://i.postimg.cc/Qdycz6gW/themroc.jpg

Perfectly said, as usual. These are the kind of possible hidden gems I hope for when I initially sign up for when I join the HOF. There are so many films out there, plenty are bound to fall between the cracks and escape my notice. I would never have heard of Themroc otherwise.

The other films that had been much maligned, In a Glass Cage and Daisies are films I probably wouldn’t have watched on my own had they not been nominated. Both were rewarding, Daisies more so. It bothers me when people make requests to exclude these types of films because, let’s face it, they don’t get it. And I hate to use that term.

The same rating I gave Taking Care of Business, I see.

I've seen Daisies a couple of times, and while I like it, I would definitely admit to not 'getting it'. But sometimes it's okay not to get things. Sometimes the personality or exuberance of the film is enough.


I have mainly never joined the HoF simply because I don't do good with structure and worry I would bail on it and make everyone angry at me. But I also don't like to force my viewing habits on others when I can avoid it. I get why people dislike so much of the things I like, and the idea of torturing others with my taste makes me extremely uncomfortable. So, considering the kind of reaction ueno's selection got, it kind of confirmed why it isn't something for me. Because Themroc would have been exactly the kind of thing I would have put up lol

I held off on joining the Hall of Fame because I'm very bad at sticking to these things. I miraculously completed the Criterion Challenge on Letterboxd last year only after reshuffling categories a bunch of times.

Jabs runs a yearly challenge that I love to participate in because it helps me focus on certain areas I normally would forget about. Specifically certain film movements.

Yeah, I definitely appreciate the value of these things, I just don't have anywhere close to the discipline to actually stick to them.


I should note that since the pandemic started, I've leaned more towards comfort viewings and less demanding work than I used to, but have tried to balance that with less conventional viewing choices. While I don't expect anyone to join me in my classic porn exploration, that's been the result of a project I gave myself to bring back a bit of structure to my viewing and writing habits. Which is probably why it may seem I write those up more often than other genres. But even that's been pretty freeform.

Re: Watching Movies Alone with crumbsroom
 

The "challenges" are different because nobody cares if I finish it or not, and most importantly for me I don't have to rank anything. (I'm philosophically opposed to ranking art. I mean, I'll sometimes do it if pressed but I'd just rather not. I managed to slap together a list for the '00s countdown, but that was mostly possible because I don't feel very strongly about that decade.)

The Halls of Fame are another matter. I like the concept and would like to try one among friends maybe, but like Crumb said, the idea of a stranger sitting through something I happen to like makes me uncomfortable, even if I've taken pains to recommend something harmless. The range of opinions here is too wide, so I'd prefer to just post about films that I think are noteworthy. Then, if my opinion matters to a specific person, they can take that into consideration and voluntarily watch something I've recommended. Final Exam, for example. :shifty:

And just to clarify, I'd watch anything I was asked to watch. It's having to nominate something for others that is the sticking point.