Understanding taste in movies

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I am writing this post in reflection of the 22 months that I have been in this forum. Among English internet forums this has been so far among the two where I have posted over 4 thousand posts. While I initially did not expect to have as many fights as I had (I had some heavy fighting in many internet forums as it is a way I have to vent, generating negative externalities to members in internet forums, but I am a rather "morbid" person anyway). So I apologize for the stress that I may have caused on some members here.

One thing that strikes me is that this was the first time I was immersed in constant communication with people from English speaking countries. Even after living in the US for over a year I don't talk to Americans much because most people I talk on a daily basis are also foreigners and I noticed some striking cultural differences. Anyway, I also noticed that my tastes are quite different from the average of the forum in terms of art from non-English speaking countries (being film, TV or music) even though they are very similar in terms of art coming from English speaking countries. I also never had that much contact with people obsessed with movies in general. Currently I might say that have lost interest in movies as I haven't watched any for about 45 days.

Anyway, I one thing that I noticed is that the more you watch/listen and the more you know in general, the least mainstream your favorite choices get and the more narrow becomes the specific appeal of your favorites. This applies to everything from music to movies. While a person may not be "restricted to genres", it is obviously true that preferences exist and they differ across individuals and genres exist because they provide information regarding the specific characteristics of films and hence allows people to choose what they like. People who watch only a selection of genres are not necessarily close minded, they just know their tastes. I for example, understand my tastes better than I did when I joined the forum. I regard as closed minded people who restrict themselves to stuff produced in geographical locations however as long as alternatives exist produced outside these locations.

For instance, I have been watching a ton of cute girls doing cute things slice of life anime over the past year or so, I haven't watched any slice of life animation made outside of Japan, not because I prefer the Japanese slice of life animation but because I do not know of any products of the genre not made outside of Japan. Anime is rather exceptional in that regard because it touches genres and subjects that animation produced elsewhere never does (pornography for a more obvious example). Three years ago I did not know that such a genre existed even though I had watched a ton of older anime. Truly a fantastic discovery in that regard and one that allows me to better understand my own tastes. I had a more exploratory phase at the time I joined the forum, it was around that time that I watched about a dozen Bresson movies over a few weeks period without knowing anything about the guy, for example, today I would never burn 20 hours of my time watching movies from genres I do not know because I have way less free time now. When I had a ton of free time I explored unknown genres while now I allocate my limited free time to more intensive activities (short TV series episodes compared to two hour long films for example).



Sorry if I'm rude but I'm right
The more you delve into films, the more eclectic your taste gets, because you discover new movies from genres you haven't heard of or liked before, I'm not convinced of this 'established taste' thingy. Sure, you may still have your favourite type of a flick, but if you only limit yourself to one genre you can't talk about developing your movie knowledge, now, can you?

I, of course, agree with the tendency of getting more and more non-mainstream with both music and films, but it looks like a natural process to me, because your desire to discover more stuff like this you have seen, or maybe quite contrary, something you've never seen, but would love to, is so strong, you delve into a less known stuff, which comes up after advanced searching by criteria that interests you.
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Look, I'm not judging you - after all, I'm posting here myself, but maybe, just maybe, if you spent less time here and more time watching films, maybe, and I stress, maybe your taste would be of some value. Just a thought, ya know.



My favorite films are still very mainstream. The Matrix and Lord of the Rings being among them.

My film watching first started as research into the classics. I don't believe that anyone has any business making films if you haven't seen citizen kane, lawrence of arabia, psycho, etc.

I've tackled things like time magazine top 100, AFI, IMDB, etc to be well educated and to know what I'm talking about. I've discovered some great films along the way, and a lot of crap too

There are certainly some films I would not have sought out on my own that turned out to be really fantastic. Such as City Lights by charlie chaplin



My own tastes were shaped by mainstream stuff as well.


I think being an 80s child, and a teen in the 90s, my movie tastes were shaped by what was available. Internet, streaming, downloading was unheard of when movies were about... all I had was VHS rentals and a few I owned when I recorded off the telly.


Look at my link in my banner "What Makes The Rodent, The Rodent" and it's basically my analysis of what movies shaped my tastes over the years, from age dot to modern day.


I've certainly learned more about film since joining MoFo... as in, looking at more independent films and smaller productions, many of them I like too... but my own tastes have certainly fallen in the realm of 90% mainstream. Sci-Fi and futuristic movies is definitely my bag though.


Never been a fan of animation, whether Anime or any other. There's a few exceptions, WALL-E, Akira, but that's really about it when I come to calling myself a fan of animation.



My taste is similar to Rodent's. Being a child of the eighties I was brought up on Jackie Chan, The Lost Boys, Terminator, Predator, Robocop, and pretty much all the big mainstream sci-fi, horror and action films of the 80's and 90's. I've been a trekkie since I was about 14. My tastes started to broaden in my early 20's when I really started to get into cinema. I will watch anything now, indie, foriegn language, Twilight and even Micheal Bay films.



I guess I'm one of those people whose tastes aren't exactly mainstream, but I don't belong to the "art house mafia" either. Basically, I won't judge a film on whether it's art house or mainstream or whatever, and I feel that being anti-art house just because many people seem to love it is wrong, and disparaging mainstream films or a person who enjoys mainstream films is just as wrong. The way I see it, both these kinds of films have their great films and their terrible films.

My favorite films all have a lot in common, even if they're tonally and stylistically very different, so when I like something it's because I truly feel it and not because I want to be seen liking it, and I think this is very important. There are so many things I analyze and take into consideration when evaluating a film, and more often than not, it's a case of how much there is to be read between the lines. I pay equal attention to artistry, execution and the personality of a film, as these are the things that will stay with me the most. Not the story, or the plot, just the feeling and the mood of that film

I also find music to be of very high importance, sometimes even more important than the writing or acting. Acting is basically last for me, even if it's very important. It just goes to show how essential the execution itself is (at least for me). Acting won't make a film for me if the filmmakers don't get those other elements right. I've also never cared for sheer entertainment value myself, even in my childhood years or early teens. The undertones of a film is what has always stuck with me, and what is most likely to impress me



"Art house mafia".

Who the hell came up with that phrase? It's brilliant.
honeykid used it very recently in RTLMYS, but I can't say for sure who coined the term



Guaporense, I gave you a Rep as your post was self honest and forthright.

"...I one thing that I noticed is that the more you watch/listen and the more you know in general, the least mainstream your favorite choices get..."

That's true. If one broadens their palette, they find there's more to eat than just french fries.



Gangster Rap is Shakespeare for the Future
I guess I'm one of those people whose tastes aren't exactly mainstream, but I don't belong to the "art house mafia" either. Basically, I won't judge a film on whether it's art house or mainstream or whatever, and I feel that being anti-art house just because many people seem to love it is wrong, and disparaging mainstream films or a person who enjoys mainstream films is just as wrong.
Is that what being in the art house mafia means? Judging a movie based on how mainstream it is???




Anyway, I one thing that I noticed is that the more you watch/listen and the more you know in general, the least mainstream your favorite choices get and the more narrow becomes the specific appeal of your favorites. This applies to everything from music to movies. While a person may not be "restricted to genres", it is obviously true that preferences exist and they differ across individuals and genres exist because they provide information regarding the specific characteristics of films and hence allows people to choose what they like. People who watch only a selection of genres are not necessarily close minded, they just know their tastes. I for example, understand my tastes better than I did when I joined the forum. I regard as closed minded people who restrict themselves to stuff produced in geographical locations however as long as alternatives exist produced outside these locations
I don't think this is necessarily the case. As you get older, yes you do hone in on film genres or music you like but I think to only stick to that is being very closed minded . I think people should fight against doing that as they get older as it's the path to being a bit of a miserable old git once you're actually old! Better to watch all sorts of films from all over the world, mainstream too



I've always been open-minded and eclectic with cinema and music. I try not to impose aesthetic preference, I'll take anything to enrich my knowledge and appreciation. I think that art appreciation of any kind has to be learned and cultured, it's not a fully innate ability. At some point of the progression, I realised that some degree of humbleness is necessary to actually learn and develop... the ability to appreciate aesthetics. This progression never stops, but it doesn't follow a specific path for everyone. It's deeply subjective, so not everyone will develop the same way to experience movies. Art appreciation has no rules written in stone.



Is that what being in the art house mafia means? Judging a movie based on how mainstream it is???
I don't know what it means, I didn't create the expression. Those two sentences weren't exactly related. The point I was trying to make is that I don't restrict myself to mainstream or art house (meaning I'm a fanatic of neither), and I'll never disparage mainstream or overpraise art house, or vice versa, even if I find myself leaning towards art house more.

Art house might be a superior way of artistic expression, but since there is plenty of disappointing art house, it pretty much evens things out. I am able to appreciate film as art, but I'll also allow myself to appreciate film as just film



I am able to appreciate film as art, but I'll also allow myself to appreciate film as just film
All film is art. Regardless of whether it's attempting to convey some deeper meaning or it's just attempting to entertain, it's all art.



It's not just about deeper meaning, for instance I see Tarkovsky's works as art because they're presented as such. The films of Michael Bay on the other hand, those you clearly cannot consider art. I thought this was pretty obvious



Lord High Filmquisitor
The more films that I've watched, the more my tastes have broadened, rather than concentrated on a specific type of film. I've found musicals and westerns that are among my favorite films now, where ten years ago I would have struggled to name any that I particularly cared for (especially westerns).
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