Reply to Topic
Yo. Firstly, I'd just like to say that this is very different from a similarly titled thread which Sexy once created. Basically he was interested in why people rank the films the way they rank them, and what I'm trying to find out is what makes people's favorite films so meaningful and close to them.
Also, I'd like to apologize if at first I sound too personal or pretentious, but I couldn't find another way to do it. After all, though, this thread is for every member (and not my personal diary or stuff like that) so everyone is welcome and encouraged to post. And, hell, why not, make an even longer and more meaningful post than mine!
Yeah, so here goes nothing.
After reading Sedai's post in the 70s thread where he said he had initially hated the films which are now his favorites, I'm really interested in hearing how people choose their favorite films. Exactly why do you consider those films favorites, and how long after you saw them did they actually become favorites?
For example, (pretentious mode on), quite some time after I'd first seen them had passed before I realized that Mulholland Drive and Taxi Driver were in fact going to be my eternal all-time favorites. That is not an exaggeration. I'll probably see 10.000 more films in my lifetime, but that still won't change anything because I'm convinced that these two will be my number 1 and 2 films forever.
It is a fact that the more you explore the more you admire, and favorites definitely come and go, but I don't consider these two as mere favorites since they're both deeply personal films for me, I'll feel a connection with them for as long as I live, and this is precisely why I find them so powerful. I recently did a Top 50 Films, but I would say I have only about 4 or 5 films that I can really fully connect with and admire beyond description (they all pretty much have the same themes anyway, so it's not a coincidence)
For instance, I realized Mulholland Drive was the best film I'd ever see, period, (pretentious mode off) about 7 or 8 months after I first saw it. I watched it, and I loved it, and then not a day went by during those 8 months that I didn't think about it. My admiration for it only deepened and it kept increasing, until one day, I decided to watch it for a second time. The second viewing was a magical experience. All that excitement and buildup, and then, bam! As soon as I saw the images of Naomi Watts and Laura Harring projected over L.A. at night near the end of the film, accompanied by Badalamenti's otherworldly score, I decided right there and then that I had witnessed my all-time favorite film.
My feelings for Taxi Driver are very similar, I thought it was an excellent film when I saw it for the first time, but I definitely wasn't able to fully acknowledge its merits. Nearly two years had to pass before I came to realize that its greatness will impress and affect me every day of my life more and more, in oh so many ways. The very fact that such a perfect film exists, to me is a miracle. I recently read a review on Letterboxd where a reviewer said, "you can't help but wonder if this was a film crafted in a laboratory; crafted by scientists with the hope of making a perfect cinematic experience", referring to another personal favorite of mine. And for me, this describes Taxi Driver in the best way possible, and it's the only way I can do it justice. I guess that's how much my absolute favorites mean to me.
Which brings me to the point: since I admired these two films more and more with each passing day, and was able to truly appreciate them only once they had properly sunk in, I cannot see myself being blown away by a film in any other way. I hope to love as many films as possible, of course, because that's my goal whenever I try and watch a certain film, but personally, I find that the best way to truly appreciate films is when you let them grow on you, and when you find yourself replaying the scenes and the images in your head. Like the fondest memories of your childhood, certain films can become a very special and inseparable part of you once they enter your brain, and they stay there. But when they have the ability to also touch your soul, I believe that's when the experience becomes more than just casual moviewatching.
Some of the people close to me keep saying I'm wasting my time with films, and frankly, they can go **** themselves.
Also, I'd like to apologize if at first I sound too personal or pretentious, but I couldn't find another way to do it. After all, though, this thread is for every member (and not my personal diary or stuff like that) so everyone is welcome and encouraged to post. And, hell, why not, make an even longer and more meaningful post than mine!
Yeah, so here goes nothing.
After reading Sedai's post in the 70s thread where he said he had initially hated the films which are now his favorites, I'm really interested in hearing how people choose their favorite films. Exactly why do you consider those films favorites, and how long after you saw them did they actually become favorites?
For example, (pretentious mode on), quite some time after I'd first seen them had passed before I realized that Mulholland Drive and Taxi Driver were in fact going to be my eternal all-time favorites. That is not an exaggeration. I'll probably see 10.000 more films in my lifetime, but that still won't change anything because I'm convinced that these two will be my number 1 and 2 films forever.
It is a fact that the more you explore the more you admire, and favorites definitely come and go, but I don't consider these two as mere favorites since they're both deeply personal films for me, I'll feel a connection with them for as long as I live, and this is precisely why I find them so powerful. I recently did a Top 50 Films, but I would say I have only about 4 or 5 films that I can really fully connect with and admire beyond description (they all pretty much have the same themes anyway, so it's not a coincidence)
For instance, I realized Mulholland Drive was the best film I'd ever see, period, (pretentious mode off) about 7 or 8 months after I first saw it. I watched it, and I loved it, and then not a day went by during those 8 months that I didn't think about it. My admiration for it only deepened and it kept increasing, until one day, I decided to watch it for a second time. The second viewing was a magical experience. All that excitement and buildup, and then, bam! As soon as I saw the images of Naomi Watts and Laura Harring projected over L.A. at night near the end of the film, accompanied by Badalamenti's otherworldly score, I decided right there and then that I had witnessed my all-time favorite film.
My feelings for Taxi Driver are very similar, I thought it was an excellent film when I saw it for the first time, but I definitely wasn't able to fully acknowledge its merits. Nearly two years had to pass before I came to realize that its greatness will impress and affect me every day of my life more and more, in oh so many ways. The very fact that such a perfect film exists, to me is a miracle. I recently read a review on Letterboxd where a reviewer said, "you can't help but wonder if this was a film crafted in a laboratory; crafted by scientists with the hope of making a perfect cinematic experience", referring to another personal favorite of mine. And for me, this describes Taxi Driver in the best way possible, and it's the only way I can do it justice. I guess that's how much my absolute favorites mean to me.
Which brings me to the point: since I admired these two films more and more with each passing day, and was able to truly appreciate them only once they had properly sunk in, I cannot see myself being blown away by a film in any other way. I hope to love as many films as possible, of course, because that's my goal whenever I try and watch a certain film, but personally, I find that the best way to truly appreciate films is when you let them grow on you, and when you find yourself replaying the scenes and the images in your head. Like the fondest memories of your childhood, certain films can become a very special and inseparable part of you once they enter your brain, and they stay there. But when they have the ability to also touch your soul, I believe that's when the experience becomes more than just casual moviewatching.
Some of the people close to me keep saying I'm wasting my time with films, and frankly, they can go **** themselves.
. we see how personal watching movies can become as times goes on. To some, movies may be a very casual thing, and not something to discuss beyond a comment or two. Some folks just don't 'get it.' While others may find grande meaning in films.
as these things are important to us. while we may not agree on which movies to love, we can at least admire the enthusiasm each MoFo brings to the table