"Great" movies you just don't get.

The Shocker · January 22, 2011, 03:15:22 PM

Wife and I watched Don't Look Now last night. 2nd or 3rd time I've watched it and I just don't get it. Slow, "arty" and confusing to me. Julie Christie is hot though.

Another one is 2001. Kubrick is one of my favorite directors so I keep trying. I watch it every couple of years to see if I understand it any better, but after at least 10 viewings I guess it's always going to be over my head.

Lumpy · January 23, 2011, 01:58:10 AM

Eh, too much emphasis on 'understanding' movies sometimes... on the flipside, I dislike movies where every emotion has been planned out and is telegraphed in advance, and everything is explained so that even if you went out for popcorn, shit is still obvious. I like movies where the director lets you fill in some things on your own, and also movies that are open to interpretation. People can enjoy music, paintings, poetry without necessarily understanding everything - why should films be any different than other art forms. It doesn't matter whether you understand it or not - IMO it's more valid to think in terms of whether you 'liked' it.

(I'm sure there's some 'great' movies I didn't get OR like, but I'm spacing out on them right now).

Apocalypse Now? (overrated - maybe that's biggest the part I don't get)
The Godfather (likewise- what is so great about this movie)

I've never seen Don't Look Now - it's in my qeueueu

peoplething · January 23, 2011, 09:56:50 PM

Agree with 'The Godfather'. I've seen it a few times and it's lost on me. I really don't get why this movie gets the praise that it does.

'Pan's Labyrinth' - I finally saw this a few months ago, but I seem to remember this movie winning all sorts of awards when it was released. After I watched it I remember thinking at the end 'that's it? wow, that was dumb'.

I couldn't figure out 2001 or 2010 until I did some poking around the innerwebs and read wiki's cliff notes of the books. With that knowledge, the movies aren't so bad. Without the background information those movies are pretty much incoherent.

Pure Rock Casey · January 24, 2011, 05:00:36 AM

dudes! Godfather is epic storytelling at its best

Narco Pollo · February 08, 2011, 10:18:24 PM

I always liked 2001, and thought I "got it" but then I saw a documentary about it, and it made way more sense.

The short version is, it's about tools and evolution. Every time a Monolith appears, it represents mans evolution to a new era. This is done with tools.

The first Monolith marks the discovery of tools. The monkeys learn how to use the bone to hit things.

The second Monolith marks the point where man's tools become smarter than him. HAL goes apeshit.

The final Monolith marks mans journey beyond tools. The starchild is born, and exists in a state where tools are unnecessary.

Lumpy · February 09, 2011, 01:14:32 AM

^^^ Ahhh...

DavoTron · February 09, 2011, 11:01:44 AM

Quote from: peoplething on January 23, 2011, 09:56:50 PM

'Pan's Labyrinth' - I finally saw this a few months ago, but I seem to remember this movie winning all sorts of awards when it was released. After I watched it I remember thinking at the end 'that's it? wow, that was dumb'.

Totally agree. I watched it expecting one thing and got a bit of a let down.

The Shocker · February 09, 2011, 11:19:31 AM

Quote from: briar on February 08, 2011, 10:18:24 PM
I always liked 2001, and thought I "got it" but then I saw a documentary about it, and it made way more sense.

The short version is, it's about tools and evolution. Every time a Monolith appears, it represents mans evolution to a new era. This is done with tools.

The first Monolith marks the discovery of tools. The monkeys learn how to use the bone to hit things.

The second Monolith marks the point where man's tools become smarter than him. HAL goes apeshit.

The final Monolith marks mans journey beyond tools. The starchild is born, and exists in a state where tools are unnecessary.

Do you have a long version?

Seriously, I kind of get that and remember reading it prior to one of my viewings, but it still didn't really help.

2001 does look great in high definition though. Still waiting for Barry Lyndon to be released on Blu-Ray...

lowdaddy · February 09, 2011, 02:02:27 PM

the godfather movies are just boring.

The Shocker · February 09, 2011, 03:14:31 PM

Quote from: lowdaddy on February 09, 2011, 02:02:27 PM
the godfather movies are just boring.

Liked the first, the second was ok and never saw the third.

johnny problem · February 09, 2011, 09:15:06 PM

Donnie Darko. I've watched it about 10-15 times and I still don't really get it.

lowdaddy · February 09, 2011, 10:06:58 PM

Quote from: johnny problem on February 09, 2011, 09:15:06 PM
Donnie Darko. I've watched it about 10-15 times and I still don't really get it.

if we're talking about "not getting" the film in terms of not fully comprehending what's going on then i have to mention david lynch's stuff. i was thinking more along the lines of great movies i just don't particularly like. i love david lynch's movies (just watched lost highway last night) but i don't understand what's going on half the time. mulholland drive is stunning but i didn't get it at all 'til i read a synopsis online. i'm gonna have to find a synopsis of lost highway now because i'm more lost on it than i was on mulholland. i've got blue velvet in my netflix cue. i'm gonna rewatch it and try to decipher it while i'm viewing it; then, when i've failed, i'll look it up online. i love lynch but even when i've had a working hypothesis as to what one of his films is about (as i did with mulholland) i come to find out that i was wrong, so i definitely don't "get" his stuff.

The Shocker · February 09, 2011, 11:45:59 PM

Yeah that was my original intent. I'm with you on Lynch.

I don't get time travel movies like Primer and Timecrimes, but I still like them.

lftwng4 · February 11, 2011, 09:34:29 AM

I agree with Lynch movies being hard to understand. Maybe not so much Blue Velvet, but certainly Lost Highway and Eraserhead, and to a degree, Mulholland Drive. My wife really enjoys his stuff, and she's far more perceptive than I am(I usually just take things at face value)but after we watched Lost Highway, she did some research and it made a lot more sense. Only seen it once though, might be time to revisit it.
I dunno, I never even picked up on the connection between "Oh Brother..." and "The Odyssey" if that's any idication.

Lumpy · February 11, 2011, 05:32:25 PM

The David Lynch stuff has a kind 'dream logic' (or something) to it, and I don't really want the meaning to be explained. Kind of spoils the magic, for me. I figure that I 'get' whatever I get, out of it. I don't want to need to research a film, after I've seen it... I just enjoy it on its own level, as best I can. Just like a weird-ass dream. I don't need to know that Robert Blake represents "death" (or whatever). I loved Lost Highway, too... kinda WTF?? when leaving the theater, but days later I was still thinking about it, when most movies are instantly forgettable - one sign of a great movie IMO

So using that criteria, all the David Lynch movies are 'great movies that I just don't get'.

BTW I'm not criticizing people reading up about the David Lynch movies afterwards - which seems necessary to understand them - I just don't feel personally motivated to understand them at that level of detail.

Similar thing with "Donnie Darko" - the DVD has 'extras' where they explain everything (director's commentary I think) which for me actually turned the movie from something dark and mysterious and cool, into something dismissible. I liked the movie better without the explanation.

EaterofBirds · February 13, 2011, 09:05:03 PM

Quote from: deaner33 on January 22, 2011, 03:15:22 PM
Another one is 2001. Kubrick is one of my favorite directors so I keep trying. I watch it every couple of years to see if I understand it any better, but after at least 10 viewings I guess it's always going to be over my head.

Here, see if this helps..found it and bookmarked it a few months back

http://www.kubrick2001.com/index.html

The Shocker · February 14, 2011, 08:54:43 AM

Quote from: EaterofBirds on February 13, 2011, 09:05:03 PM
Quote from: deaner33 on January 22, 2011, 03:15:22 PM
Another one is 2001. Kubrick is one of my favorite directors so I keep trying. I watch it every couple of years to see if I understand it any better, but after at least 10 viewings I guess it's always going to be over my head.

Here, see if this helps..found it and bookmarked it a few months back

http://www.kubrick2001.com/index.html

Thanks man, something to look at while I'm at work.

lowdaddy · February 14, 2011, 10:52:12 PM

alright. i just watched lynch's inland empire. watched it over the course of 2 nights: hour and a half last night, hour and a half tonight. three words: completely fucking inexplicable. if you think some of his other stuff is non-linear, abstract, and difficult to follow...well, this film is a whole other thing. i have no fucking clue what it even might have sort of been about. i couldn't even hazard a guess about plot or theme or text. it's three hours of scene upon scene. that's all i know after watching this thing. there were a bunch of scenes, one after another. laura dern was in most or all of them. some other actors were in these scenes too. some of it was really visually creepy. now you know as much as me.

Lumpy · February 15, 2011, 12:59:15 AM

Inland Empire was a mess! It was hard to get all the way through that.

EaterofBirds · February 15, 2011, 02:06:28 AM

IFC ran it awhile back, was stoked to finally sit down and watch it..

I made it about 40 minutes and had to shut that shit down. No thanks..just nothing going on. Made me feel incredibly stupid for sitting there that long watching nothing

lowdaddy · February 15, 2011, 11:51:46 AM

i kind of enjoyed it. it just sucked me into this void of weird, creepy imagery. i thought it was a lot more interesting than most movies with a discernible plot. the weirdness and obscurity was what was interesting about it. that said, i will definitely not be re-viewing it, as i have other lynch movies, to try to catch more on a second viewing. it wasn't that good. just bizarre and mesmerizing. i don't need to know what it's about (if it's about anything, really).

mortlock · February 15, 2011, 11:18:04 PM

dune..i never got that one.

2001 was great..a few summers ago my band opened for a showing of that movie at an outside amphatheatre where they feature a different movie each night for a week. they pair up a band that fits the movie they feature. its called cinema at sunset. it was an amazing show..we actually sampled some sound clips from the movie during our set..lumpy dont be surprised if that ends up on the split. its unreleased so far..

Lumpy · February 16, 2011, 12:51:38 AM

Quote from: lowdaddy on February 15, 2011, 11:51:46 AM
i kind of enjoyed it. it just sucked me into this void of weird, creepy imagery. i thought it was a lot more interesting than most movies with a discernible plot. the weirdness and obscurity was what was interesting about it. that said, i will definitely not be re-viewing it, as i have other lynch movies, to try to catch more on a second viewing. it wasn't that good. just bizarre and mesmerizing. i don't need to know what it's about (if it's about anything, really).

Totally agree with all of that. And one huge problem with Inland Empire - it's 3 hours long! JFC!

Mortlock that sounds like a cool show. I want to do a Halloween show along those lines, some time.

demon gal · February 24, 2011, 11:24:14 AM

Tim Burton claymation cool looking but really boring.

kyussfreak · March 01, 2011, 02:08:17 PM

Quote from: mortlock on February 15, 2011, 11:18:04 PM
dune..i never got that one.

the syfy channel dida good job with their version of dune and children of dune in like 2001 or some shit