tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912734296144738490.post7851969424781328602..comments2015-06-12T06:33:13.492-07:00Comments on SPLENDID TRASH: Singing Soprano in the Choir, Harmonies with Brandontrawlermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05540909996117280033noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912734296144738490.post-82808811050235557092015-06-12T06:33:13.492-07:002015-06-12T06:33:13.492-07:00"I’m not interested in movies’ canonical impa..."I’m not interested in movies’ canonical impact on future generations."<br /><br />No, me neither, or at least only a little; it is interesting to think about just to give us perspective, that not much of what we argue about is really going to last. Then again, no one will remember us in that time either. But somehow our little squabblings nevertheless do matter as much as all of the other art that has been forgotten matters.<br /><br />But of course you contradict yourself later on when you say that "I can’t wait to watch ----- insert well/lesser-known auteurs ----- with my kids. That, I’m looking forward to." (I'm teasing about the contradicting, to be clear!) ;-)<br /><br />You are very much looking forward to introducing the Musa Film Canon to the next generation. In that regard, you are very much interested in "movies' canonical impact on future generations." All I can say is, "Me too." :-)<br /><br />Let's end on this note:<br />"It’s funny because if I was reading this not knowing us I’d think that we were the two lamest nerds on the planet. Cheers to that!"<br /><br />Cheers to that!trawlermanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05540909996117280033noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912734296144738490.post-49237530096475085732015-06-11T11:26:21.541-07:002015-06-11T11:26:21.541-07:00I’m not interested in movies’ canonical impact on ...I’m not interested in movies’ canonical impact on future generations. I’m a jerk like that. I understand that only a select few “great” pieces of literature and paintings and songs survived but I’m not so sure I trust that great ones weren’t left buried and dead. Look at what music is being touted as worth of the “hall of fame.” How many great bands and musicians will never even come close? Who gives a shit? It’s all about spreading our own personal “suggestions” to those in our immediate circles and hoping it spreads just enough for a few more people to be inclined to enjoy better things. I’m sure only like two or three people will see Timbuktu from my group of friends but at least that’s three more people who will see a masterpiece and walk away with a greater appreciation for art and humanity (though they may be just as compelled to leave the theater bummed about humanity). Timbuktu won’t even make the 2015 cannon let alone the decade or century and beyond. That doesn’t make it any less a great movie. <br />What’s extraordinary to me about movies, books, music, paintings, etc. is that it comes from a person, sometimes multiple people. It’s an extension of their personality, thoughts, dreams, fears, aspirations, and basically everything that can pour into it. That’s why I take “art” as seriously as I can. I think Dave Kehr described the auteur theory beautifully and I don’t remember exactly what he said but it sounded a little something like the bond between art and the human spirit. I’m making it sound way more cheesy but I think I got the general idea. It’s worth taking seriously because someone is communicating to us through their means of expression. Now THAT’S a vocation. <br />I understand your desire to consuming things that have “meaning,” but sometimes I think “meaning” can spring up from the most unlikely sources. And you know was well as I that certain viewing environments contribute to us being moved, intrigued, or provoked. I watched True Detective and while it certainly reached deep for meaning, I found it mostly empty and annoying in its inability to just be a fun and engaging mystery. Catch my drift?<br />I always loved your top ten lists. I prefer honesty, even if honesty means liking Computer Chess ;)<br />And great point about There Will Be Blood and the desire to dive back into a movie when its images are wonderfully preserved in memory. I have a similar fear of revisiting certain movies. In fact I rewatched Brazil recently and could barely get through it. It made me sad and ashamed of myself. Having kids has rekindled that desire to revisit things. I can’t wait to watch ----- insert well/lesser-known auteurs ----- with my kids. That, I’m looking forward to. <br />brandohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03743515064617447728noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912734296144738490.post-14530118696360843222015-06-11T11:26:15.792-07:002015-06-11T11:26:15.792-07:00This is true John. I wasn’t implying that your use...This is true John. I wasn’t implying that your use of the term was bad or cheesy or anything, but rather that I can’t really approach much of anything outside of my family and music with any sense of vocation. That’s all. I don’t regret the old film club days even slightly. They ruled. They were fun. I am religiously devoted to fun. This is fun. <br />FB was sucking the life out of me. It was engaging my mind in the most shallow aspects of the world around me. I was listening to great programs on NPR (I know that sounds really stupid but hear me out) that would get my brain moving in the right direction. Then I would scroll down a “feed” and find those same talking points spread as thin as humanly possible. I guess I’m just a little more interested in pragmatic things these days. Or maybe I just think I am.<br />I remember getting snarky when TV was brought into the movie club. I think I still feel that the two don’t belong in the same discussion, only now I think I have more respect for the small screen as a potential art form unto itself. I’m not sure I agree with you about its ephemeral nature, but I haven’t really thought about it. I agree that certain dramatic shows end and I find it less and less compelling to revisit them. But then I think of certain movies that I’m certain I’ll just let be in my head and memory. I’m no Pauline Kael when it comes to revisiting stuff but I’m not as prone to wearing out any movie. The funny thing is that I’ll wear out any episode of Seinfeld, The Simpsons, Curb Your Enthusiasm, or certain stand-up routines any day of the week. Better Call Saul is a really good show btw. <br />Speaking of Jeff, I had a brief conversation in which he expressed an interest in writing again with us. Let’s keep our fingers crossed. It’s funny because if I was reading this not knowing us I’d think that we were the two lamest nerds on the planet. Cheers to that! <br /><br />brandohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03743515064617447728noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912734296144738490.post-38284380156636990512015-06-11T03:23:54.274-07:002015-06-11T03:23:54.274-07:00I had already scaled back my FB usage and deleted ...I had already scaled back my FB usage and deleted the app off of my phone. Yesterday, I decided to just commit and follow you in deleting my account (for like the tenth time), hopefully permanently this time. I hate that place.<br /><br />That's funny that I brought you into TV Land. I do remember when Chris and I would repeatedly veer off into TV Club conversations. I guess I'm not saying that TV is worthless or that it's bad or whatever, but that it certainly seems more ephemeral than certain films. Certain shows feel Very Important right now, but then don't feel very important at all once they're done. I don't know.<br /><br />I do think that repetition is important. My own reading and viewing is often shallow because I've only read/viewed something once or twice. And to be fair, most books/films aren't worth reading/viewing more than once (if at all!). It's fine to read/watch the disposable stuff (which is sometimes very enjoyable), but the danger is to do so at the expense of time spent re-reading/re-viewing the good stuff. I do think that repeatability is the true test of any "classic". Besides historical accidents at work that preserved certain texts and not others, the Iliad and the Odyssey are still with us because they're danged good reads, both exciting and dense with meaning. <br /><br />I had a conversation with Jeff once about the vanity of thinking that we have any idea of what the 20th century film canon will look like in a thousand years. Looking back a thousand years to the year 1015, how many works of art can you name? Even closer to 1515 or 1815, how many? I'm not saying that all of the films that matter to us shouldn't matter to us, but that put into perspective, our Top Ten lists and attempts to get a handle on 20th century film history are a tiny miniscule part of an historical process that might see three films from the century taught in an elective survey class in a thousand years. Which three films? That'd be fun to argue about, but the truth is that we can have no idea.<br /><br />I don't know. I've started rambling.<br /><br />I guess it goes back to your bringing up "meaning", that in my own media consumption, I've tried to make a point of getting back to the more permanent things, reading "classics" that have stood the test of time and filmwise, not caring so much about keeping up and having the perfect Top 10 lists. I've also tried to narrow down what I actually like and care about. <br /><br />Really, I'd like to find those few things that I truly love that I can master instead of spending so much time looking for the next thing. http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/feb/09/centireading-force-reading-book-100-times-great-idea<br /><br />"I understand the emptiness but I gotta question the notion that rewatchability is tantamount to worth. I will probably never revisit Shoah but that doesn’t make it any less a masterpiece. Again I find myself trying to define and quantify worth for the sake of justification."<br /><br />Yeah, I think that there's something to this as well. There Will Be Blood is still one of my favorite films. I watched it twice in a row the night that I first saw it at Regal, immediately going in for a second viewing. Then, I watched it a third time with Abby a week later. Then, I bought it on DVD the day it came out, but I haven't watched it a single time since. It is definitely one of my favorite films of all time, but I find myself unable to sit down and watch it again right now. But I also find that many of its images are burned into my brain in a way that other films have never done. So, I've only seen it three times, but I feel like I can see so many moments from it absolutely clearly right now.<br /><br />Actually, I think with TWBB, I may just be afraid to watch it at home, with distractions. I'd jump at the chance to watch it on a big screen again.<br /><br />Alright, I've rambled too much and I'm not sure that I've been clear about anything. I'm closing down the screen for the day. Peace.<br /><br /><br />trawlermanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05540909996117280033noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912734296144738490.post-69323566093413395082015-06-11T03:23:22.514-07:002015-06-11T03:23:22.514-07:00Good comments. I've got a bad memory. I didn&#...Good comments. I've got a bad memory. I didn't remember the "vocation" thing. I searched my old blog and found the post you were talking about. <br /><br />Sheesh. I know that I was earnest and sincere when I wrote it, but, yeah, it looks a little silly now. And that specific word is probably (definitely) wrong. But my overall point is one that I'll stick with. We've got movies in our blood and we watch them seriously and spend time thinking about how they are constructed and what their intent is, etc. Most people don't.<br /><br />As you know, I've made a strong effort the past couple of years to get into better health (this has slipped a bit the past few months, but I'm back on the wagon now). I've spent time lifting and I've spent time running and spent time doing all sorts of other crap. And I actually know a ton of exercise jargon now. But you know what? Exercise people aren't my people. If I see someone squatting heavy or running long, I don't think, hey, there's a kindred spirit. But if I see someone watching FBI Story, whether they like that piece of crap or not, I know that there's someone I'd like to spend the next eight years in a film club with! ;-)<br /><br />But, yeah, I hear you that "ripping apart and debating fictional narratives" can be part of the problem. It's easy to fall into the rut of thinking I'm doing something important when really what I'm doing is ignoring my work situation or family situation to be engaged on a screen spending time writing about the time I spent engaged with another screen. That's part of why I stepped away from Chasing Pictures, to re-orient myself toward the non-screen. But then I got sucked back into online land through becoming part of a literary fan community. And that was wonderful in its way, but I was also checking notifications all of the time and sucked back into screen life.trawlermanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05540909996117280033noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912734296144738490.post-88332442356903508812015-06-10T12:31:04.133-07:002015-06-10T12:31:04.133-07:00As to my fear of engagement, I’m not sure how I fe...As to my fear of engagement, I’m not sure how I feel about these communal debates and profound bitching. On one hand I find it exhausting to observe laymen on their soapboxes spewing uninformed bile to their virtual cronies, on the other I can’t deny the fact that some of what is being peddled is having a positive impact on a large group of people. Even if most of these people have no intention of ever acting upon their deafening consciences, the mere fact that certain empathetic tenets are circulating is probably a means to very good end. One could argue (and I certainly have) that this is all leading to a great big circle jerk and nothing more, but he/she would be denying the existence of public demand’s influence on justice. Look at where we started with these instances of police gunning down unarmed minorities and look at how quickly we are seeing convictions and firings and various other responses. Imagine how that’ll end up helping motivate public servants to be just that, servants. <br /><br />That being said, none of this will ever compel me to reconnect. I’m unplugged for good. It makes me feel dirty. Scratch that, I’m on Instagram which is mercifully devoid of message board hubbub. I’m also on letterboxd, which is seeming less and less appealing as the days wear on. All of this somehow might bring me back to Valentine Road, which is admittedly not a something I would hold up aesthetically (bad music, unnecessary animation) but a film with an admirable sense of compassion not just for Larry but also, briefly, Brandon. Both boys grew up under immense pressure and abuse and the filmmakers are interested foremost in the impact adults have on children. At its heart it’s a movie about legacies that ought to cease to exist and the responsibility for us old people worrying about our own mortality to look out for those just getting started. The children are watching us. <br /><br />brandohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03743515064617447728noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4912734296144738490.post-80666043275528338962015-06-10T12:30:45.741-07:002015-06-10T12:30:45.741-07:00“Half of writing is overcoming the revulsion you f...“Half of writing is overcoming the revulsion you feel when you sit down to it”- Flannery O’Connor<br /><br />I think it’s funny to read us both trying to come to terms with justifying our actions be it watching a show, writing about movies, etc. Whenever I’m in the deepest depths of my blues the prevailing thought and tacit catalyst is the weight of time. I’m more aware now than ever that I won’t get to redo any of the days now behind me which sparks me to want to define and live out as many meaningful minutes as humanly possible, hence why something as trivial as ripping apart and debating fictional narratives seems directly a part of the ostensible problem. But maybe a bigger problem is the way I define “meaningful.” I wrote yesterday about feeling compelled to get outside more often, be more physically active, interact more with loved ones, be productive, and generally exit every day feeling happy. Maybe that’s how I’m currently defining mean and maybe that’s why I’m not as interested in logging movies these days. Basically, I’m committed to doing what I want and right now I’m very happy to talking with you. <br /><br />Thinking back to those early days when we would write over 200 posts a year, sometimes multiple interactions per day not to mention our dustups on Facebook. I remember you called it a “vocation” which seemed about right at the time. But calling something a vocation is also a slippery slope because this would demand “a strong feeling of being destined or called to undertake a specific type of work” which can feel kinda heavy at times. Likewise, being immersed in that aforementioned cesspool of “resentment and exhausting fighting” was wearing me down and bringing out the worst in me. I think this is quite different as it’s at once far less public and committed to a very specific kind of connection, one that thus taps into most other avenues of dialogue. Here’s to keeping it anxiety free and completely voluntary. <br /><br />I have seen most of The Sopranos but don’t feel especially compelled to talk about it. At the same time I want to second your trepidation in declaring our current time the “golden age” of television. I would argue that I’m more interested than ever in narrative television and I have you to blame for this. Speaking specifically of the medium I can say that I resisted its importance for a very long time despite your insistence that I should spend time watching Breaking Bad. After much bellyaching I caved and here we are. I agree that the same strengths used within the medium’s lack of constraints wind being a weakness in many cases. But I do love the way shows like The Wire explored the mechanizations within the Baltimore drug trade while managing to still be a compelling character study. It juggled so many characters so effortlessly. Likewise, Breaking Bad was a morality tale with an emphasis on the way this good intention gone wrong ruined an entire family. Deadwood is a fascinating amalgamation of historical fiction and, once again, rich characters entangled within its social structure. I understand the emptiness but I gotta question the notion that rewatchability is tantamount to worth. I will probably never revisit Shoah but that doesn’t make it any less a masterpiece. Again I find myself trying to define and quantify worth for the sake of justification. <br />brandohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03743515064617447728noreply@blogger.com