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May. 5th, 2005 07:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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littera_abactor: movie meme.
Total number of films that you own: Lord knows. Many of the movies I "own" are just taped off the telly. I've maybe 15 DVDs and a couple of bought VHS tapes.
The last film you bought: Barton Fink and Elizabeth, both for a friend's birthday (unfortunately because I like them both quite a lot!). For myself, I can't really remember. The last few DVDs I've gotten were presents.
The last film you watched at home: Men with Brooms, I believe, unless the due South pilot counts. MWB was totally different to what I expected. For one thing, I was expecting it to be pretty good, when it's actually quite mediocre. It aims to be about ten different things and switches between styles and narratives so chaotically it makes your head spin. Still, after watching it I feel I understand Paul Gross a hell of a lot better and can appreciate DS S3 a lot more (I used to resent it a little for being so different to S1&2).
Five films that mean a lot to you:littera_abactor talked about movies that taught her about movies and how to watch them; I don't think I have a level of self-awareness that allows me to do that (or maybe I just don't have the memory *g*) so these are just the movies that had a huge or formative impact on me, which means it's extrememly unlikely I'll keep it down to five.
1. Black Stallion: I never used to watch movies much as a kid--I was always more of a reader--but this was (and is) a perennial favourite, and I maintain that it's one of the best horse movies ever made. It's certainly one of the more formative movies of my life; for instance, having seen it before ever having read the book, I was always surprised at the left-hand turn it took halfway through, shifting the entire story to a totally different environment, giving the viewer as much of a sense of dislocation as Alec and the Black must have felt themselves; it was such a change from the type of plotting I was used to. It was also my first introduction to Alexander the Great mythology, my first introduction to a lifelong love of "wilderness survival" stories (which means that I can greatly enjoy the first Rambo movie, amongst other things), my first meaningful introduction to character death, influenced the way I thought about parent-child and mentor-mentored relationships, and solidified my views on the relationship between people and animals. The ship-sinking scenes still terrify me more than any horror movie and the final race scene is one of the best "underdog wins" sports moments ever. I also think it was partly responsible for my love of weird music; the soundtrack is one of my all-time favourites and is decidedly non-conventional. If you can't tell, I love this movie an incredible amount. I also think it's a superb movie, which does not always mean the same thing.
2. Sleeping Beauty/Robin Hood: I'm cheating by lumping these two Disney movies together, but they were two animated movies I used to watch a lot as a kid. The former I credit with helping to develop my aesthetic sensibilities (SB is so visually distinctive, and its softly angular style always drew (pun not intended) me) and helped instill a love of Tchaikovsky and classical music in general. Maleficent both repelled and intrigued me, I had a crush on the prince and princess (and I wanted his horse), the fairies were ever entertaining; SB is probably my favourite (traditionally animated) Disney movie. The latter I primarily like because it has good associations for me (I first saw it when visiting beloved relatives in the UK as a child) but also because it embodied for me a form of typically English jocularity that has always appealed. Lastly, both movies introduced me to a concept of feminine grace and dignity (in Aurora and Marian) that I find eternally attractive (Cate Blanchett being the lastest supreme example).
3. Pink Floyd's The Wall: this movie taught me about SYMBOLISM. There is a lot of SYMBOLISM in it, for instance, there is a wall at one point that is a SYMBOL for something. There is also a lot of MENTAL ANGUISH and some funny masks that SYMBOLISE the MENTAL ANGUISH, and there's this other part where BOB GELDOF shaves off his hair and nipples which MEANS or SYMBOLISES that he is NAKED and that WOMEN are EVIL.
/piss-taking
Actually, I first saw this quite young, and it did teach me that there are radically different ways to visually tell a story, and that sometimes you can blend them together to create something really powerful. The combination of Alan Parker and Gerald Scarfe is visual genius--think of that first long, slow pan up the hallway and into the hotel room, up over the burnt-out cigarette and Pink's empty face, or the way the dove melts into that fantastic (in the literal sense) and horrifying animation over "Goodbye Blue Sky". TW primed me for movies like A Clockwork Orange, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and Edward Scissorhands, all of which I love hugely. Not to mention the movie (and the album) had quite an impact on me politically, and were my first real introduction to mental illness (which would be a bit of a worry, I suppose, except for the fact that my other first real introductions to mental illness were Benny and Joon and Rainman. Or maybe that just compounds the worry).
4. Batman Returns and Stand By Me: Radically different movies, but actually very similar in the way they impacted upon my love of popular culture. Without having seen BR at a young age, I have to wonder whether I would ever have been as receptive to comics, and it is certainly almost wholly responsible for my obsession with Batman. It triggered a love of Danny DeVito which lead amongst other things to the repeated watching of Twins, and the advent of Catwoman probably lead to my first conscious questioning of my sexuality--and really, what straight woman and gay man didn't get a little twinge of doubt whenever she appeared on screen? ;-D BR also triggered my first fannish activities; I collected and treasured (still do treasure) the trading cards, and, although I've never actually done that since, I can see that it was all downhill from there. Finally, Tim Burton's aesthetic was deeply, deeply imprinted upon my fragile little mind.
Similarly, from SBM have arisen a lifelong admiration for River Pheonix and Kiefer Sutherland, and SBM was the first movie I saw where I went off later and created elaborate self-insertion fantasies, which, well, I'm sure we all know the end result there. SBM also solidified my love of Stephen King and 50s music, and gave me great insight into male friendships (from which I always wished I hadn't been excluded, because they talked about things that were so much cooler than my girl friends did). It also is, I think, one of the best movies to ever see if you want to learn about storytelling, or just revel in the art of it.
5. Monty Python and the Holy Grail: this is the first MP I ever saw, and remains my favourite thing they ever did. The genius of this movie is incomparable. It and MP in general were extremely formative in terms of my sense of humour, and I think greatly influenced the rather absurdist outlook I have on the world today.
6. Lord of the Rings: what can I say? These movies, and especially the first, turned me back, or forward, into a fan; or perhaps I should say they reinvented the fan I was. They drew me into, pushed me into, immersed me in, character and plot in a way I'd never experienced before. They taught and continue to teach me about the difference between books and movies. They taught and continue to teach me how to make a movie. They gave and continue to give my conception of beauty a whole new dimension. They caused me to re-read the books, which in turn has taught me a lot about writing. Together, the books and movies taught and have continued to teach me about fantasy and history and world-building and the true meaning of epic. I adore them.
7. Hard Core Logo: I find it difficult to describe how I feel about this movie; I ardently admire it for its performances and those combined with the script (which is not to say the script doesn't have its unsubtleties and contrivances) I think are the ultimate example of showing-not-telling in a movie, and every time I watch it I see something new that is actually significant and startling. I like the music and the theme of desperate, destructive, unreleasable love--of music, of a person, of the past--gets to me every time. Also, and I'm probably going to look pretty stupid saying this, it was the first fictional movie where I actually believed, for a few crucial seconds, that it was real--it pulled me in that deeply. I also love and am fascinated by the way it blends reality and fiction (I'm so POMO!!) and turns the filmmaker into a character that has impact on the events he is filming, and it's also full of a really nasty humour that I can't find anywhere else. Plus, CKR is just really, really hot. Like, scorching.
Which five people are you passing the baton to and why? Erm, I don't really like doing that, so I'll just that that I'm a big geek and subsequently I want to know what movies have deeply impacted you, as well. Please share!
littera_abactor: movie meme.Total number of films that you own: Lord knows. Many of the movies I "own" are just taped off the telly. I've maybe 15 DVDs and a couple of bought VHS tapes.
The last film you bought: Barton Fink and Elizabeth, both for a friend's birthday (unfortunately because I like them both quite a lot!). For myself, I can't really remember. The last few DVDs I've gotten were presents.
The last film you watched at home: Men with Brooms, I believe, unless the due South pilot counts. MWB was totally different to what I expected. For one thing, I was expecting it to be pretty good, when it's actually quite mediocre. It aims to be about ten different things and switches between styles and narratives so chaotically it makes your head spin. Still, after watching it I feel I understand Paul Gross a hell of a lot better and can appreciate DS S3 a lot more (I used to resent it a little for being so different to S1&2).
Five films that mean a lot to you:
littera_abactor talked about movies that taught her about movies and how to watch them; I don't think I have a level of self-awareness that allows me to do that (or maybe I just don't have the memory *g*) so these are just the movies that had a huge or formative impact on me, which means it's extrememly unlikely I'll keep it down to five.1. Black Stallion: I never used to watch movies much as a kid--I was always more of a reader--but this was (and is) a perennial favourite, and I maintain that it's one of the best horse movies ever made. It's certainly one of the more formative movies of my life; for instance, having seen it before ever having read the book, I was always surprised at the left-hand turn it took halfway through, shifting the entire story to a totally different environment, giving the viewer as much of a sense of dislocation as Alec and the Black must have felt themselves; it was such a change from the type of plotting I was used to. It was also my first introduction to Alexander the Great mythology, my first introduction to a lifelong love of "wilderness survival" stories (which means that I can greatly enjoy the first Rambo movie, amongst other things), my first meaningful introduction to character death, influenced the way I thought about parent-child and mentor-mentored relationships, and solidified my views on the relationship between people and animals. The ship-sinking scenes still terrify me more than any horror movie and the final race scene is one of the best "underdog wins" sports moments ever. I also think it was partly responsible for my love of weird music; the soundtrack is one of my all-time favourites and is decidedly non-conventional. If you can't tell, I love this movie an incredible amount. I also think it's a superb movie, which does not always mean the same thing.
2. Sleeping Beauty/Robin Hood: I'm cheating by lumping these two Disney movies together, but they were two animated movies I used to watch a lot as a kid. The former I credit with helping to develop my aesthetic sensibilities (SB is so visually distinctive, and its softly angular style always drew (pun not intended) me) and helped instill a love of Tchaikovsky and classical music in general. Maleficent both repelled and intrigued me, I had a crush on the prince and princess (and I wanted his horse), the fairies were ever entertaining; SB is probably my favourite (traditionally animated) Disney movie. The latter I primarily like because it has good associations for me (I first saw it when visiting beloved relatives in the UK as a child) but also because it embodied for me a form of typically English jocularity that has always appealed. Lastly, both movies introduced me to a concept of feminine grace and dignity (in Aurora and Marian) that I find eternally attractive (Cate Blanchett being the lastest supreme example).
3. Pink Floyd's The Wall: this movie taught me about SYMBOLISM. There is a lot of SYMBOLISM in it, for instance, there is a wall at one point that is a SYMBOL for something. There is also a lot of MENTAL ANGUISH and some funny masks that SYMBOLISE the MENTAL ANGUISH, and there's this other part where BOB GELDOF shaves off his hair and nipples which MEANS or SYMBOLISES that he is NAKED and that WOMEN are EVIL.
/piss-taking
Actually, I first saw this quite young, and it did teach me that there are radically different ways to visually tell a story, and that sometimes you can blend them together to create something really powerful. The combination of Alan Parker and Gerald Scarfe is visual genius--think of that first long, slow pan up the hallway and into the hotel room, up over the burnt-out cigarette and Pink's empty face, or the way the dove melts into that fantastic (in the literal sense) and horrifying animation over "Goodbye Blue Sky". TW primed me for movies like A Clockwork Orange, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and Edward Scissorhands, all of which I love hugely. Not to mention the movie (and the album) had quite an impact on me politically, and were my first real introduction to mental illness (which would be a bit of a worry, I suppose, except for the fact that my other first real introductions to mental illness were Benny and Joon and Rainman. Or maybe that just compounds the worry).
4. Batman Returns and Stand By Me: Radically different movies, but actually very similar in the way they impacted upon my love of popular culture. Without having seen BR at a young age, I have to wonder whether I would ever have been as receptive to comics, and it is certainly almost wholly responsible for my obsession with Batman. It triggered a love of Danny DeVito which lead amongst other things to the repeated watching of Twins, and the advent of Catwoman probably lead to my first conscious questioning of my sexuality--and really, what straight woman and gay man didn't get a little twinge of doubt whenever she appeared on screen? ;-D BR also triggered my first fannish activities; I collected and treasured (still do treasure) the trading cards, and, although I've never actually done that since, I can see that it was all downhill from there. Finally, Tim Burton's aesthetic was deeply, deeply imprinted upon my fragile little mind.
Similarly, from SBM have arisen a lifelong admiration for River Pheonix and Kiefer Sutherland, and SBM was the first movie I saw where I went off later and created elaborate self-insertion fantasies, which, well, I'm sure we all know the end result there. SBM also solidified my love of Stephen King and 50s music, and gave me great insight into male friendships (from which I always wished I hadn't been excluded, because they talked about things that were so much cooler than my girl friends did). It also is, I think, one of the best movies to ever see if you want to learn about storytelling, or just revel in the art of it.
5. Monty Python and the Holy Grail: this is the first MP I ever saw, and remains my favourite thing they ever did. The genius of this movie is incomparable. It and MP in general were extremely formative in terms of my sense of humour, and I think greatly influenced the rather absurdist outlook I have on the world today.
6. Lord of the Rings: what can I say? These movies, and especially the first, turned me back, or forward, into a fan; or perhaps I should say they reinvented the fan I was. They drew me into, pushed me into, immersed me in, character and plot in a way I'd never experienced before. They taught and continue to teach me about the difference between books and movies. They taught and continue to teach me how to make a movie. They gave and continue to give my conception of beauty a whole new dimension. They caused me to re-read the books, which in turn has taught me a lot about writing. Together, the books and movies taught and have continued to teach me about fantasy and history and world-building and the true meaning of epic. I adore them.
7. Hard Core Logo: I find it difficult to describe how I feel about this movie; I ardently admire it for its performances and those combined with the script (which is not to say the script doesn't have its unsubtleties and contrivances) I think are the ultimate example of showing-not-telling in a movie, and every time I watch it I see something new that is actually significant and startling. I like the music and the theme of desperate, destructive, unreleasable love--of music, of a person, of the past--gets to me every time. Also, and I'm probably going to look pretty stupid saying this, it was the first fictional movie where I actually believed, for a few crucial seconds, that it was real--it pulled me in that deeply. I also love and am fascinated by the way it blends reality and fiction (I'm so POMO!!) and turns the filmmaker into a character that has impact on the events he is filming, and it's also full of a really nasty humour that I can't find anywhere else. Plus, CKR is just really, really hot. Like, scorching.
Which five people are you passing the baton to and why? Erm, I don't really like doing that, so I'll just that that I'm a big geek and subsequently I want to know what movies have deeply impacted you, as well. Please share!
no subject
Date: 2005-05-05 02:05 pm (UTC)(she also, when seeing a Culture Club clip for the first time ranted on about how someone should take that girl & make her brush her hair properly lol)
no subject
Date: 2005-05-05 02:08 pm (UTC)Comment spam!
Date: 2005-05-06 12:42 am (UTC)Finally! Another rational (ie. fannish) person who enjoys First Blood. Read the book sometime, it's worth it.
I also think it's a superb movie, which does not always mean the same thing.
I hear THAT. There are a number of movies I adore which have little or no redeeming features in a deeply artistic/thematic/whatever sense. The two are not at all the same thing, though they do happily coincide sometimes.
I find your choice of influential movies very interesting. Have seen HCL, SBM, BR and LOTR (natch), and I totally agree with you on those points (btw, if you get the chance you should read Hard Core Roadshow, because that will totally fuck with your head even more).
I also agree with you on MWB; I was highly disappointed with that because it's presented as a "star vehicle" for Paul Gross, and it fails on that count. Would have been much more successful as a mild and quirky Canadian flick, IMHO.
And now I realise I need to find someone willing to educate me in all things Python, since I was deprived of it in my formative years. My parents did not approve of John Cleese for some strange reason.
Re: Comment spam!
Date: 2005-05-06 07:44 am (UTC)I'm dying to read both Roadshow and the original HCL book, they're both on my (rather long) "when I have enough money" list (there should totally be a library version of Netflix). I understand that Roadshow is the diary of the producer or scriptwriter, right? How is it head-fucky?
As for MWB, you're totally right. PG was all over the place in the script and the directing; trying to do WAY too much at once, methinks. Leave it to PJ, Paul! We still love you.
I was deprived of it in my formative years
Wow, I think that legally counts as abuse in some American
geek universitiesstates. Hie thee to a video store! And grab a copy of Fawlty Towers while you're there *g* It's the best thing Cleese has done outside of MP and it's one of the best British sitcoms ever.Re: Comment spam!
Date: 2005-05-06 10:13 am (UTC)Yes indeedy. It's not terribly deep, mind you, but it gets inside Rambo's head and there's not as much empty space in there as you might think.
I'm dying to read both Roadshow and the original HCL book, they're both on my (rather long) "when I have enough money" list (there should totally be a library version of Netflix). I understand that Roadshow is the diary of the producer or scriptwriter, right? How is it head-fucky?
I gather the original book is more a fictional "collection" of notes and diary entries and such and reads a bit thin, so I'll give that a miss. Roadshow is Noel Baker's diary of the filming process from when he wrote the screenplay to when the film premiered, and it's tres interesting. There were lots of little tensions and things on set and in the production arena, some of which have been taken waaaaaaaaaay out of context by some of the more rabid Saint Callum fans. And there are some ve-ry interesting insights into Callum and Hugh's relationship.
As for MWB, you're totally right. PG was all over the place in the script and the directing; trying to do WAY too much at once, methinks. Leave it to PJ, Paul! We still love you.
God, yes. I mean, I will always have a soft spot for PG (and for certain parts of his anatomy) but really, he needs to be managed rather firmly. (Ooh, Paul's a sub. Heh.) I'm sort of curious to see Wilby Wonderful to see if he's changed, but ... not quite curious enough to pay for it.
Wow, I think that legally counts as abuse in some American
geek universitiesstates. Hie thee to a video store! And grab a copy of Fawlty Towers while you're there *g* It's the best thing Cleese has done outside of MP and it's one of the best British sitcoms ever.Ah, now I've seen a wee bit of FT, and I do like that. I keep meaning to buy the boxset, actually. The thing with MP is, you really have to watch it in company, and everyone I know has seen it all to death so it's hard to find a willing participant!
Re: Comment spam!
Date: 2005-05-06 01:16 pm (UTC)really, he needs to be managed rather firmly
Heeheehee! I have this image of Paul being bossed around by a schoolmarmy type with an apron and a wagging finger.
I'm very eager to see WW, myself; it's got (gay!) CKR, Paul the eternally Pretty, Sandra Oh, and Dan MacIvor (whom I've just discovered), and seeing as Paul doesn't have his finger in every pie this time one hopes it's more coherent.
Re: Comment spam!
Date: 2005-05-07 07:09 am (UTC)Wow, so CKR finally came out of the closet? On film, at least?
Re: Comment spam!
Date: 2005-05-07 10:07 am (UTC)Re: Comment spam!
Date: 2005-05-07 10:08 am (UTC)