On the silver screen.

[rogueslayer452]

Taken from author_by_night who got it from thefridayfive:

01. Have you ever had a movie both totally captivate and complete confuse you?
Absolutely, those tend to be some of my favorites. I like films that don't automatically make sense when watching them but still capture my interest, because it's guaranteed a rewatch, or several rewatches, to try and understand what is happening. Confusing isn't necessarily a bad thing, it just means that there are some movies you cannot take at face value. Sometimes the more captivating and confusing something is the more fun to dissect and figure out what the fuck is going on. From The Lobster, Suicide Club (most Asian and foreign cinema, for that matter), to any work by Jan Švankmajer, these are just some of the confusingly captivating things I end up being fascinated by and are among my favorites.

02. When watching a movie, do you prefer things all laid out or to have to 'hunt for your own clues' along the way?
It honestly depends on the genre of film and the type of storytelling they're doing, since every film does this differently to convey the message and meaning. Personally, I like films that don't explain everything that is going on and instead allows the audience to kind of figure out the puzzle as the story goes along, which if directed and written well it can be quite a treat especially upon rewatches where you're looking for those hidden clues or things you might've missed the first time watching. It makes it more fun that way, and I like things that make me think or look at the story from a different perspective. In general though, I do wish more movies wouldn't rely so much on pointless exposition and explaining every little thing. American films do this a lot these days, particularly with info-dumping, and it's not only super annoying it's also incredibly insulting to the audience by treating us as dumb. To be fair, sometimes audiences can be rather dense and will watch something that goes completely over their heads and they complain endlessly about "not getting it", so perhaps it's something that was learned overtime, plus other issues within the industry.

03. Do you want an ultimate ending to your movie or do you prefer to have it open for conjecture and discussion?
Again, this depends on the type of film and the story they intended to tell. Certain films I prefer there being an ultimate ending to give that sense of completion, but others I like there being open for discussion on what happened, what the meaning was, etc. I like both, but it depends on my mood and what I'm in for. Sometimes I'm all for watching something that is open for interpretation while other times I just want a nice story that has a completed beginning/middle/end kind of story. The only open endings I don't like are the ones that are clearly meant to be a sequel hook setup, since that seems to be a common trend these days that any movie will most likely get a sequel or franchise deal and that is just as overdone as the whole remake/reboot trend. Some movies with open endings work better just as stand-alones, thank you very much.

04. Do you talk during a movie (preferably one in your home, not in the theater)?
If I'm alone, I most likely don't except to make the occasional exclamation here and there of what is happening on the screen. If I'm watching with someone else, however, there will more of a chance that there will be some talking or discussion happening, or even some MSTing when it's something we're rewatching. For the theater, there is absolutely no talking during a movie.

05. Have you ever seen a blockbuster movie and not get what was so great about it?
Oh, definitely. I can't recall most but I've definitely seen a fair share of blockbusters or even movies that have been praised as a "classic" and just not understand the big deal about them. But then again, it's just all about personal taste and preferences. I guarantee if anyone looks at my movie collection most will be puzzled at the things I like, lol.

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/_profiterole_/]

To be fair, sometimes audiences can be rather dense and will watch something that goes completely over their heads and they complain endlessly about "not getting it", so perhaps it's something that was learned overtime, plus other issues within the industry.

You probably have a point there. I was surprised when I finally saw Inception because I had seen people post graphs explaining the different layers and that wasn't hard to follow in the actual movie. The ending was open for discussion, sure, but the rest was clear. But again, someone once told me that she hadn't understood the first Matrix movie, and what is even hard to understand in this movie, I have no idea?

[malicat.livejournal.com]

If she didn't understand the first Matrix movie then I don't wanna know how she felt about the second one lol. That one was definitely hella confusing!

[http://users.livejournal.com/_profiterole_/]

That was a long time ago, but I'm pretty sure she didn't go beyond the first one.

[malicat.livejournal.com]

I totally agree about The Lobster. The whole time I was thinking "WTF am I watching???" but I loved it anyway :D

[malicat.livejournal.com]

I wish I could say the same :P

[http://users.livejournal.com/_profiterole_/]

Well, I'm one of the only people who liked the second one. But damn, what the hell was the third one? ;___;

[malicat.livejournal.com]

Yeaaaah,the third one was trash too. Like,when Trinity died and it took for-fucking-EVER I actually laughed my ass off even tho she was my favorite character. I couldn't take anything from that movie serious lol

[awakenyourfaith.livejournal.com]

Personally, I like films that don't explain everything that is going on and instead allows the audience to kind of figure out the puzzle as the story goes along, which if directed and written well it can be quite a treat especially upon rewatches where you're looking for those hidden clues or things you might've missed the first time watching. - I agree. Depending on the genre of course, the movie shouldn't hold the audiences' hand, and trust that they would be able to, if not understand the story straight away, be able to look for clues and cite them. On the other hand, if the audience has to be told via an interview with the director or a DVD commentary about a bit of quote unquote "symbolism!!!", it obfuscates the audience's enjoyment of the film.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

Even the concept of the plot is so outlandish just from a mere description, just imagine telling people what the movie is about. It's kind of impossible because no matter how much you try to summarize it it'll leave people so confused. Of course I've learned that confusing and unusual is a common theme with Yorgos Lanthimos films. The Lobster is a strange film but I liked it a whole lot, and I'm planning on seeing The Killing of a Sacred Deer when it comes out as well.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

On one hand, I don't automatically judge someone who doesn't quite understand something immediately, because people process information at different levels. What I comprehend may not be what another person does, and it might take a few more rewatches before it clicks. Even with movies like Inception and The Matrix where it is explained what is happening, sometimes the concept can seem too complex for someone to wrap their mind around at first so it may take a while before it does.

But I do think there is a correlation between people who loudly proclaim how they didn't understand a movie and openly dismiss it when they didn't even bother to try to after their first watch and the industry taking the safe routes of making films. Not everything has to be deep and thought-provoking, but there seems to be a lot of movies lately that follow a particular simple formula to make it easier for audiences to understand by info-dumping or explaining everything to us like we're children, which seems rather condescending even in movies that I end up enjoying. Perhaps it's faster and cheaper to write and produce than telling a cohesive and compelling story, idk.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_profiterole_/]

I think the use of a simple formula goes with the reboot/sequel/prequel trend. I expect very little from blockbusters these days. I still watch a bunch of them, but this year, I didn't go to the movies as much as I used to.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

I haven't been going to the theaters much in recent years myself for this very reason. I'll still watch some blockbusters and they may be enjoyable, no doubt, but that formulaic predictability is something that one cannot ignore and it does get rather tiresome. Blockbusters, Oscar-bait films, basically the entire film industry in general is kind of slacking.