Friday, May 05, 2006
A clarification
I think my previous post might lead some to believe I have nothing but contempt for "Kill Bill" and the Coen Brothers, when in fact I had a great time watching the former and I have mostly great times watching the latter (especially "The Big Lebowski," especially not "The Ladykillers"). The point of my sentence, I think, was that a lot of people who love film seem to think Tarantino and the Coens are the absolute pinnacle of human achievement, while I think they are a hell of a lot of fun, but far from the top of the heap. I don't want to write them off as "entertainment," a word and definition I hate intensely (I prefer the word pleasure), but Tarantino and the Coens both seem genuinely afraid of real human experience, while my absolute favorites (I think I mentioned Cassavetes, Bresson, and Tarkovsky in particular) are absolutely fearless in their exploration of what it means to be a living human being and their works are far richer than Tarantino, etc., but nobody gives a flying fuck. If they do care, they usually grossly misread the films to fit whatever sociopolitical interpretation is fashionable this Wednesday. To me, art is at its best when the holy trinity of brain, groin, and stomach are simultaneously engaged, but I'm not some humorless intellectual who can't appreciate a good time. Tarantino and the Coens supply good times, and good times are important. There's just a whole lot more out there to discover if you spend a little time looking. I'm going to put my soapbox away now and drink some beer. Goodnight, everybody.
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4 comments:
Yes, yes. I just watched The Wife. Tom Noonan's films are amazing. I saw What Happened Was many years ago, or so it seems. I thought it one of the keenest, bravest, and truest movies I'd seen. You wrote a while back about movies that make the viewer uncomfortable, which is something I think about a great deal. I just think that there is so much more of the human experience to be explored and that most movies just touch the surface of the most obvious and commercially viable human experiences--sex and violence mostly-- and not with much depth.
This doesn't have anything to do with the Coen brothers. I've really loved reading this blog. You are my film watching conscience.
Ok, don't post when you're stoned. "just touch the surface of the most obvious and commercially viable human experiences--sext and violence mostly--and not with much depth." Duh. Doh.
This is a very belated response, so I don't know if you'll see this, but I'm glad you're reading, Lynell. Sometimes I think I'm a broken record, making my two or three points over and over, but it's nice to know some people are reading it.
That last post was me, Mr. Film Watching Robot, but blogger is acting up and I had to use my sign-in name to post.
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