I Should Like This More, But...

[KnoxHarrington]

There are artistic works -- movies, books, albums, TV shows, whatever -- that I find I appreciate on a sort of intellectual level, and I see their brilliance, but they ultimately leave me cold in some way. That is, that emotional connection is not made.

The movie that inspired this thread is on HBO now: "Brazil." I mean, I look at it, and I say, "You know, this really is a great movie." It's smart, with plenty of brilliant insights about the direction that society is going. Visually, it's stunning. But...I dunno. I just don't enjoy watching it. In fact, I turned it off a few minutes ago, because I wasn't feeling it. I was distracted by other things.

I don't know why this is. It's just the way it is.

Do you have similar things yourself?

[LaBoob]

Sometimes when things are really cerebral it's WORK to watch/listen to/read them. Sometimes your brain just needs a break from learning.

[drjoek]

Im almost ashamed to admit it but alot of the movies that Ronnie B raves about I feel that same way about. Ok Im supposed to be impressed and think they're great but I find myself going "Meh"
Woody Allen stuff, Wes Anderson stuff.
I think Im fairly literate and watch most every movie that comes out but many of these don't do it for me. Im not a lowbrow guy but Im also not a big time movie snob either


Oh and Brazil is unwatchable no matter what anyone says.

[Ritalin]

You don't like Brazil?

Crazy talk.

[fezident]

Move over boys, I'LL settle this.
I love Gilliam but never saw BRAZIL. Always wanted to but, just never got around to it.
I recorded it the other night and I'm just now gonna watch it for the first time.

[Mullenax]

There are visuals in Brazil that are breathtakingly surreal, but the rest of it I can never get invested in. I think it would be the best movie ever if it were cut down to 30 minutes.

[antifaith]

I actually watched a Bergman film, Wild Strawberries, that was on TCM earlier. The fact that I was able to sit thru it without feeling like I wanted to pluck out my own eyesballs mighta been cheating on my part as I always feel compassion for older people.

I remember Brazil being perhaps the only film of its genre that I was able to not only tolerate but have some appreciation for. I'm not sure I'd feel the same way now tho (it might be too dated). I am able to recall what the office looked like so perhaps a couple of the sets made an impression on me.

[Slumbag]

Not sure if I got the name correct, but Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job.
A bunch of my favorite comedians have been on it, and rave about it, but it's not good. It's fucking stupid. I get that it's supposed to be stupid, but it's not even funny stupid. It's just dumb. But I read about comic greats thinking it's brilliant, and I'm like "What the fuck? What am I missing"?

[danner1515]

Not sure if I got the name correct, but Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job.
A bunch of my favorite comedians have been on it, and rave about it, but it's not good. It's fucking stupid. I get that it's supposed to be stupid, but it's not even funny stupid. It's just dumb. But I read about comic greats thinking it's brilliant, and I'm like "What the fuck? What am I missing"?

Yeah, I don't get it either, but I didn't care for Tom Goes to the Mayor either. I find a lot of Cartoon Network's programming pretty unwatchable these days.

It wasn't until my third or so viewing of Brazil that it really came around to liking it.

As for artsy films, I just watched Jean-Luc Godard's Contempt last week and really didn't get into it at all. Really nice cinematography, but I constantly found myself checking to see how much time was left in the movie.

[DonInNC]

The Great Gatsby - I enjoyed it when I read it, but I never felt like it was anything more than a really good book.

[Furtherman]

I remember Brazil being perhaps the only film of its genre that I was able to not only tolerate but have some appreciation for. I'm not sure I'd feel the same way now tho (it might be too dated).

That is where you are mistaken. The movie was years beyond it's time. Watching it now, you'll be shocked how close we actually are to the future depicted in the film. It's not in a good way.

[ahhdurr]

I started reading Pulitzer Prize winning novels. Just at random.

While some have become my absolute favorite books ever (Caine Mutiny - Wouk and the two Rabbit novels by Updike)

Some... wtf? What was the criteria and who made this decision?

In particular: The Known World - Jones seemed to be "Hey a well-written novel about slavery ... put it in" but I cant get out of the first few chapters.

A Summons to Memphis : quirky well-written but not astounding ... and that's not to say I didn't really enjoy some of the quirkier stuff I read - esp. things that wove history into the story, which I think is part of the criteria for Pulitzer for Ficiton. Namely American Pastoral -Roth and The Fixer - Malmud (which I didn't think I'd like based on the description but love)


Yeah - I'd suggest to anyone if they're looking for great reads - just check out that list at random, but it amazes me that some of those titles are so epic and others are like - meh.