I've been watching your videos for a long time, and this article of yours was percolating in my mind so long that it was eventually a big part of why I started my current series on here - "How to Watch a Movie". Thanks for inspiring me to get started on this writing journey!
Been starting my own journey to understand film more partially inspired by your work. Really appreciate this post.
I've been reading more critique over the last few years to help build up my language for talking about TV/Movies and what to look for in them. I typically turn to AV Club or NYT. What are other good places to go for critique?
Hello, I just discovered you even though I think I must have watched some of your YT videos. Thank you so much for your texts. However, if it is true that people are more likely to express their disagreement than the agreement, here I am to raise some objections:)
First of all, I really agree with your differentiation between enjoyment and appreciation. I am not a big fan of extremely disturbing movies and I don't feel like spending much time with them but if I am "forced" (read "convinced" by friends as I am always down for a movie) to watch, say, Lynch or Lanthimos, I can still appreciate what they do but I typically don't enjoy the movies at all.
The opposite is harder achieve, but I can say that I did enjoy some series (I really avoid watching series but sometimes it's a thing you do in the evening at home with your cohabitants) but I typically don't appreciate them all that much. However, if I consider a film/series very bad, I can't even enjoy it because I get super irritated by it. Sometimes it's three minutes in and I know I have to leave. Because of the camera, editing, repetition of what we already heard three times and seen twice, etc.
I know you can watch films twice (or five times) and I actually like to do it but sometimes you can't - there is no other opportunity or you don't quite have the time. And that's when - after having left the cinema and while listening to my music-nerd friend praising the soundtrack - I get sad that I wasn't paying attention to music enough. Or someone else says "wow, that single take was insane!" and I am sad that I actually got immersed in the story too much to notice that. So ... no, most of the time, I don't want to get immersed too much. Or not in the story, anyway. I like to think about the film citations, its position in a given genre, and all ways it breaks conventions - be it about narrative, characters, acting styles (including bad acting), editing, camera, or even lighting (I am obsessed about lens flares).
In the past, I even read about the film a lot before even watching it myself. Now I trust my own viewing enough to leave it "unspoiled" for me (this is not about the plot - I don't care about "spoilers" because if a spoiler spoils the film, it's not quite worth watching for me in the first place).
And yes, I love watching films multiple times because the primary enjoyment (the plot, how I personally relate to the characters etc.) doesn't distract me from appreciation and - which is to one of your points - I can appreciate it better based on its own expectations as opposed to my own.
Really well said. Reminded me of a clip I saw of Orson Welles saying not to drown yourself in film. The more you watch, the more preconceptions you have when going into a film. Whether or not there’s merit to that statement, I think it’s the same vein of what you said: keep your relationship with the thing you’re trying to appreciate healthy.
amazing stuff, as someone who’s just recently decided to write and look at films with a critical thinking mindset, this is an amazing read. it’s was truly helpful reading through this.
Thank you Thomas flight! Loved this man
I've been watching your videos for a long time, and this article of yours was percolating in my mind so long that it was eventually a big part of why I started my current series on here - "How to Watch a Movie". Thanks for inspiring me to get started on this writing journey!
Been starting my own journey to understand film more partially inspired by your work. Really appreciate this post.
I've been reading more critique over the last few years to help build up my language for talking about TV/Movies and what to look for in them. I typically turn to AV Club or NYT. What are other good places to go for critique?
Hello, I just discovered you even though I think I must have watched some of your YT videos. Thank you so much for your texts. However, if it is true that people are more likely to express their disagreement than the agreement, here I am to raise some objections:)
First of all, I really agree with your differentiation between enjoyment and appreciation. I am not a big fan of extremely disturbing movies and I don't feel like spending much time with them but if I am "forced" (read "convinced" by friends as I am always down for a movie) to watch, say, Lynch or Lanthimos, I can still appreciate what they do but I typically don't enjoy the movies at all.
The opposite is harder achieve, but I can say that I did enjoy some series (I really avoid watching series but sometimes it's a thing you do in the evening at home with your cohabitants) but I typically don't appreciate them all that much. However, if I consider a film/series very bad, I can't even enjoy it because I get super irritated by it. Sometimes it's three minutes in and I know I have to leave. Because of the camera, editing, repetition of what we already heard three times and seen twice, etc.
I know you can watch films twice (or five times) and I actually like to do it but sometimes you can't - there is no other opportunity or you don't quite have the time. And that's when - after having left the cinema and while listening to my music-nerd friend praising the soundtrack - I get sad that I wasn't paying attention to music enough. Or someone else says "wow, that single take was insane!" and I am sad that I actually got immersed in the story too much to notice that. So ... no, most of the time, I don't want to get immersed too much. Or not in the story, anyway. I like to think about the film citations, its position in a given genre, and all ways it breaks conventions - be it about narrative, characters, acting styles (including bad acting), editing, camera, or even lighting (I am obsessed about lens flares).
In the past, I even read about the film a lot before even watching it myself. Now I trust my own viewing enough to leave it "unspoiled" for me (this is not about the plot - I don't care about "spoilers" because if a spoiler spoils the film, it's not quite worth watching for me in the first place).
And yes, I love watching films multiple times because the primary enjoyment (the plot, how I personally relate to the characters etc.) doesn't distract me from appreciation and - which is to one of your points - I can appreciate it better based on its own expectations as opposed to my own.
Really well said. Reminded me of a clip I saw of Orson Welles saying not to drown yourself in film. The more you watch, the more preconceptions you have when going into a film. Whether or not there’s merit to that statement, I think it’s the same vein of what you said: keep your relationship with the thing you’re trying to appreciate healthy.
I keep a movie journal, and that really helps me.
amazing stuff, as someone who’s just recently decided to write and look at films with a critical thinking mindset, this is an amazing read. it’s was truly helpful reading through this.