The "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore!" thread

[Quintus 5,391]

I'm sick and tired of trendy movies being promoted and hyped to within an inch of their lives on the tv and on the radio to the point where I just wish they'd all just f**k off and STFU about it for five bleedin' minutes. Please.

Last year we had The King's Speech rammed down our throats (I'll never watch that film) and this year it's all about The f**king Artist.

The Artist this, The Artist that, it's stunning, it's mesmerising, it's amazing, blah blah blah... It's on every bloody channel on the tv, the radio stations are drilling it into my ear, you MUST see this film. Seriously, the amount of propaganda this film is getting makes me think Simon Cowell has shares in the friggin' thing.

If a member of my family tells me to go see this fantastic film they just saw called The Artist I'll otracise them.

[Thor 5,273]

I'm not as 'angry' as you, but I do think THE ARTIST is a mediocre film that is over-hyped. Don't get me wrong, the pastiche aspect is really impressive and well-done (and at times even a bit complex), but the story itself is incredibly boring. So I think lots of people have read more quality into this film than it actually has, because of the 'novelty' aspect.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,765]

I watched The King's Speech completely forgetting the Oscars it won and the hype it got. I was pretty engrossed by the acting and the dialogue and almost distracted by the fact that Helena Bumcrack Carter was playing a relatively normal role for once. Minus the media circus, good film.

I just want to see The Artist for the dog.

[Brónach 490]

I'll probably see The Artist. I genuinely wanted to see it before all this "oooh! The Artist! oooh!" which puts me off. Given that I have around 40 films from last year ahead of me to see, and that I don't know what I will be able to see at the cinema or be able to download, I don't know if I'll actually end up seeing it.

But I'm going to say... they don't have the balls to make a silent film that isn't a pastiche of silent films, or an hommage, or whatever. A silent film that isn't 4:3, or has scratches on purpose... or a silent film that isn't in black and white... That's what would actually surprise me.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,251]

The iPad this, The iPad that, it's stunning, it's mesmerising, it's amazing, blah blah blah... It's on every bloody channel on the tv, the radio stations are drilling it into my ear, you MUST buy this tablet. Seriously, the amount of propaganda this gadget is getting makes me think Simon Cowell has shares in the friggin' thing.

[Quintus 5,391]

Indeed!

By the way, Thor, I'm not actually angry at The Artist. I was just setting the tone of the thread

[filmmusic 925]

Well, I don't let overhype over a film upset me or affect me. If I like it I like it, if I don't I don't.

For the record, I liked King's Speech a lot.

I haven't seen the Artist yet but it's in my to watch-list these days.

I've started watching all the Oscar nominanted films so that I will have an opinion when I watch the Oscars.

I've seen Tree of Life at the cinema, I watched yesterday the Descendants which I liked (well, wasn't thrilled about it, but it's a generally good film), and today I'll watch Albert Nobbs for Close's performance.

But generally i think is better to see a film before all this rumble about it, because then you have your hopes high and may be dissapointed.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,251]

Game Of Thrones this, Game Of Thrones that, it's stunning, it's mesmerising, it's amazing, blah blah blah... It's on every bloody channel on the tv, the radio stations are drilling it into my ear, you MUST see this tv show. Seriously, the amount of propaganda this show is getting makes me think Simon Cowell has shares in the friggin' thing.

[Brónach 490]

But generally i think is better to see a film before all this rumble about it, because then you have your hopes high and may be dissapointed.

I agree. The first time I saw most of my favourite films I had no idea about them.

[Thor 5,273]

I'll probably see The Artist. I genuinely wanted to see it before all this "oooh! The Artist! oooh!" which puts me off. Given that I have around 40 films from last year ahead of me to see, and that I don't know what I will be able to see at the cinema or be able to download, I don't know if I'll actually end up seeing it.

But I'm going to say... they don't have the balls to make a silent film that isn't a pastiche of silent films, or an hommage, or whatever. A silent film that isn't 4:3, or has scratches on purpose... or a silent film that isn't in black and white... That's what would actually surprise me.

Well, it actually isn't a straighforward pastiche. There are several self-conscious elements throughout -- like a girl showing the middle finger to Valentin, the whole dream sequence where sounds seep through, the multiple fiction layers, the dissonance between what we can see they say and what the intertitle says (like when Goodman clearly shouts 'fuck off!', but the title shows something far more benign). Stuff like that. On that level, the film is very interesting and innovative.

It's just that the main intrigue is so uninteresting. I couldn't give a toss about the central relationship between Valentin and Peppy, for example. And the 'climax' of the film is really a gigantic anti-climax.

[Quintus 5,391]

Oi! Stop that!

[AC1 3,565]

I'm sick and tired of men spitting on the pavement. It disgusts me.

[Brónach 490]

I'm sick and tired of men spitting on the pavement. It disgusts me.

Oh, it's an honorable greeting!

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,251]

I have been spat on by girls in Ubeda....

[Quintus 5,391]

I'm sick and tired of men spitting on the pavement. It disgusts me.

It certainly is, but what else should they do, swallow? One needs only to be discreet about such unwelcome bodily functions.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,251]

Men should spit...girls should swallow...

[Thor 5,273]

Wow, what a turn of discussion....

[Jay 27,216]

This is why I have a DVR. I don't see commercials for things

[crocodile 6,294]

I don't watch television at all. Everything that I need can be found on official websites. Haven't got enough patience for relentless commercial breaks.

Karol

[Koray Savas 2,095]

The only TV I watch is the Travel Channel. Everything else I enjoy on home video at my own pace.

I saw the trailer for The Artist on Apple when it first came out, before anyone saw it and all the hype started. It generally looked good and piqued my interest. Honestly a lot of the praise has put me off of it a bit, but I'll eventually see it.

[Trent B 317]

The iPad this, The iPad that, it's stunning, it's mesmerising, it's amazing, blah blah blah... It's on every bloody channel on the tv, the radio stations are drilling it into my ear, you MUST buy this tablet. Seriously, the amount of propaganda this gadget is getting makes me think Simon Cowell has shares in the friggin' thing.

I agree too that has always been annoying. I'm not gonna waste $500 on a tablet like that. Hell I'd rather spend $500 on a new laptop or buy parts for my new computer I'm gonna build this year.

I also hate when I have some computer related issue that people say, "Buy A Mac!". Uh, sorry but Mac's aren't for everyone. Plus I'm not gonna pay over $1,000 for a laptop like that. Hell for how much a iMac or a Macbook Pro costs I could build me two custom computers that would be better, bigger (hard drive space) and faster than a Mac. If also want to upgrade parts on the custom built PC I can. Where as with a Mac you're pretty limited on what you can upgrade.

I really bugs the shit out of me when ever some says "Buy A Mac!" to me. Every time someone does I feel like pounding their face in. Mac's aren't the solution to every fucking problem.

Grant I do have an iPhone and an iPod Touch and those are the extent of what I'll be buying from Apple.

Edit: I too don't really watch much TV. The only time I do is for Ghost Hunters (Wednesday nights) and when Ghost Adventures comes back on (in March) I'll be watching that too.

[indy4 152]

When I saw the Artist, I was more engaged emotionally than I have been in a movie theatre for a long time. It truly is a fantastic film, and it creatively uses the whole "gimmick." I actually prefer the film over War Horse, though just slightly. You should see it, Quint.

[scallenger 374]

I just saw The Artist last night actually. All I knew about the film was that it was a silent film, was set in the 20's silent film era (hey, not all silent films are! lol), and had listened to it's score (which I thought was really good). Other than that I knew nothing about the story, and really only heard about it when the nominations came out. I guess it pays to never watch TV to see ads all the time for it, since I never saw a trailer or Oscar promo ad. I guess it helped going into this movie cold because I didn't know what to expect at all and really loved it. However, it certainly will not be a film for everyone since it is, indeed, silent (except the score of course) which is not everyone's cup of tea nowadays even for film score fans at this forum. It's really a movie about movies deep down, kind of in the way Hugo was, except this one is even more authentic, even though it is about entirely fictional characters and situations. If you aren't into silent films at all, you will probably find this story boring. If you are kind of into silent films, you may also still find this film boring. It's definitely made for a specific audience, so I can understand why many won't get the hype. But for the kind of film it is, it was certainly done incredibly well and I was surprised how caught up in it I got. Even I wasn't sure if I was really going to like it or not in the first 15 minutes or so, since I didn't know what kind of story it was really going to tell, but the dramatic turns the story took and the great characters really blossomed into a great story that is simple enough to be told with silent film but timeless enough in the struggles the characters go through to be able to possibly relate and be engaged. Thats how all the best silent films worked. This one had just a little bit of everything thrown into the mix, to boot.

I get why some people get annoyed during Oscar time for praise of certain films. I admit perhaps this film is blown a little out of proportion. However, compared to something like last years The King's Speech, this one is a lot more deserving of the "annoying praise". King's Speech was a good film, but I honestly didn't see what was so great or different about it compared to a lot of other films that came out that year. This however is actually a unique experience to actually just go see in the theater. When was the last time you went and saw a silent film in a movie theater? Ever? Unless you have attended a special screening of one in recent years (Like when Metropolis was being put on BluRay last year, which was really fun to see in a theater), you most likely haven't and don't know what it is like. It's a different kind of experience, especially if you see it with a good audience. I actually went and saw it alone, not wanting to bring any of my friends who obviously wouldn't "get it" and didn't want them talking or making dumb comments throughout. I was by far the youngest person in the theater, lol. I thought it might have been almost empty but it had to have been half the theater full at least. They all really seemed into it, laughed at the appropriate moments, etc. It was something I wasn't used to, even when I saw Metropolis since that was an almost entirely empty theater because it was a limited screening with not too much word of mouth. This was really different, and it was probably the most unique theater-going experience I've had in some time. After I left, I said, "wow, I just saw a NEW silent movie." It was a strange feeling, lol.

It really shouldn't have been as good as it was. But it is. But most likely only if you are a fan of cinema. I just find it lovely how two different films with a strong emphasis on silent films came out so close to each other, and were both great in very different ways. If you liked Hugo then, you will probably like this film. Or if you are just in the mood for something more old fashioned that will literally be a breath of fresh air in most of today's action films, or even art films for that matter.

And yes, the dog was adorable.

[Sergeant 1,093]

I have nothing against silent film. Especially from that era. When its made in modern times it easily tastes fake and "artsy"

The annoying hype doesn't help at all.

And the music I have heard certainly fit the images but I always needed something more(like in POA that Rossini pastiche, you must wait

until the second last chord and the treat is there) this music is just too obvious.

Most of all this has been done so many times before that I can't understand the hype.

Here is Aki Kaurismaki's version of B/W silent film "Juha" (the music is composed by my friend Anssi Tikanmäki)from 1999:

Sorry Quint, I know this thread was not about The Artist but hype generally but I couldn't resist.

.

[Thor 5,273]

I love silent films too, so that aspect didn't bother me. It was more the lackluster story. I'll take a Fritz Lang or a Carl Th. Dreyer or a D.W. Griffith or a Chaplin any day over THE ARTIST.