"it was ok i suppose" : a non reaction to "polarazing" things

[william kent]

You know 'Miami Vice' is just a meme at this point when the reviews are shit like,

"colin farrell is a sentient pile of cocaine with a handle bar mustache and it is easily one of my favorite performances ever"

"literally the best movie ever made."

"I'm going to write a book about films where identity is engraved rather than expressed, and this beautiful, brilliant film is going to be my first and foremost example."

 

[forclosure]

@craner aside from this nazi flick you bring up have you had any muted responses to films that were considered polarasing? serious question

 

[william kent]

We should look up all Craner's favourite films on Letterboxd and post the most grating, lazy, ironic reviews.

 

[william kent]

me:

ronny cammareri: I LOST 😧 MY HAND ✋🏼 I LOST 😬 MY BRIDE 👰🏼👰🏼 JOHNNY HAS 😳 HIS HAND👏🏼👏🏼 JOHNNY HAS 😫 HIS BRIDE😡👰🏼

 

[forclosure]

You know 'Miami Vice' is just a meme at this point when the reviews are shit like,

"colin farrell is a sentient pile of cocaine with a handle bar mustache and it is easily one of my favorite performances ever"

"literally the best movie ever made."

"I'm going to write a book about films where identity is engraved rather than expressed, and this beautiful, brilliant film is going to be my first and foremost example."

i think it's more to do with the fact that it's one of those movies that was early in terms of filming shit with digital cameras so there's all these images and stuff that even now movies ain't done since also that opening car shoot-out purposfully made to look like Liveleak videos

i think there's some interesting stuff stuff in that movie but otherwise found it dull, the retrospective praise for it comes off like a "i watch crime thrillers/direct to dvd & netflix action movies for the cinematography" kinda thing

 

[william kent]

Cher is going to marry Wario, but then she falls in love with Waluigi. And it’s flawless?

I have a lot of thoughts on this movie. But my main thesis is that nic cage is a sweaty hairy snack and I would go to the opera with him anytime

i'm the old woman that curses the plane

 

[william kent]

i think it's more to do with the fact that it's one of those movies that was early in terms of filming shit with digital cameras so there's all these images and stuff that even now movies ain't done since also that opening car shoot-out purposfully made to look like Liveleak videos

i think there's some interesting stuff stuff in that movie but otherwise found it dull, the retrospective praise for it comes off like a "i watch crime thrillers/direct to dvd & netflix action movies for the cinematography" kinda thing

I haven't seen it since it came out, so I dunno what I'd think of it now. All I can remember from seeing it at the time is how loud it was in the cinema.

 

[Clinamenic]

Someone was talking about this re: January 6th too. That the actual event doesn't matter. They don't need it to be worse than 9/11 in order to decide that it is and there are plenty of people who are perfectly happy to go along with it.

Well I think it does matter, but I also think its clear that the event is being negatively romanticized (edit: by some/most of the incumbent liberal media outlets) as a greater threat to democracy than it really was. This framing of it seems to be aiming to galvanize not only the Democratic constituency, but also everyone who believes in the procedure of democracy most broadly.

That said, I'm not sure if its connecting with moderate/centrist Republicans.

 

[Clinamenic]

Well I think it does matter, but I also think its clear that the event is being romanticized as a greater threat to democracy than it really was, and this framing of it seems to be aiming to galvanize not only the Democratic constituency, but also everyone who believes in the procedure of democracy most broadly.

That said, I'm not sure if its connecting with moderate/centrist Republicans.

It also seems like a (potentially viable) strategy to demonize Trump further, and personally I see no evidence for why this goal isn't warranted.

 

[craner]

@craner aside from this nazi flick you bring up have you had any muted responses to films that were considered polarasing? serious question

I once tried to make Jim watch Umberto Lenzi’s Nightmare City and he fell asleep after the first scene.

 

[william kent]

We're in one of those moments where we're circling one big thread via several smaller ones. This one, 'Reaction Videos' and 'The Arbitrary' are all starting to tap into the same thing.

 

[william kent]

I think the disconnect between the discussion and the object of discussion is partly why people form opinions based on who likes or dislikes something rather than whether they like or dislike the thing itself.

 

[Clinamenic]

Yeah, in that, by displaying that you like or dislike something, you are advertising what category or role you fall under.

 

[william kent]

I'm trying to avoid using the term "discourse" because I hate the way it's used, but that's what I'm talking about. That is more important online than whatever it is that's ostensibly being discussed. The film itself is just fuel for the fire, like what I was saying re: the Norman Mailer thing or the arguing over Blair getting a knighthood. These things are completely arbitrary, the next piece of meat thrown into the pit.

 

[craner]

Version’s discoursing

 

[luka]

your daily talking point handed out to the class by 'trending' twitter topics etc

 

[william kent]

It's been happening with the new Adam McKay film, 'Don't Look Up'.

 

[luka]

imagine letting yourself be led around by designated talking points day by day, like you have to have a opinion on the cats movie

 

[william kent]

It's draining to see the way the same patterns unfold each time. You'll have the people who like it, the people who dislike it, the ironically distant people and so on and so on. Just goes round and round. You'll have the people saying more or less what I'm saying too. You can't escape it.

 

[Clinamenic]

I'm trying to avoid using the term "discourse" because I hate the way it's used, but that's what I'm talking about. That is more important online than whatever it is that's ostensibly being discussed. The film itself is just fuel for the fire, like what I was saying re: the Norman Mailer thing or the arguing over Blair getting a knighthood. These things are completely arbitrary, the next piece of meat thrown into the pit.

I also think some of this may be about scarcity, or in this case the lack thereof. With so much discourse flooding in from so many channels, it all seems cheapened or diluted, and this even seems to impact some of the more substantive and meaningful content out there. Collateral damage.