You ever dislike something because of the people that like it? I like to call this the Staind effect. I was once a fan of the late 90s/early 2000s rock band Staind. They had a dark grungy appeal to them, and their debut album was insanely depressing. However, around 2003, their fan base started to shift. The death nail came when I overheard a 14 year 'NSYNC loving girl* singing one of their songs. After that, I deleted all of their songs off my Ipod, and vowed to never download another one.
I don't think the Dark Knight will suffer a similar fate as Staind, but I'm seeing people that I wouldn't normally trust counting to ten LOVE this film. I don't like when the movie world is out of order. Yes, people should like this movie because it's a Batman film, there are explosives, and its a summer flick. But, when the 14 year old 'NSYNC loving girl is calling this movie "brilliant" or "genius", it makes me question my own intelligence.
*note the 14 year old 'NSYNC loving fan is a general representative of the "not so smart" generation (1980-beyond)...correction (90s-beyond)
Posts
Even though I was born in 1987, I don't consider myself part of the "not so smart" generation. I'm generally not a fan of those flicks for the younger generation with lots of explosions and stuff like that in them. I normally put emphasis on fine acting and a good and coherent story.
ReplyDeleteMy advice to you: It's simple to just call a movie "brilliant" or "genius" when you watch it and find yourself dazzled by the special effects and sheer magnitude of it. But it's OK for you to label it brilliant if you can state what makes it so great. Just try to justify it to yourself and find evidence for the movie's greatness.
Hope this helps put your movie world back into order!
But the problem is, most people cannot justify it. I am a teenager and went to a midnight showing just like the rest of the world. I thought it was an O.K movie, however, im not a big fan of superhero films.
ReplyDeleteAfter it was over, a lot of my friends would say 'Brilliant!' or 'Genius!'
and I would ask them 'Why? I just thought it was O.K.'
I got many answers including 'Are you kidding!!' and 'What?! Go die!!' (jokingly)
My question never really got answered and it seemed that everyone just liked it because of the buzz that was being put forth. I think this Staind effect totally personifies my experience at the Dark Knight.
What a shame, you give up something you love because it's not your own anymore? Those things that you give up, like the love of certain movies and films weren't yours to begin with, they're everybody's. Stand by yourself and what you love. You should really redownload those Staind songs if you liked 'em so much. If not, then you're just as bad as those film school snobs that hate everything "mainstream". Don't be that person.
ReplyDelete-D.W.
I disagree with you, D.W. He shouldn't go back and download those Staind songs. Staind is terrible.
ReplyDeleteI definitely know what you're talking about. I've also heard it called the "Coldplay effect", you like something when few people know about it, but once everyone says its amazing it gets annoying.
ReplyDeleteI must admit that's what happened with Juno to me. I loved the movie when it first came out in theatres, but, once everyone saw it and kept going on about it, it got tiredsome and annoying. While its still a good movie, it takes a lot for me to want to watch it.
D.W.
ReplyDeleteWhen 14 year old dimwitted girls start liking the movies and music that I like, it's tough for me to appreciate it the way I once did.
I'm not one of those dudes who only like the obscurest of things. I'm just more comfortable with the idea that a certain group people (namely intelligent movie goers) like the same movies that I do.
In fact, it's not about disliking the "mainstream", it's about maintaining the belief that I have a more sophisticated taste in music and movies than teenage girls that think Dane Cook is the best thing since sliced bread.
Perhaps its wrong and elitist of me, but I like to believe that I actually put some thought (and reason) into why I appreciate certain things. And when teenage girls who love Dane Cook start to like these things, it puts that belief into question.
Essentially, it blurs the line between intelligent movie goers and Dane Cook fans.
You sound kind of snobby. Are you really an intelligent moviegoer or are you just a filmsnob?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteediting was choppy. dent's character was rushed. batman's lines were cliche and preachy. certainly not nolan's best work (Memento). But, a step ahead of many other films.
ReplyDelete"You sound kind of snobby. Are you really an intelligent moviegoer or are you just a filmsnob?"
ReplyDeleteA bit of both I suppose...