# Times Do You Need To Watch A Story?
<div class="IPBDescription">/me possess weak fathoming engine...</div> I just finished watching RahXephon series yesterday, and was quite disappointed... <b>in myself.</b>.
Earlier this summer, I was baffled by Evangelion's ending, EVEN AFTER HAVING SPOILED IT FOR MYSELF, and upon finishing it, I was forced to read ending summaries posted on websites and directing numerous inquiries to my friend. However, I was consoled by the fact that NGE's ending is odd anyways, and they're several ways to interpret (if there's actually something to interpret).
So, thinking that my inability to understand NGE was just an isolated event, I thought I would have no problem watching Rah...
.
.
.
.
.
Once again, my comprehension engine choked and sputtered and I couldn't understand what the deuce was happening at the end; resorting in me reading from a forum and pestering my friend who lent me the series in the first place with questions to understand the intricacies of the story (it's actually quite interesting NOW that I understand it)
I decided to watch part of the last episode again this morning and realized I missed out on a VERY important subtitle; probably the culprit to a quarter of my confusion.
On a lesser scale however, I've begun to notice that experiencing stories over again have really helped to boost my enjoyment or appreciate several details that are completely oblivious to me the first time I go through them... <b><-- WELL THANK YOU MR. OBVIOUS</b>
Examples: I've started playing Grim Fandango again, and I'm starting to appreciate some of the little details they put in the game that add up to the entire thing, (Domino's coral item in his office drawer in connection to Year 3, at the Edge of the World underwater; screwing up the clown as he's blowing the balloon, frightening off the pigeons in the corner).
I also watched Amélie again since I invited a friend to come over and noticed for example the crappy light bulbs she screwed on in Collignon's apartment came from the Glass Man's apartment, and the good bulbs taken from Collignon's was being installed in the Glass Man's apartment by Lucien, Collignon's whipping boy.
"Shakespeare in Love" - first time I watched this was off a pretty poor quality VCD that my sister got from Malaysia on my home computer. Watched it, probably thought "meh..." to myself, then continued on trying to entertain myself with a Pentium 166. Skip to the future: Grade 9 - English class; we watch SiL again, but this time the teacher provides me a lot of background information, like the background of the time, info on some of the fellow characters, and most importantly of all: the significance of the entire story leading to "Twelfth Night". <b>Suddenly, it all made ****ing sense!</b>. Oh yeah, watched it again in Grade 11 (heh, had the same English teacher), and by then I could really appreciate the movie.
Some movies that I've down-... *ahem* "obtained" on my computer include Fargo, Magnolia, and Seven Samurai. The reason being I heard high praise over these movies, yet when I watched it, I really didn't see the "brilliance" in them. I didn't think that they were bad, just the same feeling I felt when I first watched SiL... "meh..."
I realize now my strongest taste is in comedic movies. I'm not sure how to describe it, but for the sake of ease, I'll say that movies "possessing complex plots" tend to pass through me leaving nothing, and I am forced to rewatch them in order to understand and enjoy. The only problem though is that after spending 2 hours or more trying but failing to understand a story, I am inclined to give up... THERE ARE OTHER MOVIES/GAMES/BOOKS I WANT TO ENJOY.
*sigh* I'm simply not that sharp... it's people like me that will be the death of great works of art... <!--emo&:(--><img src='http://www.natural-selection.org/forums/html/emoticons/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif'><!--endemo-->
I'm not sure how to phrase this question, but how do you "watch" movies? I don't know why I seem to miss out on a lot of details... am I simply doomed to repeat the story? I there anyway I can "improve my ability to understand" so I can catch everything in one go, or most of it? Or somehow change my perspective... or...
BAH!!!
Sorry... I know I've been babbling a lot of hogwash in this post... I'm just irritated when I don't "get" stories.
/end of rant (I guess it's a rant... God, I hope I lose this trait of being wishy washy soon... I'm 17 dawg gannit! MUST. MUSTER. CONFIDENCE.)
/ultimate end of rant
Earlier this summer, I was baffled by Evangelion's ending, EVEN AFTER HAVING SPOILED IT FOR MYSELF, and upon finishing it, I was forced to read ending summaries posted on websites and directing numerous inquiries to my friend. However, I was consoled by the fact that NGE's ending is odd anyways, and they're several ways to interpret (if there's actually something to interpret).
So, thinking that my inability to understand NGE was just an isolated event, I thought I would have no problem watching Rah...
.
.
.
.
.
Once again, my comprehension engine choked and sputtered and I couldn't understand what the deuce was happening at the end; resorting in me reading from a forum and pestering my friend who lent me the series in the first place with questions to understand the intricacies of the story (it's actually quite interesting NOW that I understand it)
I decided to watch part of the last episode again this morning and realized I missed out on a VERY important subtitle; probably the culprit to a quarter of my confusion.
On a lesser scale however, I've begun to notice that experiencing stories over again have really helped to boost my enjoyment or appreciate several details that are completely oblivious to me the first time I go through them... <b><-- WELL THANK YOU MR. OBVIOUS</b>
Examples: I've started playing Grim Fandango again, and I'm starting to appreciate some of the little details they put in the game that add up to the entire thing, (Domino's coral item in his office drawer in connection to Year 3, at the Edge of the World underwater; screwing up the clown as he's blowing the balloon, frightening off the pigeons in the corner).
I also watched Amélie again since I invited a friend to come over and noticed for example the crappy light bulbs she screwed on in Collignon's apartment came from the Glass Man's apartment, and the good bulbs taken from Collignon's was being installed in the Glass Man's apartment by Lucien, Collignon's whipping boy.
"Shakespeare in Love" - first time I watched this was off a pretty poor quality VCD that my sister got from Malaysia on my home computer. Watched it, probably thought "meh..." to myself, then continued on trying to entertain myself with a Pentium 166. Skip to the future: Grade 9 - English class; we watch SiL again, but this time the teacher provides me a lot of background information, like the background of the time, info on some of the fellow characters, and most importantly of all: the significance of the entire story leading to "Twelfth Night". <b>Suddenly, it all made ****ing sense!</b>. Oh yeah, watched it again in Grade 11 (heh, had the same English teacher), and by then I could really appreciate the movie.
Some movies that I've down-... *ahem* "obtained" on my computer include Fargo, Magnolia, and Seven Samurai. The reason being I heard high praise over these movies, yet when I watched it, I really didn't see the "brilliance" in them. I didn't think that they were bad, just the same feeling I felt when I first watched SiL... "meh..."
I realize now my strongest taste is in comedic movies. I'm not sure how to describe it, but for the sake of ease, I'll say that movies "possessing complex plots" tend to pass through me leaving nothing, and I am forced to rewatch them in order to understand and enjoy. The only problem though is that after spending 2 hours or more trying but failing to understand a story, I am inclined to give up... THERE ARE OTHER MOVIES/GAMES/BOOKS I WANT TO ENJOY.
*sigh* I'm simply not that sharp... it's people like me that will be the death of great works of art... <!--emo&:(--><img src='http://www.natural-selection.org/forums/html/emoticons/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif'><!--endemo-->
I'm not sure how to phrase this question, but how do you "watch" movies? I don't know why I seem to miss out on a lot of details... am I simply doomed to repeat the story? I there anyway I can "improve my ability to understand" so I can catch everything in one go, or most of it? Or somehow change my perspective... or...
BAH!!!
Sorry... I know I've been babbling a lot of hogwash in this post... I'm just irritated when I don't "get" stories.
/end of rant (I guess it's a rant... God, I hope I lose this trait of being wishy washy soon... I'm 17 dawg gannit! MUST. MUSTER. CONFIDENCE.)
/ultimate end of rant
Comments
I hardly ever watch an anime that doesn't have comedy in it. The last non-comedic anime I watched was Noir, and that was last year. Good stuff like Love Hina and Golden Boy catch my eye (ahaha...Love Hina...I myself have a Naru...she hasn't upper-cutted me yet tho). Come to think of it, I watch animes that are both comedy and ecchi. Back to the main point, I like to laugh. Laughing is great! Laughing makes one feel good! (BTW, I've been anime free for about 7 months)
I don't like deep-plotted movies myself. I don't want to think while trying to enjoy a movie. If I say, "hmmmmmmmm" after going to the theater, then I probably didn't like the movie. Then again, I don't remember not liking a movie at a theater because all I watch are comedies.
Stephen Chow movies (Chinese) are funny. Some don't make sense. Some are just plain stupid...but that's why I like em. They make me laugh...
I've seen a few complex movies, but I don't recall any of them. Probably because I slept through them.
Well, I suppose by reading you can improve your ability to understand these complex movies of yours. Afterall, everything starts out with writing. I used to read a lot (about 7 books a month) but that stopped. I like to read old science fiction books because they put vivid images into my head of what could be out there, unlike many sci-fi books today where they're based on fact. The idea of a silicon-based lifeform that is just as tall as a plant is much better than a little green humanoid. Anyway, what do you try to follow in a book? Plot. That's basically what you're going to be looking for in a movie. Then you have all the gravy on the side. All these metaphors and...stuff. To follow on most of these, it's best to brush up on your reading. Satire is great for beefing up comprehension since it can get confusing. Especially Voltaire's Candide. That was...weird. Detail is critical in satire so consider that.
"That's all I can say about that." - Forrest Gump
The last non-comedic concentrated story I watched that I thought was excellent was probably Vision of Escaflowne - a nice happy story with a mix of everything.
And the last noir? story that I thought was excellent was Memento, although I ALSO mis interpreted the ending of that movie; <b>SPOILER ALERT! (Highlight at own risk!):</b><span style='color:041E2D'> I had mistakenly thought that he had killed the murderer of his wife a long time ago, (probably because I only paid attention to Teddy saying something have the look of satisfaction of bringing justice, but forgetting that satisfaction), when in fact, he himself accidentally killed his wife.</span>
The funny thing though is that the moment that sticks out most in that movie had to be the most hilarious part; (another spoiler):
<span style='color:041E2D'>
Okay, what am I doing?
<i>[Sees Dodd also running] </i>
I'm chasing this guy.
<i>[Dodd has a gun, shoots at Leonard] </i>
Nope. He's chasing me. </span>
Loved that part!