Cinema Rant
Dessidious_Confuzor
Join Date: 2004-11-05 Member: 32637Members
Join Date: 2004-11-05 Member: 32637Members
<div class="IPBDescription">Tick off the MPAA legally and free!</div> <b>DISCLAIMER:</b>
In observing the writings of this individual, please be advised that the individual has taken the initiative of self-analyzing his mental state, coming to the conclusion that he suffers from ADHD, OCD, anti-social tendencies, and hypochondria of all other mental malaises unfortunately not severe enough to warrant special care or institutionalization. That being said, what grievances he may commit against the reader, he does so with no <i>mens rea</i> present.
<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'><u>Reactions to Mainstream Contemporary Entertainment Media B**ching</u></span>
<!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> “Look at all the ****ty movies Hollywood is churning out. A cesspool spewing industry that unfortunately profits enough to continue the cycle. And that’s all it is… it’s not about the art, it’s about how profitable you can make it by lots of guns, or excessive boob flashing. Worse yet, because of the creativity slump, they feel the need to rape the memories of their far superior predecessors. Style over substance… it’s all done for the masses now.
They simply just don’t make movies like they used to.”<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Living under the rock that I normally do, I am not exactly well acquainted with the current sentiment directed against Hollywood. Drawing from fragmented fist shaking at Hollywood from various sources, (some possibly hallucinated), I have construed what I believe is a current mood of menace against Hollywood harboured by many. If the above quote rings any semblance of truth, then I would like to first analyze why this might be so, then offer a legal solution.
In our wonderfully fast-paced consumerist society, choice often seems restricted to all things novel. What is new and well received become popular culture, and I sense that because of the ease of accessibility of pop culture material, new movie releases offer people can connect better with each other.
The quality of the movie doesn’t matter, it’s really more about the atmosphere of sitting in a movie theatre in the communion of our friends. In fact, I consider that we’re paying more for the atmosphere than anything else – think of the fancy restaurants you go to, if you think of the dollar to food ratio, it can be rather pitiful. But we consider the money worthwhile, probably on the account that the place has a snazzy chandelier and the waiters are dressed in fancy pants, a place more appealing than a cheap looking restaurant to meet with friends for special occasions (despite the fact that the restaurant may serve food of comparable or greater quality than the glitzy one).
Just an aside here: there is also the case of advertising all the “latest and hottest” movies. Great movies, regardless of how spectacular they are, can only be ****d so far for profit before they get too predictable for their customers. So new undeserving and inferior harlots come to take their place. Generally, novelty begets profit, a simple means of keeping vital the infernal business machine.
Moving back to the main train of thought… there is of course nothing wrong in paying to revel amongst this unique cinema atmosphere, but the issue at hand here is about the proposition of the “lack of good movies out there now”. I realize this statement itself is a fallacy – as one member on this board astutely noted, forgettable movies plagued the past, just as much as it plagues the present and future. Duly noted, but as I am not one to be rational, let’s suppose this preposition of mediocre movies as an epidemic, is a statement of fact issued by God himself. Now you don’t **** with God, so how should one respond in the adversity of ****ty cinema?
One of the more favoured ways to give the film industry the finger is to use [popular, fast P2P service]. Watch their sweat and blood turned film for free illegally… Hilarity! Oh wait… damn. Remember, we have to factor in the fact that God exists in this universe. Seeing that you’ve thieving bastards need to pay for your sins, it looks like you folks will be heading to Dante’s Eighth Level of Hell: the Malebolge. Hilarity!
There is, however, another free solution…
Some odd years ago, I briefly watched a fascinating documentary on PBS. There was a group of individuals who were disgusted at the state of consumerism amongst the general population. In specific, they attacked the mentality of “BUY! BUY! BUY!” and as an example, displayed the amount of wasted food by the general public. Their response? They became 2nd rate consumers – consumers of the consumer class, and judging from what I saw, they did surprisingly well. Just digging through random garbage, they collected a wide variety of food (and not that bad quality either), which they brought to their group house to clean and prepare, and dine with glee.
What lessons can we draw from this exercise frugality? People keep talking about how great movies were back in the ol’ days. Alas… the theaters aren’t going to ever show that kind of gold anymore.
Which means we have to bring that gold to ourselves. While the film industry wants to razzle dazzle us with the newest and the latest (Seriously man! Get with the times!) I, in my hermit and reclusive nature, am content in my lonely quest of serendipity.
All the classical films, you hear about them all the time, but how many have you actually watched? I am under the personal conviction that at this point in time, we already have enough great movies to last us for our lifetime, and if by some freak chance of chance I prove wrong, well then so God help me, I’ll be glad to commit suicide! (Are you mods going to hide my post again for suicide allusions again? I am merely jesting… or am I?)
Now how do we get access to this goldmine? After all, [popular, fast P2P service] usually only has newly released movies, not old classics.
The answer is quite simple, and even the MPAA’s tyrannical rape talons can’t touch it.
Your local library.
Since my discovery of the wide selection of DVDs available at my library, I’ve been saving thousands on my bandwidth and car insurance. They have everything you want/need, (my sister’s been picking up the Sopranos and Family Guy seasons on many occasions). The only downside I’ve noticed is that the waiting times can sometimes be rather lengthy, (I believe I’ve waited over 3 months for ‘Cidade de Deus’, and I’m still queued 21st in line). Of course there also other library sources – perhaps your school holds a DVD collection as well of digital gold.
You watch for free. MPAA gets mad. God is chillin. Doubleplus Good!
So do yourself a favour and starve our garbage contemporary cinema by gorging on the historical cinematic delicacies of our past.
God damn, Metropolis was awesome. And Fritz Lang... an eyepatch AND a monocle... what a badass.
In observing the writings of this individual, please be advised that the individual has taken the initiative of self-analyzing his mental state, coming to the conclusion that he suffers from ADHD, OCD, anti-social tendencies, and hypochondria of all other mental malaises unfortunately not severe enough to warrant special care or institutionalization. That being said, what grievances he may commit against the reader, he does so with no <i>mens rea</i> present.
<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'><u>Reactions to Mainstream Contemporary Entertainment Media B**ching</u></span>
<!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> “Look at all the ****ty movies Hollywood is churning out. A cesspool spewing industry that unfortunately profits enough to continue the cycle. And that’s all it is… it’s not about the art, it’s about how profitable you can make it by lots of guns, or excessive boob flashing. Worse yet, because of the creativity slump, they feel the need to rape the memories of their far superior predecessors. Style over substance… it’s all done for the masses now.
They simply just don’t make movies like they used to.”<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Living under the rock that I normally do, I am not exactly well acquainted with the current sentiment directed against Hollywood. Drawing from fragmented fist shaking at Hollywood from various sources, (some possibly hallucinated), I have construed what I believe is a current mood of menace against Hollywood harboured by many. If the above quote rings any semblance of truth, then I would like to first analyze why this might be so, then offer a legal solution.
In our wonderfully fast-paced consumerist society, choice often seems restricted to all things novel. What is new and well received become popular culture, and I sense that because of the ease of accessibility of pop culture material, new movie releases offer people can connect better with each other.
The quality of the movie doesn’t matter, it’s really more about the atmosphere of sitting in a movie theatre in the communion of our friends. In fact, I consider that we’re paying more for the atmosphere than anything else – think of the fancy restaurants you go to, if you think of the dollar to food ratio, it can be rather pitiful. But we consider the money worthwhile, probably on the account that the place has a snazzy chandelier and the waiters are dressed in fancy pants, a place more appealing than a cheap looking restaurant to meet with friends for special occasions (despite the fact that the restaurant may serve food of comparable or greater quality than the glitzy one).
Just an aside here: there is also the case of advertising all the “latest and hottest” movies. Great movies, regardless of how spectacular they are, can only be ****d so far for profit before they get too predictable for their customers. So new undeserving and inferior harlots come to take their place. Generally, novelty begets profit, a simple means of keeping vital the infernal business machine.
Moving back to the main train of thought… there is of course nothing wrong in paying to revel amongst this unique cinema atmosphere, but the issue at hand here is about the proposition of the “lack of good movies out there now”. I realize this statement itself is a fallacy – as one member on this board astutely noted, forgettable movies plagued the past, just as much as it plagues the present and future. Duly noted, but as I am not one to be rational, let’s suppose this preposition of mediocre movies as an epidemic, is a statement of fact issued by God himself. Now you don’t **** with God, so how should one respond in the adversity of ****ty cinema?
One of the more favoured ways to give the film industry the finger is to use [popular, fast P2P service]. Watch their sweat and blood turned film for free illegally… Hilarity! Oh wait… damn. Remember, we have to factor in the fact that God exists in this universe. Seeing that you’ve thieving bastards need to pay for your sins, it looks like you folks will be heading to Dante’s Eighth Level of Hell: the Malebolge. Hilarity!
There is, however, another free solution…
Some odd years ago, I briefly watched a fascinating documentary on PBS. There was a group of individuals who were disgusted at the state of consumerism amongst the general population. In specific, they attacked the mentality of “BUY! BUY! BUY!” and as an example, displayed the amount of wasted food by the general public. Their response? They became 2nd rate consumers – consumers of the consumer class, and judging from what I saw, they did surprisingly well. Just digging through random garbage, they collected a wide variety of food (and not that bad quality either), which they brought to their group house to clean and prepare, and dine with glee.
What lessons can we draw from this exercise frugality? People keep talking about how great movies were back in the ol’ days. Alas… the theaters aren’t going to ever show that kind of gold anymore.
Which means we have to bring that gold to ourselves. While the film industry wants to razzle dazzle us with the newest and the latest (Seriously man! Get with the times!) I, in my hermit and reclusive nature, am content in my lonely quest of serendipity.
All the classical films, you hear about them all the time, but how many have you actually watched? I am under the personal conviction that at this point in time, we already have enough great movies to last us for our lifetime, and if by some freak chance of chance I prove wrong, well then so God help me, I’ll be glad to commit suicide! (Are you mods going to hide my post again for suicide allusions again? I am merely jesting… or am I?)
Now how do we get access to this goldmine? After all, [popular, fast P2P service] usually only has newly released movies, not old classics.
The answer is quite simple, and even the MPAA’s tyrannical rape talons can’t touch it.
Your local library.
Since my discovery of the wide selection of DVDs available at my library, I’ve been saving thousands on my bandwidth and car insurance. They have everything you want/need, (my sister’s been picking up the Sopranos and Family Guy seasons on many occasions). The only downside I’ve noticed is that the waiting times can sometimes be rather lengthy, (I believe I’ve waited over 3 months for ‘Cidade de Deus’, and I’m still queued 21st in line). Of course there also other library sources – perhaps your school holds a DVD collection as well of digital gold.
You watch for free. MPAA gets mad. God is chillin. Doubleplus Good!
So do yourself a favour and starve our garbage contemporary cinema by gorging on the historical cinematic delicacies of our past.
God damn, Metropolis was awesome. And Fritz Lang... an eyepatch AND a monocle... what a badass.
Comments
Score.
How's the saying go? 'Whenever you're paranoid you're usually right.'
How's the saying go? 'Whenever you're paranoid you're usually right.' <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
You think the librarians will rip you a new one, just because you owe them some money? They're not the mafia, they're old ladies.
Then they'll ask you for the twenty bucks as they're letting you go, and consider the psychological torture 'interest'.
Alternately, since they're librarian old lady mafia, they could just bury you under fifty years' worth of back issues of the Washington Post. Nobody checks those out anyway, so you'll disappear just like Hoffa.
Libraries often have a wide variety of videos, but there is a greater chance of the movie one wants being checked out already, and a higher percentage of the videos are damaged, many to the point of unplayability.
Score. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Seagal movies are some of the finest comedies ever made, and what's more, it's fun to guess how many necks he'll snap during the movie. The only downside, however, is that you need to turn your volume right up to hear him, which makes it sound like everyone else is shouting. Damn Seagal.
And finally, Under Siege 2 is probably one of the funniest movies ever made.
EDIT: My Library (Biggest in the county, i think) has a grand total of about 2 DVDs. Casablanca and some BBC dramatisation. It's hardly the finest array of DVDs i've ever witnessed. Instead, do what i do. Find one of those second hand music and movies stores, and buy a load of cheap old tapes. My VHS collection mostly comprises of these, they're damn cheap (Usually £1.50-£3 per tape) and you can find a massive variety of old movies.