Tim_Stack

having trouble getting through a few classics

Okay - after another frustrating loss by my beloved R. Sox (I'm about to wash my hands of this season) I pop in The Seventh Seal. This is my second time renting this - the first time I was kind of depressed and didn't want to watch a movie featuring Death. So, this time, I fall asleep. The same thing happens every time I try to watch Fellini's 8 1/2 (three times now.) I love the classics and subtitles aren't the problem...anyone else have trouble getting through certain flicks without dozing?

My *No Fluff* Collection

Patrick Sun

Are you tired when you start watching the films (like at night time)? Sometimes if you want the films in the morning (on a weekend), it helps with your attention span.

"I am a leaf on the wind, watch how I soar!"
Patcave | 2006 Films | 2007 Films | Dragon Con 2008

TommyT

Heh heh, we're probably gonna get blitzed for this by the You Must Love This Film Unconditionally Crowd.

I have the same problem with The Manchurian Candidate, orig vers. I get to the part where Sinatra & Janet Leigh are talking on the train & I lose completely lose interest. And people keep telling me its a classic & I MUST watch it 'til the end.

Other films I get bored with:

The Graduate - Seems just a bit too dated. I've watched it all the way thru once or twice but it just doesn't speak to me. Must mean more for the baby boomer generation.

Midnight Cowboy - Pretty much the same reason, comes off as dated.

The Searchers - I think what really bugs me about this one is that its impossible to keep track of the passage of time. Supposedly it takes place over several years but I've never been able to figure it out.

Young Frankenstein - Mel Brooks humor just doesn't do it for me.

It has to start somewhere, it has to start sometime,
What better place than here? What better time than now?

-Rage Against the Machine

Lew Crippen

Even widely acknowledged masterpieces and master directors are not necessarily universally acknowledged.

For example, one noted critic, commented that he could not stand Jules and Jim—this during the time that the New Wave was seen as the second coming. If you check out some of the discussion in the S&S thread, you will see that even among forum members who are fans of these ‘classic’ films, there is much room for debate.

I do think it worth the effort to try to see what others see in these films, but in the end, not every film strikes a chord in every viewer.

To cite a personal example, I have no doubt watched Ivan the Terrible a good half dozen times over the years—the last time about a year ago.

Now I admire Sergei Eisenstein as a master and think that many of his films are true masterpieces and I can see much of the technical craft in these two films, I just can’t get past much of the artifice. I don’t really think that I know more than those many, many knowledgeable critics who love the film—but for me, ‘Ivan’ just does not do it.

But I’ll probably try again in a few years—there still exists the possibility that I’ll see what others do.

¡Time is not my master!

Tim_Stack

Well, I wasn't tired last night and 8 is a normal time for me to start a flick...but only a few movies do this to me. It is so constant that I use them as a sleep aid if I want to take a nap during the day

My *No Fluff* Collection

Moe Maishlish

I know what you mean...

I'm still unable to finish watching Casablanca. I get to about the halfway point and just can't sit still - it's SOOOO BORING to me! People keep telling me how it's the best movie ever made, but I just can't get into it!

I've been forced to sit through Gone with the Wind, and god-almighty what TORTURE that was! It's not a "chick flick" thing for me - I like some other date-worthy material... I just found this movie incredibly lethargic & boring to watch.

Moe.

- Confidence implies the knowledge of one\'s limitations, while arrogance implies that one does not have any.

- There\'s no such thing as \"normal\". The secret is to find someone that\'s screwed up in a way that seems \"normal\" to you.

Ray H

WHAAAAAAT?!? When I first saw Casablanca I was surprised at how fast it moved and how entertaining it was.

And while Gone With the Wind is certainly long, I always felt it kept my interest enough to get through the whole flick.

I think I fell asleep during Jules & Jim though. It also took me about three days to watch The Big Sleep. Everytime I popped it in, I fell asleep. The film itself was interesting but I guess I was too tired everytime I tried to watch it. Funny considering the title.

It probably took me about six hours to get through A Bridge Too Far. I started it one afternoon and I must have paused so frequently that it stretched out through the night.


I also had a hard time with the Searchers. When I finished, I didn't really like it. It just came off as too strange to like. It seemed too goofy at times.

Brook K

I tend to fall asleep pretty often in movies whether I find them boring or love them and it doesn't really matter what kind of movie it is either.

Just recently I fell asleep during Hellboy (boring), Hour of the Wolf (outstanding) and fell asleep 2 or 3 times during The Leopard which meant it took me 3 days to finish it and while it was somewhat disappointing there were elements of it I thought were great.

I used to be able to watch 3 movies in a night no problem (though that was pre-children). Now I consider myself lucky if I make it all the way through one.

Yes, Captain Hammer's here, hair blowing in the breeze. The day needs my saving expertise! - Captain Hammer, Corporate Tool

2002 Sight & Sound Challenge: 314 Last Watched: An Autumn Afternoon

Last 10 Films Watched:
Mon Oncle Antoine - B / Late Autumn - A-
Paranoid Park - B / An Autumn Afternoon - A
Forgetting Sarah Marshall - B / Run, Fatboy, Run - B
Get Smart - C- / Rendition - B-
Springtime in a Small Town - B+ / Evan Almighty - C

DVD BEAVER My Collection

Patrick Sun

I will confess to taking 3 different nights to get through Tarkovsky's Solaris...

"I am a leaf on the wind, watch how I soar!"
Patcave | 2006 Films | 2007 Films | Dragon Con 2008

Moe Maishlish

Oh, it may move fast, but fast can still be boring.

Moe.

- Confidence implies the knowledge of one\'s limitations, while arrogance implies that one does not have any.

- There\'s no such thing as \"normal\". The secret is to find someone that\'s screwed up in a way that seems \"normal\" to you.

Jeff Gatie

Sir, get yourself to a Doctor quickly, better yet call an ambulance, because I'm pretty sure all signs point to the fact that you are dead !