"Snob Classics" - Mike dumps on some comedies

[Justin]

Joel, Mike and the Bots quoted Woody Allen films constantly.  I think a few Rifftrax had some too.

"Wwwheat.  Vast fields of rippling wheat."

I never liked Diner.  The rest I like but will admit are all overrated.  Annie Hall isn't my favorite either, but it probably is the quintessential Woody film.

And I would like to second BBQPlatypus on the I HEART HUCKABEES thing.  Snooze.

[Joe Don Faker]

Regarding Woody, I think it's understandable that his real-life issues affect how someone might view his old stuff.

Take J.D. Salinger.  Well, not literally -- even if you could find him, he wouldn't like it.  Catcher in the Rye would probably read differently today had it not become requisite reading for high-profile killers with three names, and had not Salinger decide to withdraw from greater society, occasionally tottering out to his mailbox to send off long love letters to pretty young tv and literary personalities.

Back to Woody, Love and Death is gold... Like Justin just pointed out, Mike & Kevin even reference it (I think) in the Matrix rifftrax when one of them wistfully says "fields of wheat."  Then, they could be referencing the Bergman thing Woody was referencing.

[Dr.Impossible]

Wow, I hope he wasn't being serious about the quality of those movies. I wouldn't want to think that Mike was a pretentious jackass in real life.

What's pretentious about mocking pretentiousness?  I loved every word of the article, because with Mike, I'm repulsed by any movie or TV show that thinks it's just too, too clever and cute -- Aaron Sorkin, call your office -- and let's face it, these movies (those I'm familiar with, anyway) all have at least something of that in them. A movie about a group of people running an actor's life from inside his head? How precious can you get?

Have you even seen Being John Malkovich?

[davo]

i think it's as much about the viewers as it is the movie.

dr strangelove is a great movie,but defending it's brilliance or the brilliance of any Wes Anderson film is just a waste of time.  picking that hill to die on is silly.

for the record i liked rushmore a lot, thought malkovich was OK (i like strange movies sometimes), agree 111% with mike about woody allen, and thought willy wonka was a good movie 

[Joe Don Faker]

defending it's brilliance or the brilliance of any Wes Anderson film is just a waste of time.  picking that hill to die on is silly.

If you pick Rushmore, you get to die on a mountain.

[mrbakasan]

Bar none, if you don't like Dr. Strangelove, you have absolutely no sense of humor.

Hahaha...looks like someone struck a nerve.  Its just a movie.  Seriously.  No really.  Fact is that if you go to any college campus film class just about everyone will talk about how great Dr. Strangelove is.  When I was getting my BS I took a few film courses and that was one of those movies where everyone will talk about how its soo amazing, yet usually can't really say why.  If you ask them they will just say, "It's such an amazing political satire...and Peter Sellers was soooo brilliant."  I thought Mike's article was hilarious and spot on.  There is nothing I dislike more than pretentious jackassery from filmmakers or "movie connoisseurs".  Give me John Carpenter over Stanley Kubrick any day.

I really hated Rushmore.  I feel like its the king of snobbish anti-comedies (Lost in Translation is pretty far up there though).

[Joe Don Faker]

Dr. Strangelove is great, but it also was able to make James Earl Jones flying around somehow be boring.  Lucas couldn't do that. 

One reason I think it's great satire:  compare George C. Scott's general with the one Rod Steiger plays in Mars Attacks!   One's a dangerous goofball that we can't help liking, even as he's describing with great relish the chances of his men evading missiles and starting WWIII; the other a unlikable cardboard cutout barking orders.  Strangelove serves it up to humanity, proper -- but with affection.

[mrbakasan]

Dr. Strangelove is great, but it also was able to make James Earl Jones flying around somehow be boring.  Lucas couldn't do that. 

One reason I think it's great satire:  compare George C. Scott's general with the one Rod Steiger plays in Mars Attacks!   One's a dangerous goofball that we can't help liking, even as he's describing with great relish the chances of his men evading missiles and starting WWIII; the other a unlikable cardboard cutout barking orders.  Strangelove serves it up to humanity, proper -- but with affection.

Fair enough, but I think that it is undeniable (in my experience at least) that there are a huge number of people that "like" this movie because they think anyone who knows film is supposed too.  I certainly won't deny that we all have different tastes in film, but overly defensive, pretentious bs makes my head hurt (I hope you know that this is not directed at your post Joe Don). 

[mrbasehart]

The thing I don't like about Strangelove is Peter Sellers.  I've never found him funny, except perhaps in Being There.  Alec Guinness did the multiple role thing much better in Kind Hearts and Coronets.

Now how's that for film snobbery? 

[Joe Don Faker]

I think that it is undeniable (in my experience at least) that there are a huge number of people that "like" this movie because they think anyone who knows film is supposed too.  I certainly won't deny that we all have different tastes in film, but overly defensive, pretentious bs makes my head hurt (I hope you know that this is not directed at your post Joe Don). 

No, I hear ya Mr. Bakasan.  There can be a thoughtless over-reverence for things just because the viewpoint is perceived as the 'right' thing to think...  And Mike was mocking that tendency.

Like the recent indie movie "Little Miss Sunshine,"  which I thought was cute and had some good performances.  But when someone on imdb said, "This is just National Lampoon's Vacation, for people that think they're too smart for National Lampoon's Vacation,"  I had to laugh, because it took the piss out of that kind of thinking.

[starfighter]

   A person could easily be capable of appreciating both NatLamp's Vacation and Little Miss Sunshine. There's even the similarity of grandparents kicking off during both road trips.  Sunshine completely sold itself to me by having little Olive dance to "Super Freak" as a metaphor for the whole creepy sexualization of the pagaent girls, but to Olive it's just a completely innocent expression of her relationship with her grandfather.
    I'm also a big fan of Dr. Strangelove, having watched it several times, but I do agree that I don't care if I ever see Diner or Rushmore again.  Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

[Dr.Impossible]

The only thing that's more pretentious than someone pretending to like a movie in order to look intelligent is someone trying to look cool by pretending they can tell whether or not you're pretending.

Calling people or things "pretentious" is, in itself, pretentious.

[mrbakasan]

The only thing that's more pretentious than someone pretending to like a movie in order to look intelligent is someone trying to look cool by pretending they can tell whether or not you're pretending.

Calling people or things "pretentious" is, in itself, pretentious.

Your logic is utter nonsense.

[Dr.Impossible]

The only thing that's more pretentious than someone pretending to like a movie in order to look intelligent is someone trying to look cool by pretending they can tell whether or not you're pretending.

Calling people or things "pretentious" is, in itself, pretentious.

You logic is utter nonsense.

Not at all. By "pretending" you know whether or not someone really likes something (when there's no way you really can) you're being pretentious in order to make yourself look more genuine in comparison. Quite simple really.

[mrbakasan]

The only thing that's more pretentious than someone pretending to like a movie in order to look intelligent is someone trying to look cool by pretending they can tell whether or not you're pretending.

Calling people or things "pretentious" is, in itself, pretentious.

You logic is utter nonsense.

Not at all. By "pretending" you know whether or not someone really likes something (when there's no way you really can) you're being pretentious in order to make yourself look more genuine in comparison. Quite simple really.

No, trying to defend you self-esteem by making nonsense statements is just that, nonsense.  We could argue about what the word pretentious means and how it can be used all day, but your argument doesn't work.