Koyaanisqatsi

[Hobbit]

Anybody else see this turd.  A friend of mine practically tied to me to a chair to force me to watch it, convinced that afterwards, I'd agree with him that the destruction of the internet would be good for society.  Yeah, the video is pretty sweet, but after about 10 minutes (out of about 90) it gets REALLY old.  I also resent the assertion that it is in no way slanted.  Just listen to which songs get paired up with which pictures, and it doesn't take a genius to figure out the point the creators were attempting to make..

Is it just me, or is this movie like those canvases that somebody just splattered paint on randomly?  It sucks and has no real point, but everybody pretends to like it so they can appear 'cultured,' 'open-minded,' and 'artistic.'

[Steve-O]

I think the imagery and the music are striking, and really enjoy the film on those merits.  I don't think I'd ever sit down and watch the whole thing through, but it's pretty cool to watch snippets of, or just have on in the background.  Whomever asserted to you that the film is not slanted was clearly on shrooms, however.

As a message film, though, Koyaanisqatsi is a complete failure, at least for me.  The scenes with the smokestacks and the cityscapes are obviously meant to be a jarring and unpleasant transition from the unspoiled landscapes, but I find them just as beautiful and awe-inspiring.  Yeah, it ain't natural, but it's cool looking.  At any rate, it doesn't make me want to relinquish modern civilization, put on a loin cloth, and go live in a cliff house.

[Hobbit]

I think the imagery and the music are striking, and really enjoy the film on those merits.  I don't think I'd ever sit down and watch the whole thing through, but it's pretty cool to watch snippets of, or just have on in the background.  Whomever asserted to you that the film is not slanted was clearly on shrooms, however.

As a message film, though, Koyaanisqatsi is a complete failure, at least for me.  The scenes with the smokestacks and the cityscapes are obviously meant to be a jarring and unpleasant transition from the unspoiled landscapes, but I find them just as beautiful and awe-inspiring.  Yeah, it ain't natural, but it's cool looking.  At any rate, it doesn't make me want to relinquish modern civilization, put on a loin cloth, and go live in a cliff house.

Totally agree, but like I said, after watching about 10 minutes of that, I got mind-numbingly bored.  I sat through the whole thing, just to say I had, but I could see it used as torture.

[Grillslinger]

Yeah...it was pretty painful....I bet that's what they forced that kid to watch for brainwashing in Lost.

[mrbasehart]

I really enjoyed it, though as Steve-O said, even the industrial scenes of the movie are beautiful, just in a different way.  I felt like it was a movie to kinda lose yourself in and let the images and music pass through you.  It's not going to appeal to everybody, but put me down as a fan.

[BEERxTaco]

I liked it strictly from an eye-candy (well, 1980's eye candy anyway) point of view. I liked the juxtapostion of the people on the escalators and the hot dog factory, lol... I haven't watched in a long time, but I used to put it on frequently in my younger days while enjoying various recreational materials... 

[kodiakthejuggler]

Festidgeo.

See, I can make up words too!

[gbeenie]

Yeah.

Visually, it's incredibly beautiful.

As a "message" movie, it's about as effective as Land of the Dead.

[Hebs]

I thought it was lovely - but I also have it, along with it's sister 'qaatsi' movies - on while I'm painting in my studio - not really watching every second. But every once in a while I'd look over and see traffic compared to a hotdog packing plant and feel small. 

[mrbasehart]

On similar sort of lines, Manufactured Landscapes is a pretty impressive documentary.  The opening 10 minutes are amazing, it's just a slow dolly track through a factory in China, which happens to be absolutely MASSIVE.  The movie also explores how industry has transformed the landscape - some places look almost alien.  It takes quite an impartial view on industry in general too, sometimes just looking at it aesthetically.

[Hebs]

On similar sort of lines, Manufactured Landscapes is a pretty impressive documentary.  The opening 10 minutes are amazing, it's just a slow dolly track through a factory in China, which happens to be absolutely MASSIVE.  The movie also explores how industry has transformed the landscape - some places look almost alien.  It takes quite an impartial view on industry in general too, sometimes just looking at it aesthetically.

I'll look it up - thanks for that.  I guess there must be a little cache of these movies - we can add Baraka to that list  
I also have this great dvd of just a nighttime city scape with no sound - you add your own soundtrack.  It's very inspired.
Sometimes Kitaro... other times... Ozzy. 

[Johnny Unusual]

Yeah.

Visually, it's incredibly beautiful.

As a "message" movie, it's about as effective as Land of the Dead.

I agree whole-heartedly.  I like it in many ways, but if you look at it as a message pic then it becomes boring and trite.  In fact, I think I would prefer Land of the Dead.

I'm not all that fond of Phillip Glass though.

A friend of mine practically tied to me to a chair to force me to watch it, convinced that afterwards, I'd agree with him that the destruction of the internet would be good for society.

"
Anyone who thinks that the elimination of ______ would be good for society is incredibly naive.  Society, or more accurately "societies" is/are far more complicated than that.

[Petey Wheatstraw]

As a "message" movie, it's about as effective as Land of the Dead.

The political satire of Land of the Dead works perfectly - it's a truly brilliant movie, and a refreshing film for everyone who's waited after years with no good zombie films.

As much as I'd like to defend Koyaanisqatsi from the attackers, I can't. This movie is a fucking sleeping pill. I like arty/experimental pictures, but this is just fucking boring. It's the same goddamn shit for 90 minutes. Fucking put me to sleep. When I tried to watch it, I woke up 80 minutes into the thing. It's a fucking boring film. I don't care how many people like it, it's fucking boring.

[Hobbit]

I thought it was lovely - but I also have it, along with it's sister 'qaatsi' movies - on while I'm painting in my studio - not really watching every second. But every once in a while I'd look over and see traffic compared to a hotdog packing plant and feel small. 

You mean there are more?  It's like watching the MST3K Deathstalker, only to later realize that not only is it the third one, it's the third of four.

[Variety of Cells]

This film is not trying to entertain you.  This film was not made for the masses.  It was trying to say something if you were willing to watch and listen.  You don't have to. 

Other films have done it better, but this is still a classic.  If it didn't speak to you, that's cool, maybe it wasn't meant for you.  I don't see any reason to get angry over art.  It was able to move some people, if only in small ways, and that's about as much as you can ask as an artist.