If I Could Get Away Without Seeing Ads...

[bcholmes]

I watched Little Children tonight. I knew nothing about the film, and the description on the box made it sound like I'd hate it. But I watch so many DVDs, I often rent films that I question whether or not I'll enjoy.

I liked it. There were lots of little elements of the story I liked. Kate Winslet uses the 'f' word (feminist) in an approving manner (with no time given to anti-straw-feminist positions). The weird and conflicting set of emotions that we end up feeling over the character with the unhealthy interest in children. The whole sequence where the reading group discusses Madame Bovary, and the way it's interweaved with scenes of an affair between two characters.

Lots of excellent moments. I had just mentioned to the_siobhan (when she was over Wednesday night) that I expected to hate it, and although I can't say that I loved it, I'm glad to have seen it.

I think I've realized that I'm most pleasantly surprised by films I know nothing about. Some of the films that just blew me away, I knew almost nothing about before seeing: Solaris, The Hours, and Crash are ones that stand out to me. So, perhaps I just shouldn't watch any ads for any movies, ever.

Comments

[kightp.livejournal.com]

So, perhaps I just shouldn't watch any ads for any movies, ever.

I mostly don't. Virtually all of my movie-watching these days is on DVD, and half the time I fast-forward through the trailers, unless the film is from a particular line of films (some foreign film distributers, for instance, or New Line) whose consistent high quality makes me want to see what else they've got coming out.

And thanks for the mini-review. I spotted Little Children in the video store the other night and passed; now I'll rent it on my next visit.

[cigfran-lwyd.livejournal.com]

when you mention "crash", are you referring to the recent paul haggis movie, or to the film of the jg ballard novel?

re: soderbergh. have you seen "the limey"? he seems to alternate good/indifferent films. this is, i think, one of the good ones.

[bcholmes.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I mean the Paul Haggis film. I liked it. I know that so many people started to hate it after it beat out Brokeback Mountain at the Oscars.

By contrast, by the time I finally saw Brokeback Mountain, I was hugely disappointed because everyone had told me how incredible it was.

[epi-lj.livejournal.com]

I've often found the same thing, and I think it's actually directly *because* I went in with no previous exposure or expectations.

I find that with other media, as well.

I'm sorry Dave

[firecat]

I try hard to avoid movie ads and buzz, and mostly succeed. (I do end up seeing trailers when I go to the theater, but I tend to forget them pretty quickly.) I tend to like movies better when I know less about them beforehand.

[erik]

I'm pretty completely divorced from pop culture; the only way I know about a movie is billboards and trailers.

I prefer to know nothing about a film before the curtain goes up: In the theatre I watch the trailer and if it looks interesting I write down the title and release date. Then I forget the whole thing. So unless its a franchise film (I know what the next Harry Potter film is about), I know very little when I go see a movie.