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lordofdance

Member since 8/12/2007, last signed in yesterday.
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Re: Determining Favorite Movies ...
By lordofdance in Philosophy of Film
"I just happened to be reading about Existentialism and came across the concept of Bad Faith. I guess I made up the theory of applying it to favorite movies.Anyway, I don't see why it's problematic to say that there are basically two paths a movie aficionado can follow. I mean, either the person will choose to study the "important" movies or they will seek out personally fulfilling movies. There are too many movies out there for a person to adequately explore both. Sure, a person could choose to specialize in one genre, which may allow for studying the classics and finding personal favorites in equal measure, but that's the only way to really pull it off. Because I try to watch every genre (though some more than others) and I want to find personal favorites, I have to neglect the classics to some extent. I do watch them, but not as a priority. The way I see it, a movie is a movie. Either I'll like it or I won't, so classic status doesn't mean anything ... " [More]

Re: Determining Favorite Movies ...
By lordofdance in Philosophy of Film
"Of course a person can naturally gravitate toward movies on the AFI list, but there is no way that anybody can truly claim all of them, or even most of them, as truly personal favorites. It's possible that a person enjoys Godfather-like movies, and may use The Godfather as a placeholder until they find the gangster epic that really meets the criteria for personal favorite. Maybe Once Upon A Time In America or Goodfellas or Scarface is the true favorite. The person could stop at The Godfather and say "Good enough", but then they really aren't commited to making a real favorites list. Risselada made the point that people want to be in the know, and that's why they watch the classics or movies off lists. They can choose to be in the know at the expense of finding true favorites, but then that's a different goal. I guess if they state "I want to be in the know" then it's not Bad Faith to stick with the classics. Perhaps every movie aficionado needs to choo ... " [More]

Re: Determining Favorite Movies ...
By lordofdance in Philosophy of Film
"My intended point was not that it is wrong to approach watching movies in a structured way, or that it is wrong to watch Citizen Kane just to see what the fuss is about. Bad Faith involves doing anything that is contrary to what one's personal nature or goals dictate, from what I understand. So if someone says "I am going to create a list of favorite movies", but then proceeds to watch all the AFI top movies and claims them all as personal favorites, this would be extremely Bad Faith. Because so many movies exist, it is extraordinarily unlikely that those movies would prove to be personally fulfilling above all others. That's what my point is. There is no criteria for what a favorite is beyond what the person finds personally enjoyable. I never tried to define "favorite" in any other way. And, yes, having your own opinion about Citizen Kane does make you genuine.I'm not saying that this is really some Existentialist issue, exactly. I just found the Bad Faith thi ... " [More]

Re: Determining Favorite Movies ...
By lordofdance in Philosophy of Film
"I try to see everything like that. What better way is there to be vigilant against self-delusion and stagnation? " [More]

Re: Determining Favorite Movies ...
By lordofdance in Philosophy of Film
"As I said before, I don't have a problem with people watching the classics or liking them. I just feel that many people settle for listing a classic among their favorites when another movie would better suit them personally. I didn't mean to imply that you believe people should want to be sculpted, I just think that they should be aware of it and act accordingly. I don't think anybody should list a movie as a favorite if they haven't seen it. My point is that they should actively seek out movies that truly represent their personal tastes rather than just stopping at the classics. I don't really see how it matters whether the classics are better known or not. The whole idea is that that it shouldn't matter how popular a movie is, only if it genuinely reflects one's personal tastes. Just because a movie is widely known shouldn't stop someone from finding one that isn't. Ideally, all movies should be viewed the same. Obscure or popular shou ... " [More]

Re: Determining Favorite Movies ...
By lordofdance in Philosophy of Film
"I don't disagree with watching the classics at all. That is not Bad Faith by itself. Claiming them as favorites wholesale without exploring other movies is Bad Faith, though.Stockholm Syndrome.... that is a theory worth considering. " [More]

Re: Determining Favorite Movies ...
By lordofdance in Philosophy of Film
"I can't really differentiate all of those anymore. Either I like it or I don't. I guess I could go through and make a seperate list of rankings for the widely accliaimed movies. Maybe I should just go through all the Greatest Movie lists and rank them according to my own opinion. " [More]

Re: Determining Favorite Movies ...
By lordofdance in Philosophy of Film
"I don't watch the show, but I'd be curious to see the episode you're talking about. " [More]

Re: Determining Favorite Movies ...
By lordofdance in Philosophy of Film
"I don't think anyone should want to be "sculpted" into liking anything. Todays movies may very well owe a debt to those of the past, but that doesn't obligate anyone to automatically like any of them. It is true that there is more dialogue and information about such movies, but that is no justification to just watch the classics and not search for movies that might be more personally fulfilling. Perhaps people who are supposedly touched by the classics are actually being touched by the prestige that comes with liking them. Maybe being part of the crowd makes them feel good. I don't deny that there are people who genuinely like the classics, and I even said there's nothing wrong with doing so. However, the classics should only be a starting point. Some people don't get that and end up selling themselves short. " [More]

Determining Favorite Movies the ...
By lordofdance in Philosophy of Film
"I'm not an expert on Existentialist thought or anything, but using the concept of 'Bad Faith' as a means of making a personal favorite movies list is an interesting idea. Bad Faith, as I understand it, comes into play whenever an individual behaves in such a way that their authentic self is betrayed. Because people are entirely free to make their own decisions in life, a person who does not act on this freedom is not being authentic. No person has a defined role or purpose, and so there is no excuse to limit one's self to a particular course of action based on artificially created boundaries.The way see it, anyone who determines their favorite movies based on any criteria beyond what is personally enjoyable is acting in Bad Faith. For example, many people feel obligated to include movies such as Citizen Kane or The Godfather among their favorites, even though there are many other movies that they enjoy more on a personal level. There is nothing requiring anyone ... " [More]

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