In college, my friend D and I went to this "underground" cinema which featured indie and classic films. My first film in this hastily set-up, stodgy living room cum renegade cinema was "Twelve Angry Men." This someone's living room soon became a part of my personal revolution against Hollywood formulaic films and my orientation into its anti-thesis.
My frustration with formulaic films collided with three disconnected developments: after-class discussions with a film professor, befriending an indie films dvd supplier and the discovery of a renegade cinema, which inevitably culminated into the fine-tuning of my film preferences. In that period, I was schooled in the fim noirs of Orson Welles and Dario Argento. I saw sci-fi films as how David Cronenberg interprets them, not only in "The Fly" but also in "eXisTenZ." The dark comedies of Jean-Pierre Jeunet before "Amelie" made Jeunet more accessible. The wrenching stories of Guiseppe Tornatore whom I previously reckoned to have made only porn. Same with Kubrick. And Wong Kar-Wai became more than just a wonky name.
I judiciously saved up for "Trainspotting", "Requiem for a Dream", "Pi" and "Monty Python" dvds. I searched the video rentals for "Blade Runner", "The Usual Suspects" and the "Seven Samurai". D and I hotly discussed "In Realm of the Senses" as though we would be quizzed on the subject any time.
Suddenly, movies weren't predictable and I didn't bother who the actors were on the screen. I saw new camera angles that I never thought possible much like new cortotions I never thought the body is capable of. I was not spoon-fed of the plot; key points in the narrative did not zoom pointedly to the center of the screen but instead subtly hinted at. Endings were not always clear-cut and often, the story continued to unfold in my head long after the movie has ended, redefining what "twist" meant. In short, I was treated as a discerning, intelligent movie-goer and I liked it.
Despite the exposure, my film preferences are not as refined as that of a bona fide cineast. The first few minutes of "2001: A Space Odyssey" I found utterly boring and I had a hard time validating the very graphic scenes in "A Clockwork Orange" although I suppose they were not meant to be validated. I know the book only equalled if not surpassed its lurid details. And then there was "Salo: The Last Days of Sodom", arguably one of the most challenging films to sit through to its entirety, which rendered itself to the stereotype of how art films are merely glorified pornography and made me question if a distinguishing line exists between films like Salo and a Ron Jeremy special.
I also had a hard time seeing past Benicio del Torro's paunch in "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." Of course, Johnny Depp was hardly acting; he was in his natural element surrounded by his er elements. Nonetheless, I was less than enthralled by the film.
And so, my film snobbery may not be as comprehensive as I'd hope but good enough to recognize little-known film such as "Don't Look Now" (at least I've never heard of it) as a gem, and open-minded enough to give "Slumdog Millionaire", independent of the hype, a chance.
I don't know what happened of Brash Young Cinema. Before senior year, I stopped going there. The last I heard of my professor, he was part of the production management of a television network. My dvd supplier has long closed shop.
But the "revolution", continues.
My frustration with formulaic films collided with three disconnected developments: after-class discussions with a film professor, befriending an indie films dvd supplier and the discovery of a renegade cinema, which inevitably culminated into the fine-tuning of my film preferences. In that period, I was schooled in the fim noirs of Orson Welles and Dario Argento. I saw sci-fi films as how David Cronenberg interprets them, not only in "The Fly" but also in "eXisTenZ." The dark comedies of Jean-Pierre Jeunet before "Amelie" made Jeunet more accessible. The wrenching stories of Guiseppe Tornatore whom I previously reckoned to have made only porn. Same with Kubrick. And Wong Kar-Wai became more than just a wonky name.
I judiciously saved up for "Trainspotting", "Requiem for a Dream", "Pi" and "Monty Python" dvds. I searched the video rentals for "Blade Runner", "The Usual Suspects" and the "Seven Samurai". D and I hotly discussed "In Realm of the Senses" as though we would be quizzed on the subject any time.
Suddenly, movies weren't predictable and I didn't bother who the actors were on the screen. I saw new camera angles that I never thought possible much like new cortotions I never thought the body is capable of. I was not spoon-fed of the plot; key points in the narrative did not zoom pointedly to the center of the screen but instead subtly hinted at. Endings were not always clear-cut and often, the story continued to unfold in my head long after the movie has ended, redefining what "twist" meant. In short, I was treated as a discerning, intelligent movie-goer and I liked it.
Despite the exposure, my film preferences are not as refined as that of a bona fide cineast. The first few minutes of "2001: A Space Odyssey" I found utterly boring and I had a hard time validating the very graphic scenes in "A Clockwork Orange" although I suppose they were not meant to be validated. I know the book only equalled if not surpassed its lurid details. And then there was "Salo: The Last Days of Sodom", arguably one of the most challenging films to sit through to its entirety, which rendered itself to the stereotype of how art films are merely glorified pornography and made me question if a distinguishing line exists between films like Salo and a Ron Jeremy special.
I also had a hard time seeing past Benicio del Torro's paunch in "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." Of course, Johnny Depp was hardly acting; he was in his natural element surrounded by his er elements. Nonetheless, I was less than enthralled by the film.
And so, my film snobbery may not be as comprehensive as I'd hope but good enough to recognize little-known film such as "Don't Look Now" (at least I've never heard of it) as a gem, and open-minded enough to give "Slumdog Millionaire", independent of the hype, a chance.
I don't know what happened of Brash Young Cinema. Before senior year, I stopped going there. The last I heard of my professor, he was part of the production management of a television network. My dvd supplier has long closed shop.
But the "revolution", continues.
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