syntheticgerbil Posted November 3, 2015 No one actually thinks Scooby Doo is good though, nor ever did. Scooby Doo is the animated equivalent of those awful chalky heart candies at valentines: Universally disliked, inexplicably ubiquitous. Nope, TV Guide magazine thinks it's the fifth best TV cartoon of all time: http://www.tvguide.com/news/greatest-cartoons-tv-guide-magazine-1071203/ That is irrefutable proof. Plus Bjorn said it is the best cartoon of all time. Scooby Doo wins this thread. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zeusthecat Posted November 3, 2015 I think Pitch Black is overrated. It's kind of corny, Vin Diesel is kind of a turd, and it bothered me endlessly that they luck out and find these glowing slugs that produce enough light to repel the alien bugs and the alien bugs are too stupid to just sweep in and scatter them quickly before the light could damage them. With as vicious as they are, they could have easily overwhelmed them and killed them all without barely sustaining more than a sunburn. Also, I may just not like these types of movies. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Problem Machine Posted November 3, 2015 Nope, TV Guide magazine thinks it's the fifth best TV cartoon of all time: http://www.tvguide.com/news/greatest-cartoons-tv-guide-magazine-1071203/ how in the fuck Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Twig Posted November 3, 2015 Cause people like fun things, that's how! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Problem Machine Posted November 3, 2015 that the exact opposite of explains it Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bjorn Posted November 3, 2015 The Scooby Doo theme song is literally the ringer on my phone right now, and Velma saying "Jinkies!" is my text notification. Scooby Doo is awesome, yo. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jennegatron Posted November 3, 2015 I think Christmas is overrated. Like the month, two month long build up to Christmas is the worst. That's a classic right? Am I doing this thread right? (The day itself is boss. I love presents and food, but hard pass on the music & the decorations.) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nappi Posted November 3, 2015 I feel like "classic" as a status is overrated. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Griddlelol Posted November 3, 2015 Can this be about games too? I'm not really enjoying Super Mario Bros. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Problem Machine Posted November 3, 2015 Super Mario Bros was the first platformer to really have good feeling momentum I think, but i don't think is really remarkable by modern standards beyond that. SMB3 and Super Mario World are the ones that still hold up. Though I contend that SMB2/Doki Doki Panic is still a good fucking game even if it's not a 'real' Super Mario game. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Patrick R Posted November 3, 2015 I feel like the term "classic" is thrown around a lot, but in relatively new mediums like video games and film, I don't know how much it can mean. One of the interesting things about the Sight and Sound poll only occurring every 10 years is it really makes clear how "canon" is a nebulous concept that's constantly subtly changing. I think maybe film has reached a point where things are beginning to solidify and films like The Rules of the Game or Citizen Kane will never lose their classic status. But video games are much younger. Super Mario Bros. is only 32 years old and people even younger than that grew up in houses with an NES where it was played. Wait another 30 years, and who knows how relevant it will remain, other than as a historically foundational work. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Twig Posted November 3, 2015 Some people are just, for whatever reason, incapable of enjoying Old Shit. I myself have a real hard time with Deus Ex (the original), even though I know I should ostensibly love it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Erkki Posted November 3, 2015 I don't really see a problem with having a term that says "will likely stand the test of time". Sure, we cannot speak with certainty about whether a work of film or video game will be ageless or not, but we can have a pretty good guess. I can't imagine Doom, Deus Ex or even Far Cry 2 suddenly losing their status any time soon. I actually like a lot of old movies, even ones that are twice as old as Taxi Driver. But fuck that movie. Actually, after having digested it a bit longer, I realized that maybe it's not as bad as my immediate reaction was, and in some ways it did leave an impression, and I liked some of the shots a lot, but still in my eyes there are way better movies that explore similar themes. There are hundreds of small indie movies I would watch instead of this. Maybe if I had seen it as an adult at the time when it was made ... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Erkki Posted November 3, 2015 Birdman ASL 87.1s Fury Road 2.6s Both great movies, seems like a meaningless metric. [Edit] Sorry, I meant meaningless metric to judge enjoyability of a particular film, but maybe when applied to whole generations of movies it is useful. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
James Posted November 3, 2015 It's not meant to be a measure of quality. It's just a tool to demonstrate trends in film-making. There's nothing inherently better about long takes; it's just that perhaps the general preference for shorter takes leaves modern audiences too impatient to appreciate slower-paced editing. I'm personally quite a fan of long takes, but obviously different films will be best served by different styles. I presume for Birdman it counts the disguised edits? Because otherwise shouldn't it be over an hour? Most of the film is presented as a single shot. Does anyone know why that site is under a Latvian domain, by the way? Does .lv correspond to something else relevant to the subject matter? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Patrick R Posted November 3, 2015 I don't really see a problem with having a term that says "will likely stand the test of time". Sure, we cannot speak with certainty about whether a work of film or video game will be ageless or not, but we can have a pretty good guess. I can't imagine Doom, Deus Ex or even Far Cry 2 suddenly losing their status any time soon. I think I disagree with you on how good a guess we can make, unless you aren't talking about looking that far into the future. Deus Ex already seems to be losing it's classic status among a lot of people and I think Far Cry 2 is too divisive to be called a classic right now, the way Vertigo got a pretty dicey reaction when it came out only to be considered Hitchcock's greatest work years and years later. I actually like a lot of old movies, even ones that are twice as old as Taxi Driver. But fuck that movie. Actually, after having digested it a bit longer, I realized that maybe it's not as bad as my immediate reaction was, and in some ways it did leave an impression, and I liked some of the shots a lot, but still in my eyes there are way better movies that explore similar themes. There are hundreds of small indie movies I would watch instead of this. All of this is totally fine. I will just say that, given your interpretation of the ending as a happy one, you probably took in the movie in a very different way than most people who consider it a classic. Everyone is free to their own interpretations, but most people view that ending (and the film in general) as being critical of violence's place in culture, not condoning it. The elevation of this insane and violent man into a hero because he put his murderous energy towards "the right people" is incredibly dark, especially with the film being a pretty explicit reaction to Vietnam. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fingus Posted November 3, 2015 Saw Deliverance not too long ago, and outside of the (justifiably) famous dueling banjos scene none of it really felt that noteworthy. I thought the premise was strong, but it didn't really go anywhere interesting. All I remember is Burt Reynolds running around in the forest with a really shitty post effect filter to make it look like night. Also tried watching Bad Boys more recently. I didn't get to finish it so I didn't get to any real action scenes which might have made up for it? I just got Smith and Lawrence being compelled by the script to be unlikable idiots who can't communicate. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Patrick R Posted November 3, 2015 Saw Deliverance not too long ago, and outside of the (justifiably) famous dueling banjos scene none of it really felt that noteworthy. I thought the premise was strong, but it didn't really go anywhere interesting. All I remember is Burt Reynolds running around in the forest with a really shitty post effect filter to make it look like night. Also tried watching Bad Boys more recently. I didn't get to finish it so I didn't get to any real action scenes which might have made up for it? I just got Smith and Lawrence being compelled by the script to be unlikable idiots who can't communicate. I like this post because it also brings into the conversation the different levels and realms of "classic". Deliverance is a "classic" because it's ubiquitous and a constant cultural touchstone, but it's not the kind of movie that would ever end up on a greatest films of all time list (not even the IMDB 250). I could be wrong but I don't think anyone thinks Bad Boys is any kind of classic. It's Bad Boys 2 that has the crazy cult following for being so mind-blowingly excessive. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cordeos Posted November 4, 2015 I like this post because it also brings into the conversation the different levels and realms of "classic". Deliverance is a "classic" because it's ubiquitous and a constant cultural touchstone, but it's not the kind of movie that would ever end up on a greatest films of all time list (not even the IMDB 250). I could be wrong but I don't think anyone thinks Bad Boys is any kind of classic. It's Bad Boys 2 that has the crazy cult following for being so mind-blowingly excessive. differentiating cultural touchstones and classics is difficult. The Indiana Jones films are a great example of this as well. Good film but not what I would consider a classic, but they are constantly referenced across all sorts of media. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Architecture Posted November 4, 2015 Raiders of the Lost Ark is a once-in-a-lifetime masterwork. It's the highlight of everyone's career, or close to it: Spielberg in his prime and a giant budget after back-to-back hits; Harrison Ford's middle entry into an insane triple-whammy (The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders, Blade Runner); Lawrence Kasden's script is flawless; Some of Williams's best music; et cetera ad infinitum. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SuperBiasedMan Posted November 4, 2015 I guess this is where I say that I didn't enjoy Raiders of the Lost Ark because often Indiana Jones himself is incompetent and almost always an ass to those around him, but the film is pretty sour if you don't like him. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Patrick R Posted November 4, 2015 I guess this is where I say that I didn't enjoy Raiders of the Lost Ark because often Indiana Jones himself is incompetent and almost always an ass to those around him, but the film is pretty sour if you don't like him. He'd incompetent except when he's not. He's the ultimate confident badass going into the ruin in the opening scene, but when he takes the statue he ends up triggering every trap in the place. He fluidly bounces between being a superman and an everyman and that's his appeal and why the film works so well. It allows these huge crazy action sequences to work because he gets his ass handed to him enough for there to still be stakes even as he is doing insane shit hanging on that truck that no real person could ever actually do. He's definitely a jerk though, in the way that most Bogart characters were jerks. I can see that being a turn off if you don't find Harrison Ford to be so unbelievably charming that you forgive him. I wonder how you feel about John McClane in the first Die Hard film, because that superman/everyman balance is also one of the things that movie got really right. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Henroid Posted November 4, 2015 Every book ever. Because hearing people talk, especially unscripted, is way more intriguing and enlightening as to who they are as people or what their philosophies are and how much they hold onto those philosophies. Writing just buys time to bullshit or mask over known flaws or errors in logic. Just like this post. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
