Movie/TV Suggestions Gone Awry

[Goliath]

The year I was born, my Dad went to see 2001: A Space Odyssey on the big screen, with my Mom and my grandparents.

Dad was enthralled--he thought it was one of the greatest movies he'd ever seen. But when they left the theatre, Grandpa said: "What the hell was that?"

In my experience, it's almost always a mistake to share a movie that you love--or anything that you love, really--with other people who don't already share your enthusiasm.

Our reactions to works of art are not even weakly correlated to their quality. To a proud parent, a child's crude finger-painting is worth more than any number of Old Masters.

When we talk about art, or literature, or film, we're really just talking about ourselves. So, before you share a favourite movie with someone, ask yourself: does this person really want to sit and listen to you talk about yourself for 90 minutes?

Sharing a movie you love with someone else just gives them a reason to dislike you, and for you to dislike them. Better to just keep it to yourself. If you must share, find someone else who has already seen it, and who reacted the same way you did.

 

[Spot's Meow]

Sharing a movie you love with someone else just gives them a reason to dislike you, and for you to dislike them.

Well I never thought of it that way before. I do think there is some benefit to sharing it though. When you do happen to find someone who feels the same way as you, it can be a great bonding experience. I would have lost out on a lot of great conversations with friends if I had never revealed my like for Star Trek and discovered that they love it too!

 

[the G-man]

My wife rented two seasons of "Oz" on Netflix because she kept hearing how "critically acclaimed" it was.

Knowing that Mrs G doesn't have a great tolerance for violent TV shows I suggested that maybe this one wasn't for her. She kept insisting she wanted to watch it.

She got through an episode and a half, much of which was spent covering her eyes and wimpering.

 

[the G-man]

I have told people to check out Smallville and then I never hear from them again.

You deserve to die alone.

 

[auntiehill]

My wife rented two seasons of "Oz" on Netflix because she kept hearing how "critically acclaimed" it was.

Knowing that Mrs G doesn't have a great tolerance for violent TV shows I suggested that maybe this one wasn't for her. She kept insisting she wanted to watch it.

She got through an episode and a half, much of which was spent covering her eyes and wimpering.

Oh dear.

My best pal is twenty years older than I am (and sadly, lives on the other side of the country now). She and her husband are closet-geeks. They look to me and Hubby for all things Geek and Nerd chic. We got them into board games (Settlers and Munchkin) and they ask us what movies and TV shows to watch. The problem is that Hubby and I are atheists, swear like sailors, have a slightly twisted sense of humor. Pal and her husband are deeply religious, never EVER swear, and shy away from things that aren't "uplifting."

When they ask what we're watching or what shows we're into, I always qualify it with tons of disclaimers. Yet, surprisingly enough, the three things I've recommended to her in the past few years that she's loved the most are Deadwood, Dexter and The Walking Dead.

Who'da thunk?

 

[Dusty Ayres]

A good example is The Manchurian Candidate.

Sorry, but I loved both versions of The Manchurian Candidate , and though that the second improved slightly on the first, mostly by getting rid of the Senator Johnny Iselin character.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

^ Given the thread title, 'tis fitting!

 

[Mistral]

Oh, wait, I misread it. I thought Mr. auntiehill was the Ebert worshiper. The movie I was referring to that Ebert didn't like was Fight Club.

No, you read it right. As I said before, I only mentioned that I loved Ebert to show how much I loved movies, hence Hubby thinking that I would HIS favorite movie---which I did not. And, yes, I know that was the movie you were referring to.

I went out to the movies once with a co-worker, and we saw "Dark City." I really enjoyed it. When we came out of the theater, I turned to her and she just stared back blankly and said, "I don't get it." I explained it, and she still didn't get it and said she didn't like the movie because it was "weird." I think that was the moment I discovered she was a bit dim-witted.

I try not to share such things with co-workers for this very reason. Bad experiences in the past. You find out how slow they are-and they realize how smart you are compared to them. Never a good combination.

My wife, *sigh*, thinks Legally Blonde is hysterical.

I do not. I watched it (several times) because she wanted to.I am a patient and loving husband. She watched a number of scifi movies on my say-so despite a general lack of interest. One or two grabbed her-the rest, not so much.
But we still try to watch movies together, even if it's a choice one of us wouldn't have made.

 

[od0_ital]

Got another one...

A few years back, my granny & my dad's widow would go over to a relative's house to watch movies two or three nights a week. He had Netflix, so he was gettin' new stuff in all the time. Once, he asked if I had any suggestions for new stuff to watch, since he was burnin' through stuff he already knew would be good. I took a look at his rental history, the movies on his shelves, and told him I'd shoot him an email.

When I did email some suggestions, I put The Shield at the top of the list.

A couple of weeks later, I'm on the phone with my granny, and she starts complainin' about goin' over for movie nights. "od0," she says, "some of that stuff is just filthy and its not fit to watch! Especially not in mixed company!" And she goes on and on about how today's standards are lower and some things just shouldn't be considered entertainment.

And I went along with her, 'cause she's my granny.

A few days after the phone call, I got an email back from the widow's relative, thankin' me for turnin' him onto The Shield, lettin' me know he was about to start the third season.

Turns out they'd been watchin' four episodes at a time on the movie nights...

...oops?

 

[auntiehill]

^

At least it wasn't Deadwood.

 

[Jetfire]

I have told people to check out Smallville and then I never hear from them again.

You deserve to die alone.

I will.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

In my experience, it's almost always a mistake to share a movie that you love--or anything that you love, really--with other people who don't already share your enthusiasm.

Our reactions to works of art are not even weakly correlated to their quality. To a proud parent, a child's crude finger-painting is worth more than any number of Old Masters.

When we talk about art, or literature, or film, we're really just talking about ourselves. So, before you share a favourite movie with someone, ask yourself: does this person really want to sit and listen to you talk about yourself for 90 minutes?

Sharing a movie you love with someone else just gives them a reason to dislike you, and for you to dislike them. Better to just keep it to yourself. If you must share, find someone else who has already seen it, and who reacted the same way you did.

There's actually a LOT of truth in this, though I don't know that we have to completely keep it to ourselves.

Even simply remembering to keep it fun, as opposed to making it a life-and-death matter, is enough to help. It's OK to make a suggestion, but not to belabor the point, I think. Tact is very important because as you say, art is a very personal thing and our reasons for caring about it and being sentimental can be that it connects with parts of us that are very central to who we are.

Now...I am one of those dreaded people who doesn't like black-and-white films, both because of aesthetics and because the acting style drives me up a wall. Music is easier for me to relate to. I don't claim to be a big movie fan, but it's not because I'm stupid. I just can't sit there and watch something for 90 minutes unless it's really, really, REALLY special, when I could be using that time for writing, drawing, or music.

 

[Mistral]

In my experience, it's almost always a mistake to share a movie that you love--or anything that you love, really--with other people who don't already share your enthusiasm.

Our reactions to works of art are not even weakly correlated to their quality. To a proud parent, a child's crude finger-painting is worth more than any number of Old Masters.

When we talk about art, or literature, or film, we're really just talking about ourselves. So, before you share a favourite movie with someone, ask yourself: does this person really want to sit and listen to you talk about yourself for 90 minutes?

Sharing a movie you love with someone else just gives them a reason to dislike you, and for you to dislike them. Better to just keep it to yourself. If you must share, find someone else who has already seen it, and who reacted the same way you did.

There's actually a LOT of truth in this, though I don't know that we have to completely keep it to ourselves.

Even simply remembering to keep it fun, as opposed to making it a life-and-death matter, is enough to help. It's OK to make a suggestion, but not to belabor the point, I think. Tact is very important because as you say, art is a very personal thing and our reasons for caring about it and being sentimental can be that it connects with parts of us that are very central to who we are.

Now...I am one of those dreaded people who doesn't like black-and-white films, both because of aesthetics and because the acting style drives me up a wall. Music is easier for me to relate to. I don't claim to be a big movie fan, but it's not because I'm stupid. I just can't sit there and watch something for 90 minutes unless it's really, really, REALLY special, when I could be using that time for writing, drawing, or music.

Might I suggest Across The Universe? It's visually impressive with beautiful covers of the Beatles music and -oh, wait, just realized what thread I was in. Nevermind.