I'll ask the same question here that I ask almost all the time in other contexts and with equal disdain.
Classic, is it? And who decided that?
Classics
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I'll ask the same question here that I ask almost all the time in other contexts and with equal disdain.
Classic, is it? And who decided that?
...agreed, "classic" is a term tossed about WAY to readily....it's very subjective and just because a gaggle of critics wet their pants over the films-that doesn't make them timeless treasures...nor, does someone loving the movie-qualify it for "classic" status.....I enjoyed the hell out of the flick, Priest....but that ain't gonna land it in a hall of fame anywhere....
Experts decide. For instance, who decides which cars are classics? The rest of us non-experts have only opinion on our side. I respect and tend to trust the opinion of an expert.
I guess that's fair.
Me? I prefer to know a little about everything, as opposed to claiming superior knowledge about esoterica.
I guess that's just me.
...depends on the definition of "classic" you're using....for me, it's any vehicle over 25 years of age-that is given that moniker-whether it's a dog or a dream ride, again the "experts" use subjectiveness to make their picks, not because of sales numbers, engines, design etc....for me, if it appeals to my heart-then it's a classic....
I don't think one can become an expert by using only subjection, opinion. But I'm not an expert on anything that I know of. I know this though, there are a lot of movies that a lot of people love which I personally don't care for, while there are a lot of movies the so-called experts love which I love. There are movies which the experts love which I haven't seen because of subject matter or some other factor which doesn't usually interest me. I remind myself of people who avoid reading an sK book because they assume too much about the author or simply based on impressions from the book's title. One day maybe I'll watch The Grapes of Wrath or some other "classic" and realize I'd been missing out.
I've never liked the term "classics," either. I'd rather just spend my time watching movies I want to watch rather than ones other people say I need to watch. And this does mean missing out on some good stuff every now and then, but I'm okay with that. I'd rather watch a movie when I think I'm ready for it rather than watch something right now just to say, "Yeah, I watched that."
IMHO, to call a book, movie, or other piece of art 'classic' is a combination of critics' praise and audience staying power. If something becomes a vital part of national or international dialogue (people's lives), it is a classic. There is certainly subjectivity involved: to keep it in the realm of our host's books, compare The Stand and Lisey's Story. Because it has remained vital in public conversation and influence (who here can't off hand name several movies, books, even songs, that have drawn influence from The Stand?), and critics have grudgingly have come to admit that it has merit, it is a classic. Lisey's Story is objectively a more accomplished work, by far Mr. King's most 'literate' book, and got positive critical attention from the start, but it hasn't captured the public's affection (yet), so it isn't a classic. Fits one criteria (critics), but falls short in the other (public opinion). Something that gets just one or the other (critics or public) usually won't be considered a classic. Sort of weird, but there it is
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I've seen all except for The Seventh Seal. I've see GWTW so many times I can quote dialogue. Ben Hur I only watched to say I've seen it. Citizen Kane I find to be intricate and labrynthian. Grapes of Wrath and Godfather and Casablanca favorites.
...by Jove, I think she's got it!!!....IMHO, to call a book, movie, or other piece of art 'classic' is a combination of critics' praise and audience staying power. If something becomes a vital part of national or international dialogue (people's lives), it is a classic. There is certainly subjectivity involved: to keep it in the realm of our host's books, compare The Stand and Lisey's Story. Because it has remained vital in public conversation and influence (who here can't off hand name several movies, books, even songs, that have drawn influence from The Stand?), and critics have grudgingly have come to admit that it has merit, it is a classic. Lisey's Story is objectively a more accomplished work, by far Mr. King's most 'literate' book, and got positive critical attention from the start, but it hasn't captured the public's affection (yet), so it isn't a classic. Fits one criteria (critics), but falls short in the other (public opinion). Something that gets just one or the other (critics or public) usually won't be considered a classic. Sort of weird, but there it is
Ish! I've only seen The Godfather and To Kill a Mockingbird. I think I have the lowest score!
MY Fair Lady! A classic!
Have not seen To Kill a Mockingbird and The Grapes of Wrath. Heve seen the others.
From that list, I've never seen:
Gone With the Wind
Sunset Blvd
The Seventh Seal
To Kill A Mockingbird
Gone With the Wind
Sunset Blvd
The Seventh Seal
To Kill A Mockingbird
Haven't seen The Seventh Seal. Saw the first six seals, though. Playful little beasts.
Bah, the list is pedestrian. It's what the layman thinks when he speaks of classics. I mean, Casablanca, yeah, great, love me some Bogie, but dig deeper (pun, son) and you'll find The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, and from there, you'll wanna see more Walter Huston, so you go Dodsworth, and then, if yer lucky, you'll stumble upon Kongo...
I like digging for those obscure gems that rarely make any lists. Hardly anyone would call High School Confidential a classic, but it's one of my absolute all time faves. It's stupid, but I love it. Gun Crazy, that's fun stuff. I can watch Bob Mitchum and Kirk Douglas duke it out (while an aroused and feline Jane Greer looks on) in Out of the Past over and over. Film noir, German Expressionism; risqué, pre-code talkies like Sign of the Cross and Call Her Savage.
Just because something is old (and in *gasp* black-n-white) does not mean it's lame. That's juvenile thinking, and should be avoided. I've always been an old film geek, even as a child. I don't need a lot of digital bells and whistles to stimulate my senses; I have a healthy imagination, which greatly compensates for the lack of collosal production values and inhanced imaging.
Bah, the list is pedestrian. It's what the layman thinks when he speaks of classics. I mean, Casablanca, yeah, great, love me some Bogie, but dig deeper (pun, son) and you'll find The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, and from there, you'll wanna see more Walter Huston, so you go Dodsworth, and then, if yer lucky, you'll stumble upon Kongo...
I like digging for those obscure gems that rarely make any lists. Hardly anyone would call High School Confidential a classic, but it's one of my absolute all time faves. It's stupid, but I love it. Gun Crazy, that's fun stuff. I can watch Bob Mitchum and Kirk Douglas duke it out (while an aroused and feline Jane Greer looks on) in Out of the Past over and over. Film noir, German Expressionism; risqué, pre-code talkies like Sign of the Cross and Call Her Savage.
Just because something is old (and in *gasp* black-n-white) does not mean it's lame. That's juvenile thinking, and should be avoided. I've always been an old film geek, even as a child. I don't need a lot of digital bells and whistles to stimulate my senses; I have a healthy imagination, which greatly compensates for the lack of collosal production values and inhanced imaging.
Never saw Sunset Boulevard. Seen parts of Seventh Seal. Have seen all the rest. Yeah, after hearing about Citizen Kane being touted as arguably the best of all time, we sat and watched it, and my goodness, it was dreary. My parents loved Gone With the Wind, but it bored the snot out of me. And I saw 2001 when it first came out, and my oh-so-cool friends were enthralled with it, but past the clever sets, I longed for an actual comprehensible story. I've seen Ben Hur and The Ten Commandments, but spectacle movies have just never grabbed me. I thought Gladiator might convert me, but nope.
I was going to nitpick about the list's choice of "classics," but the theme is one of popular pretension rather than actual classics, so I'll give it a pass on that. I agree, though, that High Noon should be on that list. No problem with Lawrence of Arabia. Other classic movies that people say they'll watch, probably won't, and actually should: Rear Window. On the Waterfront. And a few dozen others.
Any set of actual classics should include at least a sampling of Hitchcock and Spielberg.
I was going to nitpick about the list's choice of "classics," but the theme is one of popular pretension rather than actual classics, so I'll give it a pass on that. I agree, though, that High Noon should be on that list. No problem with Lawrence of Arabia. Other classic movies that people say they'll watch, probably won't, and actually should: Rear Window. On the Waterfront. And a few dozen others.
Any set of actual classics should include at least a sampling of Hitchcock and Spielberg.
We tie - I've only seen GWTW and The Godfather.Ish! I've only seen The Godfather and To Kill a Mockingbird. I think I have the lowest score!
Imho, 2001 was similar to The Shining in that Kubrick took an existing story, rewrote it to please himself, then directed it expecting the audience to be able to read his mind. Virtually no one who had not read ACClarke's novel prior the seeing 2001 had much of an idea what the movie was about.