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Enjoy the Best, Not the Latest, Media

kartick.substack.com

121–130 of 136 posts

Re: Enjoy the Best, Not the Latest, Media

#121
post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think part of it is also Netflix's shrinking catalog. Five years ago, before their initial contracts started running out, Netflix was a spot where you to go to watch anything. Netflix could afford to push people to tailored content because they had all the content. Now, however, those initial contracts have expired, and a host of streaming services have popped up. If I want to find a movie, I need to fire up Netfli…

https://reelgood.com/ You tell what you subscribe to, and it'll search all the catalogs at once.

"Heads up! Reelgood does not support your region yet."

I'd love a service like this that works internationally (or better yet, a world where I don't need this sort of thing).

Re: Enjoy the Best, Not the Latest, Media

#122
The point he tries to make loses a lot of credibility right off the bat by calling a movie with 94% approval by critics in RT and 82/100 average rating in metacritic "mediocre". That's higher than many award/festival winners... And, amusingly enough, on par with the movie he prefers, Mulholland Drive.

It gets weirder when he later says that we should go by the average rating and what a minority found great instead of what a majority found out to be ok... Except if the movie is Star Trek (2009), I guess (it has a lower rating in imdb than in either RT or MC).

And then he says that we should like stuff that has stood the test of time... But all the examples of his favorites are within a decade and a half of each other and the oldest is 33, which is young if we take in account the history of motion picture. In fact, his anti-example is closer to most of his examples than any of them to our time. And, of course, people are still talking about that movie, including him even if to disparage it.

He finally gets to what I assume is his thesis that we should pay attention to what has stood the test of time... Except if we do that we miss a ton of great content.

Sturgeon's law is a thing and it has always been. For every Godfather part II there were a hundred exploitation films. All the time, most of what's produced is garbage, but also every year (except, of course, the anomaly known as 2020) more media is produced. So, again by Sturgeon's law, that means that more great media is produced every year.

Apropos of nothing, my two favorite movies are a biopic/lawyer drama and a campy spy action movie. I can't choose between the two, and both were released the last decade (2010-19). I've also watched dozens of classics and I've liked most of them, but I've also hated a few.

So, ultimately, this is a matter of taste, and there's nothing wrong with having different tastes.

Re: Enjoy the Best, Not the Latest, Media

#123
post #26

As someone who apparently frequents much more pretentious online film circles than OP, the idea that the highest rated films and shows on IMDB represent the "best" of the mediums is kinda silly. The article uses Star Trek (2009) as its example of a mediocre film. Its IMDB rating is 7.9/10 from over 500k votes over 11 years -- surely this would place the film squarely in the "tried and tested" category. If I look on s…

> the idea that the highest rated films and shows on IMDB represent the "best" of the mediums is kinda silly.

OP here. If you have a better source, use it. Which source is the best was not the point of the article anyway. The point was that you should look for good stuff, not blindly watch the new movie or read the new book.

Re: Enjoy the Best, Not the Latest, Media

#124
post #94

I agree in general. But Mulholland Drive is absolute rubbish which people like because they know that most won't like it (because it's rubbish). I've been invited to similar groups that have esoteric music tastes. They think that because I have a good taste in music I will fit into those groups. But I can't stand them. It's all about finding the most obscure thing possible. The kind of thing that isn't popular for ve…

I genuinely enjoyed Mulhulland Drive, dislike Beethoven's ninth symphony (and most classical music) and Die Hard. True elitism is assuming your subjective preference is objectively better than other people's subjective preference. In the end, if you like something, that's all that matters.

There's no accounting for bad taste.

Re: Enjoy the Best, Not the Latest, Media

#125
post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Good way to enhance your bubble. I like to be thought provoked at times.

Yes, that's what the site is supposed to do. It is entertainment, not facts, and so I want to be entirely in the bubble of "Hot Fuzz" fans or "Dead Snow" fans and very much without intersection with any superhero stuff.

Entertainment and thought provoking are not mutually exclusive.

Re: Enjoy the Best, Not the Latest, Media

#127
post #96

There are far, far too many variables to complex performances like a movie, to make broad generalities about what you'll enjoy. A great movie may address themes uncomfortable for some to enjoy, at least where they are right now. Something great in the past may not age well. Average appeal can be a negative correlation for some who have different tastes. I guess we can agree, that a badly made and acted move is likely…

I agree with you overall. Although I'd point out that some people enjoy watching badly made and acted movies for a different reason. "The Room" is an absolute trainwreck that I enjoy watching. But yes, you're right. It's funny how recommendation engines seem to rarely get it right as well. I find that the best recommendations come from friends that know me well enough to know what I'd enjoy.

Oh I enjoy bad movies! "Vampire Girl Vs Frankenstein Girl" Is a favorite. But its not really badly made - just bad.

Badly made movies have a huge hurdle - hard to watch, hard to understand, hard to even see what's going on. Hard to want to keep watching. Like all those Monty Python jokes about somebody boring - they didn't amuse me, they were just boring.

Re: Enjoy the Best, Not the Latest, Media

#128
I think this is partly right. Rather than “media” I think he means “art”, specifically AV media art.

Much of the AV media (Not necessarily art) consumed these days by the younger generation a is transitory, part of a conversation, and short: Podcasts and YouTube videos in particular. They take up a lot of the media consumption time. I see this as our new dominant mode of sensemaking, a section of the populace isn’t going out into the world make making mistakes to learn from them, they’re watching YouTube to learn and make sense of the world. (This is why YouTube’s recommendation algorithm is so dangerous socially and politically.)

As for consuming art... even that has become a bit different. People watch the latest tent pole Marvel movie or whatnot , yes for a multi hour thrill, but also to join in the conversation with their friends and acquaintances and to not get left behind in the labyrinthine plot continuity. Same goes for the evolution of music genres.

In short, much modern media consumption seems to me to be about the current meta-narrative, and that makes it hard to place older stuff in context unless it’s curated by someone that is clever enough to fit it in.

For what it’s worth, I love historical art house cinemas, but know almost no one else in real life or my close online circle that does. But I find it provides a lot rewarding depth.

The Criterion Channel is my preference - it has a great selection on demand.

Re: Enjoy the Best, Not the Latest, Media

#129
post #103
post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most critics are jerks, passing off attitude and masquerading opinion as deep domain knowledge. The comic book guy trope from the Simpsons or Sponge Bob. Roger Ebert [1] and Gene Siskel [2] were my introduction to analysis and argumentation. Watching two adults getting into a argument and discussing something using some sort of rules-of-engagement fascinated me. That they viewed a piece from so many angles, criticism…

What are some other professional duos? Long gone now but the trio of Howard Cosells, Don Meredith and Frank Gifford enamored me similarly as a young boy, and for similar reasons to the point of today I still find sports commentary far more enthralling than the game itself. My favorite duo today, while a biased favorite as a local are Len Casper and Jim DeShaies who are the home announcers of the Chicago Cubs. They br…

Growing up in Philly, we had the golden voice of Harry Kalas and his booth partner, Ritchie Ashburn. They made it feel like you were watching the game with your favorite uncles.

They’re both gone now, and the new TV crew is ok, but their radio announcers, Scott Franzke and Larry Andersen are great. They’re funny, have a deep knowledge of the game, and they know when to let the game breath a little. Baseball and radio are such a great combination, when done well.

Re: Enjoy the Best, Not the Latest, Media

#130
I get the gist of what the author is trying to tell us here, don't fall on the hype train(trending on Netflix, YouTube, social media etc.) now, instead allow media contents coming out today to settle, undergo the test of time, and if it is truly good content, in a few years from now it may still be regarded as worthy. The author seems to be applying the same logic when choosing contents that are 10 or 20 years old, only those that have continued to sustain its popularity/fame is what's considered as worthy.
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