I haven’t seen any of the Raiders sequels, and my affection for this kind of film peaked out not long after Raiders. (My affection for Spielberg was eternally rattled by 1941, a comedy so humorless I’ve been thinking about writing a piece on it for what it tells us about comedy.
I was young when I saw it in the theater, and it was probably the first time a big Hollywood film I thought I would love turned out to be perplexingly awful.)
But-- your piece here is so thought-provoking it almost makes me want to see all these films I’ve been avoiding like the plague. Franchise fodder, CGI, big movies padded with great people who deserve better-- I hate all that. But I’m also a film fanatic, and I’m a sucker for systematic dismantling of the numerous ways a modern movie isn’t good, even though many talented people worked hard on it.
I guess the best evidence of where my allegiances really lie is that I can identify with the frustration of Spielberg and Ford over Shia’s stupid interview. I don’t want to see that movie, but my attitude is basically “you took the paycheck. Now shut the fuck up.”
I’d recommend a book called Autonomy by Nicholas Brown - bit on the starchy side but makes a good case that big movies can still be great since Hollywood is not suppressive of but indifferent to art.
Ah, step one will be, once and for all, looking up what “ontology” means. I’ve gotten through 57 years without knowing what the fuck ontology is. It’s the end of an era. Someone should write a think piece in the Atlantic about it.
I haven’t seen any of the Raiders sequels, and my affection for this kind of film peaked out not long after Raiders. (My affection for Spielberg was eternally rattled by 1941, a comedy so humorless I’ve been thinking about writing a piece on it for what it tells us about comedy.
I was young when I saw it in the theater, and it was probably the first time a big Hollywood film I thought I would love turned out to be perplexingly awful.)
But-- your piece here is so thought-provoking it almost makes me want to see all these films I’ve been avoiding like the plague. Franchise fodder, CGI, big movies padded with great people who deserve better-- I hate all that. But I’m also a film fanatic, and I’m a sucker for systematic dismantling of the numerous ways a modern movie isn’t good, even though many talented people worked hard on it.
I guess the best evidence of where my allegiances really lie is that I can identify with the frustration of Spielberg and Ford over Shia’s stupid interview. I don’t want to see that movie, but my attitude is basically “you took the paycheck. Now shut the fuck up.”
hahahaah indeed.
I’d recommend a book called Autonomy by Nicholas Brown - bit on the starchy side but makes a good case that big movies can still be great since Hollywood is not suppressive of but indifferent to art.
Ah, step one will be, once and for all, looking up what “ontology” means. I’ve gotten through 57 years without knowing what the fuck ontology is. It’s the end of an era. Someone should write a think piece in the Atlantic about it.
Brilliant-- that sounds right up my alley, thanks!