Movies That Made Me A Critic
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 ต.ค. 2024
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If Maggie doesn’t mention David Lynch, The Red Shoes, or mgm musicals, is it really a deepfocuslens video?
But I think that just says something about you instead. Maggie has mentioned tons of movies but those are the only ones registered with you. You remember the "hits" but forget the "misses," like everything in life.
@@timetheory84 😂😂
@@timetheory84 The difference is I did not proclaim anything like the original poster did, my friend. My "misses" are unknown to me AND to you and everybody else. Bottom line is you all know what I meant. For instance, someone says a movie has too many women, but in fact it has exactly 50% men and women! We see what we want to see.
Gaspar Noé as well 😂
@@Alvaro-fh5dd oh man how did I forget 😂😂
I think one of the greatest gifts that "The Lord of the Rings" gave to the world was not only showing us just how big cinema could get, but showing that a Hollywood blockbuster can also be an epic and intimate work of art.
I once went to a Roger Ebert book signing. A young woman asked him for advice on how to become a film critic. He said "Well, the way I became one is I was working as a reporter on the newspaper, the film critic retired so I got the job."
That says it all really.
Ebert also said he learned to be a film critic by reading Mad magazine, which was really a comic book that had a lot of film satire on movie cliches and conventions. Ebert later wrote his own book on movie cliches called Ebert's Little Movie Glossary, which you can see on his website. One of his most famous cliches is "talking killer" -- a killer is pointing a gun at the hero but keeps talking and talking until the hero figures out a way to escape.
My parents are big movie fans and they took me to the theaters to lots of classic movies in the 70s such as City Lights, Sleeping Beauty (Disney cartoon), The Thief of Bagdad (1940), etc. when I was little. Also, Charlie Chaplin died in the 70s, and many TV stations at the time aired his films constantly, so I was exposed to a lot of those. But those didn't turn me into a true movie lover; maybe I was too young. That happened only when I was almost out of college in my 20s. Maybe only when you are at life's crossroads when you really start to look for things that really matter to you.
Films that inspired/influenced me:
1. The Tales of Hoffmann (Powell and Pressburger)
2. 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick)
3. Three Colors: Red (Krzysztof Kieslowski)
4. The Maltese Falcon (John Huston)
5. The Third Man (Carol Reed)
6. Dekalog (10-part series by Krzysztof Kieslowski)
7. Citizen Kane (Orson Welles)
8. M (Fritz Lang)
9. Meet Me in St Louis (Vincente Minnelli)
10. Days of Heaven (Terrence Malick)
11. Santa Sangre (Alejandro Jodorowsky)
12. Mirror (Tarkovsky)
Most those movies suck
@@wildeirishpoet “Most those movies suck.” That’s good grammar and very insightful. You’d make a great critic.
What made me a movie lover was just one movie: 1948 David Lean's adaptation of "Great Expectations." Before that viewing in the 80s when I was in my 20s and almost out of college, movies were just some second-rate activities after dinner or in weekends. But Great Expectations made me a religious film watcher instantly. From that moment, I've been spending at least $100 a month on movies, either in theaters, on home video or other movie-related things, ever since. I majored in computer science in college and wasn't artistically inclined the least bit. Yet, the allure of film could not be denied. There was no Internet back then, and I had to read books to learn about films. And many movies weren't on home video either. I had to catch many of them on TV stations. PBS aired a lot of classic films with no commercials at the time, and that was where I watched Citizen Kane, The Third Man, Odd Man Out, etc. for the first time. People like Scorsese and Spielberg have also said their love of films started with late night airings on TV stations because back then that was the only way.
Two films come to mind when it comes to films that made me become a film critic:
2001: A Space Odyssey & The Shawshank Redemption
These 2 films completely changed not only the way the way i look at film, but the world as a whole.
2001: A Space Odyssey was what led me to watch more films that took a more artistic approach to storytelling through the use of some of the best cinematography/visuals in cinematic history. This led me to check out not only the rest of Kubrick’s work, but also directors such as David Lynch, Akira Kurosawa, and Vittorio De Sica, who are all directors that take the art of filmmaking and try to create something of their own through their unique visions, which i also find to be prominent in Kubrick’s films.
Then you have The Shawshank Redemption. This was the film that not only left the biggest impact on me out of every film i ever saw throughout my life, but it was the first one that inspired me to become a future filmmaker that can create films that feature stories that have the potential to not only inspire future faces in Hollywood, but could possibly change the world. It was when i saw this film for the first time that made me realize what kind of films i want to make (which i have already stated earlier). All of these reasons, as well as the fact that it is such a brilliantly-made film, are the main reasons why this one stands out as my favorite film of all time.
Great video, Maggie. I have been checking some of your older videos, and they are fantastic. Keep up the great work 😎👍🏻
I recently visited the Ohio State Reformatory, the place where "The Shawshank Redemption" was filmed. It was absolutely worth the visit. Get busy living or get busy dying!
Saw 2001 when it first came out in 1968 and, at 12, I didn't understand it. Saw it again the next week and still didn''t understand the meaning of the film- but I understood that it was greatness.
Your videos are so fucking inspiring. Once I get over having depression I'm totally gonna do what you do.
You should do it now, you got this 🙌🏼
I’m super curious to know if you have watched A Field in England.
Snap! I had thought of asking the same question, a month or two ago. Well done!👏🏼
Great film! I love Ben Wheatley's early work.
@@brentulstad3275 If Mag's has missed the trippiness of AFIE and not got a buzz from it while viewing, I will be well shocked!
Absolutely adore this movie. The first night I watched it, I put it right back on after it was finished
Requiem for a Dream changed the way I watched movies, I was 15 when that movie came out, I never saw anything like that before, it had a profound effect on me, it was the first time I was aware of the power of editing, I'm a video editor now probably because of that movie.
When I was 5 years old I went to see Spider-Man 2, from that day on I loved film. I feel like with superhero movies there is no passion, it feels like someone who wants to make the big bucks,but what Sam rami did was special. Spider-Man 2 was not only a great superhero film but a great human film that felt like the person making it had a love for the source material .I’m not a fan of what superhero films have become, but It doesn’t effect me as I never really cared about the genre. Spider-Man 2 has held up GREAT and is still in my top 5. Top5 1.Blue Velvet 2. Napoleon 3.The Master 4 Spider-Man 2 5. First Reformed.
I agree Spider-man 2 has only gotten better with age
Interesting and worthwhile video. I grew up in the 70s so, when I hit my teens I started to discover all the 70s classics like Taxi Driver, One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, Nashville, Badlands, The Last Picture Show, Five Easy Pieces. Around 1979, I was deeply affected by seeing Apocalypse Now and 2001: A Space Odyssey on the big screen. In 1982, I remember seeing Diva and being really impressed by a foreign language film that wasn't self-consciously arty. The 80s was a particularly good decade for cinema. ET was a standout cinematic experience. Other wow moments in the cinema would include Thelma and Louise, Reservoir Dogs, Quiz Show, The Shawshank Redemption, Before Sunrise, Titanic, The Insider, and foreign language films like Chungking Express, Raise The Red Lantern, Breaking The Waves, The Drea Life of Angels, Festen. Into the twenty-first century, the most memorable cinematic experiences would be: Crouching Tiger, Traffic, Mulholland Dr, The Pianist, Sideways, There Will Be Blood, No Country For Old Men, Synecdoche New York, Zero Dark Thirty, Gravity, Boyhood and Burning. I discovered most of the history of cinema on TV, VHS and DVD home viewing. Seeing The Time of The Gypsies blew me away in 1990. I, like you, endeavoured to watch all the classics from Soviet montage, Italian neorealism and French new wave to all the auteurs from Dreyer, Lang, Mizoguchi, Kurosawa, Ozu, the Italian directors, Bergman to the Fords, Hawks etc...from classic Hollywood. And along the way, I have been surprised by the likes of Au Hazard balthazar, The Battle of Algiers, The Color of Pomegranates and others. I must admit I got a couple of cinema books for my birthday when I was 14 or 15 that served as a guide to the history of cinema as started my journey into loving film. But it is a continuous journey as there are still so many more movies to discover!
Some critics may be failed filmmakers (notably Roger Ebert, although his "Return to the Valley of the Dolls" is a cult classic), but some do become successful filmmakers, notably François Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard, and Peter Bogdanovich. Filmmakers and critics often seem to be adversaries: one side construct, and the other deconstruct. But they can have friendly relationships too, because they share the same love for movies and they often champion the same causes.
I was born in the same year as Mark Hamill, 1951. My earliest memories are from my third year. My mother took me to a theater with red velvet covered seats were I saw '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea', giving me a lifelong love of science fiction, and 'There's No Business Like Show Business', doing the same for musicals. Seeing the Nautilus travelling under water was awe-inspiring, as was hearing Ethel Merman sing - in it's own way.
By age seven I had seen 'Fantasia', showing me the power of combining images and music. (Also ensuring I would take large doses of LSD in the future. In fact the first movie I saw tripping was 'Fantasia' in its rerelease. Around that time, Leonard Bernstein, in one of his Norton Lectures, challenged his audience to listen to Beethoven's sixth without visualizing cherubs and centaurs, paying attention only to the structure of the music. Not impossible, but good luck!)
'The Third Man'. 'The Day the Earth Stood Still'. 'Paths of Glory'.
The next big influence was the Catholic Church. In my teens I would eagerly turn to the back pages of the church's weekly publication to find which movies were condemned, then run out to the local art houses to see them. Fellini! Godard! Polanski!
Then of course came '2001: A Space Odyssey'. Saw it twenty times in it's original run from the front row of the balcony. One time my father came with me. We talked all the way home about what it could mean. He was a former seminarian and was convinced Hal must have had a soul. It was the first adult conversation we had together.
This comment has become an essay so I will end it. Movies are a big deal.
My childhood/teenage years movies that most influenced me to love film:
1. Lawrence of Arabia (my dad's favorite)
2. Star Wars
3. The Lord of the Rings
4. M Night Shyamalan, esp. Signs
5. Babe
6. Disney's Robin Hood
7. Schindler's List / Jurassic Park
8. Amadeus
There are more, but those really stayed with me and are still among my favorites.
Before watching this video, I bet DFL will mention Mulholland Drive.
Hey Mags as always I've enjoyed your video. Some day I'd really like to hear your opinion on Love Story. The reason is that the film was immensely popular and pretty much well received by the critics (Ebert for instance) but so many cinephiles I know simply despise it. I saw it again today and yeah it is sappy and maybe suffers from questionable editing but I kinda still love it.
Also would like to see a video about one-location films (12 Angry Men, Rear Window and esp. newer ones such as Perfect strangers which I adore etc.) Keep up the good work, all the best :)
Personal game changers re: critical analysis (beginning with a childhood favorite):
1. The Incredible Shrinking Man
2. Taxi Driver
3. Wings of Desire
4. Citizen Kane
6. 2001: A Space Odyssey
7. La Dolce Vita
8. Un Chien Andalou
9. Eraserhead
10. El Topo/Holy Mountain
11. Last Year at Marienbad
Two thumbs up for La Dolce Vita: powerful. Also, more film lovers need to see Last Year at Marienbad and also Hiroshima Mon Amour, both by Alain Resnais. Also, his Providence is excellent but hard to find.
@4:25: Even though "Raiders of the Lost Ark" certainly gave me an impression, for me, it was "The Last Crusade" that most stuck with me emotionally and sensually. I even remember a time in the mid-90's where I habitually watched it everyday right after school ended for the summer. Everything about it was like I could "smell" the dust off of Indy's fedora or his leather jackets, I could "taste" Elsa's lipstick, the dust from the road during the motorcycle-sidecar chase scenes, the sand and dust in the Jordanian desert. And of course, everything was all glued together by John Williams' score.
The way I view films changed when I first saw the Oscar-winning movie Parasite. The fact that a not-so-extravagant plot could be turned into such a masterpiece made me understand the importance of other filmmaking components. Since then I started studying the anatomy of each scene in a film, similar to what you do and that's also why I love this channel so much. Most of my assessment of a film is similar to the way you analyze it, and when you express it in words it feels complete to me.
I came to film in a serious way quite late, in my 30s, a long time ago now ! One of the films that tipped me from an average cinema goer to a film buff was Remains of the Day. Everything you said about it is correct. There is something magical and moving about that film. I loved 2001 since I saw it as a child, and I'd enjoyed a couple if other Kubrick films, so I decided to buy a boxed set and never looked back. More recently Lynch and Archers boxed sets have been thanks to you Maggie, and I have well over 1000 dvd's .. and I love history of film too. Hitchcock and Welles are big loves too. We have a lot of common likes Maggie !
David Lynch was also huge for me as a teenager. My entire perspective on cinema changed forever when I watched Mulholland Drive at 15... that movie means the world to me.
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid really got me interested in film as a kid. I never was too into westerns, but something about that movie really stuck with me
Hey Maggie, do you have any key books you would recommend around this area?
I'm not really a Siskel & Ebert fan though I respect what they did. For me the more interesting commentators on cinema are: James Agee, Cahiers group, Scorsese, Wenders, Chris Marker, Mark Cousins, Zizek, Renegade cut.
A Woman is a Woman(1961) was big for me. It was my first Godard and really opened me up to what movies could be. I never saw anything so boldly intellectual without concern for whether the audience "gets it". I remember gushing about it to a friend on the way to the local museum. (Yes, I was that kind of kid.)
I love how non-pretentious and honest you are! A big deal for me was getting Microsoft’s cinemania cd-rom for Christmas from my father. It Collected all the total reviews of Leonard Martin, roger Ebert and Pauline Kael. Changed everything for me.
We have the same story. Star Wars was everything for me. The only difference is I haven’t grown out of it. And no one forced me to learn about classic films. I learned them on my own and it was an exciting to learn something and be able to put it into my own words which helped me develop a better critical thinking when before I didn’t have any. Love your channel! Keep doing what you love!
As a young child, I liked Star Wars and had some toys but the most important movie of my childhood was Close Encounters Of The Third Kind. I recently watched that movie a few times and the last act of that movie is still so awe inspiring. The second movie that was most influential to me in my child hood because it is one of the few movies my dad loved (he was not a fan of film. My mom was ) was 2001. A few years back I visited DC and the Smithsonian had a special exhibit of the "Waiting Room" from 2001 and I just nerded out. In junior high, Ridley Scott was the genius and Alien, Blade Runner and Legend were my favorites and the prior two still are this day. I was in a film production class in high school and I saw Michael Mann's Manhunter on home video pan and scan that exposed mic booms because the mats were removed. It did not matter. I was enthralled. With that film, I became aware of the psychology behind film making. With a stupid student film I made during that time, I decide not to use any music or sound for a scene where the killer's footsteps are seen under the bed approach the sleeping victim. I was 17 years of age at the time. I remember my teacher negatively critiqued my editing choice saying I should have used music in the scene. I was right..he was wrong. That is how Michael Mann inspired me. Terry Gilliam's Brazil and William Friedkin's To Live And Die In LA were very important films for me in high school. As most tv and film majors in college in the early 90s, Twin Peaks aired on TV and David Lynch became one of my favorite film directors. He still is. Wings of Desire, the films of Peter Greenaway, The films of the Coen Brothers and Martin Scorcese were all very influential. After college, I was involved in a bad car wreck. I saw the Peter Weir movie "Fearless" after that event and that film did change my life. With Fearless, I discovered that films could be quite spiritual but not necessarily in a religious way. All these films and directors I have mentioned did influence me in one way or another during my prior 12 year career producing video programs or working as an editor/photographer in the tv news industry.
I saw Reservoir Dogs when I was in 4th grade, and that had a huge influence on me. I remember taking the screen play to school for reading hour a few times. When I saw Clerks in middle school, I was like, “oh these people are like me and my friends!”. Which was a cool moment. Stars Wars when I was little too. I’m not a huge movie buff, but I’m open to anything because my early experiences.
Your parents let you watch Reservoir Dogs when you were in fourth grade!?
@@firenza9792 with over worked parents, things slip through the cracks.
The movies that made me an amateur film critic--or: the movies that turned me into an "art sleuth", the movies that taught me how to watch them, the movies that revealed the true nature and power of the craft of cinema--: Close-up (Abbas Kiarostami), Raging Bull (Martin Scorsese), Day of Wrath (Carl Theodor Dreyer), 2001 (Stanley Kubrick), Uncle Boonmee (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)... Those movies were the ones that beckoned me to revisit them again and again to figure out what they were about by way of studying how they go about what they are about. But also: a lot of reading too (Gilberto Perez, Susan Sontag, Ebert, Rosenbaum, Bordwell, MZS). Oooh and video essays too!: Kevin Lee, MZS, Nerdwriter.
I grew up on Hitchcock movies and they gave me the movie bug. Andrew Sarris’ The American Cinema was the book that got me thinking of movies from a consistent aesthetic point of view. Robin Wood’s Hitchcock’s Films a big influence as well. I reviewed movies for my college newspaper but have always though of myself more as an enthusiast than critic.
Goodfellas opened my eyes to some extent to anothe world of cinema. Also Wes Anderson films hit the right note going into adulthood
Me too. The first time I recognized what an auteur was when I saw Casino a little while after Goodfellas and had my ah hah cinema moment. Scorsese was my first love.
I can relate to that. I spent a lot of time listening to audio commentary to movies some of which were not even complex. I just love knowing things about a production. I think I did this a lot for Avatar the last airbender. Around that time my interest in the creative process was piqued and now that I think about it, Avatar had a hand in that, which is interesting because I don’t engage much with animated television/film. But yeah Avatar led me to Lindsay Ellis and channel awesome by extension which has such a controversial history but I do think led to me seeing criticism as a genre. I think the website I visited to engage in conversation with other avatar fans at the time had many tropers. They put me onto TvTropes. Yeah I can’t think of a specific movie that catapulted me, I think it was just seeing how other people were pulling things from media and engaging in a way I didn’t know was possible and could be so fulfilling. Until fairly recently I felt I could benefit a lot more from just listening than expressing my own opinions. I watched a film called Beast which changed that. I’ve always wanted to be a writer but I never knew I would find I have more to say about media than anything else. And film and television especially.
Everything you mentioned in this video and anything else that has inspired you to become the incredible, informative, complex, artistic, beautiful woman you are today, I am deeply thankful for. Everything you do is exceptional. Some might say you should've been an actress, and while that would've been cool to see, it's more of a gift to see and learn the real you on a regular basis. Much love to you, the artist formerly known as lotrlovermr
Hitchcock films were huge for me in my youth, he’s still one of the greats as far as I’m considered. Vertigo, Shadow of a doubt, Marnie, and Suspison in particular. He sort of spoiled other filmmakers for me in a way
Thanks Maggie. Your reflections have spurred a few of my own. I think the films we remember first say something about what spoke to us at a young age. And who would we be if we hadn't seen those specific films when we did. My contention has always been that the things we encounter inform who we are.
The movies that have inspired me the most to be an aspiring filmmaker
Rocky
Donnie Darko
The Elephant Man
Taxi Driver
Reservoir Dogs
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Right now I am a film critic and it is great.
Believe it or not, the 2006 James Bond film “Casino Royale” started it for me. Caused to looking at film differently, to look at acting, dialogue in film, and such in a different light. I had been exposed to some cinephiles on a web forum I frequented at the time (how I got introduced to PTA, Scorsese, Kubrick, Tarantino, Fincher, and such), and “Casino Royale” was when it all clicked for me ("Magnolia" and "Fight Club" were the next two that I remember most), and then 2007 was my first major cinephile year (still think my two favorite films that came out that year that I saw were "There Will Be Blood" and Andrew Dominik's "The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford") and I even started taking some film classes starting in 2007 (I took an acting for television and film class that year, and that's still the most fun class I ever took in my stint at community college). Had periods of time where my intrigue with the artistic side of film waned a bit, but overall, my love for film is still going strong.
I was 12 when Birdman came out and that was a revelation to me. Never really knew about "art" movies until then. Mission Impossible and Friday the 13th was all I knew.
lol uming i get it if you've never seen art house movies and you see birdman you think it's the greatest. But trust me birdman is garbage compared to The 400 Blows, 8 1/2, Wild Strawberry's, Breathless, Pierrot Le Flout, Day For Night etc etc Basically anything by Bergman, Godard and bresson
Mine were Logorama and other Academy Award nominated shorts from that year (2010). Writing about it, and others, was part of Survey of Animation class, and I think it was my first piece of Adult Animation outside of TV
The King's Speech. Went into it completely blind, was blown away, and created my first post
loved listening to your story - i will hold onto that why question as i tackle tjhe creativty needed to be a critic - i am just a beginner and i'm slowly learning about the art of communication in this medium - i would appreciate how you carry out your process of putting a review together thanks
Interested to know your thoughts of JC superstar cinematic Quality?
I saw The Omen(1976) and Le Vieux Fusil (a 1975 French-West German wartime drama) at the old age of 9. Violence and horror. The difference between supernatural religious horror and things people did for real in war. That was a turning point:)
Lovely to hear, how your passion for film flourished. I had so many similar reactions to many of the films you mention. One particular film that really hit me with its 'feel' when I was growing up and quite young when I first saw it, was 'A Matter of Life and Death'. There was just something deeply profound about it and its magical quality; much like 'The Red Shoes' which I came to appreciate, later. To me P&P are nearly unmatched in the way they captured their almost fairytale like, Technicolour visionary evocatons on film. I would love to hear your thoughts on A Matter... some day. Stay safe
Sixth Sense rocked my young world. We went to the theater as a family and my mom came out raving about the ending. She was elated. I remember looking at the profile of her face as we drove home in our Ford Explorer. She was electric. I knew right then and there I wanted to do that for people. I knew it in my bones.
There's a great 1997 Charlie Rose interview with David Foster Wallace where he talks about seeing Blue Velvet the first time and what a refreshing and exciting inspiration he got from discovering David Lynch. Worth checking out for anyone interested and I could not at all do it justice by attempting to convey more specifically what he discusses, but a great talk.
I've seen it many times.
in what video did u talk about django ? it want to know ur opinion about it
Movies that inspired me to strive towards being a filmmaker/movies that inspired me in general:
1). Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (Irvin Kershner)
2). Barry Lyndon (Stanley Kubrick)
3). La La Land (Damien Chazelle)
4). Kill Bill Vol. 1&2 (Quentin Tarantino)
5). The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Peter Jackson)
6). Roma (Alfonso Cuaron)
7). Halloween (1978) (John Carpenter)
8). Aladdin (1992)
9). His Girl Friday (Howard Hawkes)
10). 1917 (Sam Mendes)
11). Avengers (Joss Whedon)
12). The Grand Budapest Hotel (Wes Anderson) (I'm a sucker for his style lol)
Just to name a few. :)
I think for a lot of (pre VCR) people like myself, one of the films you have to mention as being the Rosetta Stone of understanding film was The Wizard Of Oz. Those of us of a certain age were able to rewatch this film every year when it played on television so we saw it more often than many other famous films. As we matured, so did our understanding of the symbolism baked into the characters. From a very simple entertainment piece when we were small children the film morphed into something quite different on each viewing- rewarding us for being able to sort out the various themes. I really think though, that for me, Willard 1971 played a big part in my film fascination. That was the first time I remember coming out of a theater and feeling "My God, what a piece of crap." I might have been naive but I don't recall being that disappointed in the disparity between a film's coming attraction and its execution. I started to try and dissect WHY it was so bad and where it went wrong. Seems like I've been doing a lot of that in the 50 plus years since.
Oddly enough, the thing that got me into this stuff was Adventure Time. I watched it when I was younger and revisited it in 9th grade for old times sake. And that was the first time recognized depth in anything. I was also always a fan of the Shawshank Redemption and Life of Pi but I couldn’t explain why. I looked at those movies differently after Adventure Time and loved them even more.
inspired me.....Pulp Fiction, Psycho, Citizen Kane, Witness to the Prosecution, The God Father, Alien, Raising Arizona, Midnight Cowboy; Barry Lyndon; One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
The film that came out the same week as Star Wars & no one saw Sorcerer made me interested in critics. Time has been kind to it. A masterpiece from Friedkin that was lost at the time.
A rare gem in a genre I’d call “low adventure”: questionable people in inglorious circumstances walking a fine line between courage and desperation.
@@Misericorde9 That movie reminds me of Fitzcarraldo and Aguirre: Wrath of God.
It was a remake of the much more well-known 1953 film The Wages of Fear, so maybe that's also why it was overshadowed.
Remains of the day had an influence on me too. That's a great film. Saw it when I was young and it has such a sorrowful bitter sweet quietness to it. Far from me jumpin around with my cap gone playing McClain
I grew up in the 70s and saw Jaws, Star Wars, Superman, Towering Inferno, and many such films when they came out, what a time! But one memorable viewing during that time was the trashy, decidedly non-classic, 1978 pseudo-documentary "Faces of Death" (nice-looking Blu-ray available, btw). It belongs to a genre called "mondo films," which was a precursor to today's "reality" programming: part exploitative, part tourism, part passing for reality, etc. That film has stuck in my mind because of all the outrageous things in it, including a made-up scene where a restaurant serves a monkey's brain. "Mondo films" were a big thing in the 70s when that was the only way to see all the crazy bizarre things because there was no TH-cam.
This is great insight for others wanting to be better critics, who knows about you directing a film, you could have at least one film in you, i imagine it to be a dark arthouse indie masterpiece, im sure that would be a film many would like to see, i am sure
Sorry to have only noticed this so late. Did you ever read Theodore Roszak's Flicker? It suffers from a rather passive protagonist, but it's a long wicked joke told by someone who clearly loves movies, yet wonders "What if something so powerful was fundamentally diabolical?" Darren Aronofsky was rumored to be interested in filming it -- which would be deeply ironic, since it argues that motion pictures are intended to be evil. It talks about a mad director who wanted The Wizard of Oz to be a dark tragic tale of battling knights, and in that I think Roszak is eerily prophetic about a tonal shift in recent movies. Any thoughts on Spielberg redoing West Side Story? Feels futile to me, but we shall see.
I always guessed you grew up reading lots of books, and its books that made you a critic because of the way they shape one's faculties and thought.
XD Not really. Never was much of a reader.
It’s hard for me to say which movies really influenced me in this way, as it was a gradual process that began towards the beginning of the 2010s (especially 2012-2014) and I had become what is essentially a film hobbyist by 2017/18 or so.
I suppose it was mostly samurai movies and spaghetti westerns, Tarantino, and other films that were inspired by and inspirations of anime, which I grew up watching on Toonami. In 2012, Toonami was rebooted after a few years of being off the air, and that may have had something to do with it-though I’m not entirely sure.
I can say for sure that my favorite film, Snowpiercer, came out during this time period and that may have also been a milestone of sorts.
You are so beautiful it hurts...compared to you just talking, the ending of An American In Paris looks like a home movie shot on a cellphone...:) and what's more, you come off as intelligent, articulate, passionate, knowledgeable...you seem to have everything going for you , so don't ever lose it:)
musicals are my ultimate cinematic love and i have to say you captured how i feel about the genre so so well. the ultimate form which combines so much great art in one.
k for me when I was a little, little kid - ET, Star Wars. and (unfortunately) for me also when I was a little kid, A Clockwork Orange and - thankfully for me somewhat later - Threads and Dr Strangelove. I think the first two sparked optimism in me about the human condition, and the last three definitely enforced a cynical streak in me. In particular ACO did a pretty big number on my psyche when i watched it when I was 10. I had no idea what I was getting into and couldn't take my eyes off the screen.
War for the Planet of the Apes was a smart blockbuster that changed my outlook on cinema. I wouldn’t say it’s one of the best films I’ve ever seen, but it definitely got me passionate about film. Spider-man 2 is another that I grew up watching that was really formative because of the personal touch by Raimi. I didn’t realize how impactful it was on me until revisiting it last year for the first time in awhile
The appendices of Lord of the Rings is the best watched every minute so fascinating thanks for sharing your thoughts on everything Maggie!
Star Wars is the one for me. I relate to everythig you said about it, I was obsesed as a child too. But it is special to me because I also loved to play to reenact scenes from the movies with my brothers and classmates and I always were directing them and telling them what to say and what's going to happen next. That was when I knew I wanted to be a director. I will always thank Star Wars for helping me to love, discover and apreciate cinema ❤
Remains of the Day. I haven't seen it for years but it has stuck with me too. An example of films at their finest.
Long live Lord Of The Rings ! ✊.
Great video Maggie and take care and stay safe 👍🏻.
The focus on film history... sounds like me in film school. Totally enjoying your videos.
I second that LOTR review!
LOTR is phenomenal. What movies do you think make us as in the "masses" non-critical thinkers in approaching mass media? Also, do you plan to review the classic B-movie
"They Live" by JC ?
Ebert was great on TV, but his best stuff was in his writing, which showed a lot more of his insights and wisdom than his TV show could do. When Bob Costas interviewed Siskel & Ebert (which you can look up on TH-cam), Ebert admitted their TV show was not high-level film criticism. They respected academic film analysis done by others, but their TV show's short running time didn't really allow them to do that. But he did say their TV show was more substantive than other shows of its kind because it dealt with things like visual styles, subject matters, storytelling, etc.
Films that made me a film critic:
1. A Clockwork Orange
2. Drive
3. The Neon Demon
4. The Shawshank Redemption
5. The Wizard of Oz
6. Stand by Me
7. The Lost Boys
8. Jaws
Growing up we had Star Wars on VHS. I would watch it over and over again. Eventually my father had to erase the videotape :) need I say I’m now a film critic as well as having done a couple of short films?
What are your thoughts on “Sympathy for lady vengeance”?
I thought Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance was so much better
Oh that is so true about DVD special features I learn a lot from just watching the features by themselves and listen to the commentary’s as well.
Certain US cities like NYC, LA, etc., are movie capitals of the world where basically all filmmakers in the world want their films to be shown there. So if you aren't a movie lover in the US (or in those cities), it's a waste. Yes, the Internet lets everyone enjoy movies no matter where you are. But if you don't live near an environment that has a thriving film culture, you miss out on such peripheral pleasures as going to film festivals and events.
The one thing I don’t understand about our cultures obsession with nostalgia is why do people want to see worse versions of things they love? Just rewatch the original.
Amen!
Do you only watch stage plays performed by the original actors? Remakes are actually the norm in movies, because hardly anything is truly original. Most likely the "original" movies that you love aren't original at all, but were remade from earlier movies. E.g. The Magnificent Seven was inspired by Seven Samurai, and Star Wars was also influenced by certain Japanese films. The only truly original movies were game-changers like Citizen Kane and those French New Wave films. The bar has to be set really high for an "original" movie to deserve the truest meaning of that word.
As film reviewer you are the best of the best -- I say this even thought I sometimes disagree with your reviews.
Not sure what movie kinda made me realize movies were more than just simple entertainment..
I feel like movies like Donnie Darko and American Psycho were different enough and I saw them early enough as to change the way I looked the entire medium. In that they weren't just straight forward linear stories with good guys at the forefront who would inevitably come out victorious. Also Memento might go in there, early 2000's movies generally.
Red Shoes changed how I viewed cinema, Colonel Blimp changed how I viewed characters, Tales of Hoffman changed what I thought could be achieved on screen...In a lot of ways the Archers shaped how I view art.
I think Powell has to rival Hitchcock as the greatest film=maker on the sheer quality of his output (with Pressberger) in the 1940s. I had never seen A Canterbury Tale because I had dismissed its stupid-sounding plot and when I saw it, I was completely bowled over by it. I need to see Tales of Hoffman and I Know Where I'm Going and The 49th Parallel. Have seen the classics, Matter of Life and Death, Black Narcissus, Colonel Blimp and The Red Shoes
Regarding film critics and commentators, the most I usually get out from them are title recommendations. They would mention interesting titles that I haven't heard of that make me want to seek them out. But do their actual comments make me enthused about the films? It's hit or miss. Only the really good writers or commentators can do that. The Chris Stuckmanns of the world just don't do it for me. The "I hate this, I love that, this makes me cry, this makes me laugh" style of commentating not only doesn't enthuse me, but is bordering on being self-centered. Some of the best comments I've heard are from things you have to pay for, such as books and DVD/Blu-ray audio commentaries. In this day and age where everyone wants things for free, that's why Chris Stuckmanns of the world thrive and good writers and commentators struggle.
I wonder what movie my mom saw when she was young. Ever since I can remember, she's always been one of my greatest critics.
Perhaps she was watching you in your home movies...?
BTW, your comment was great!
@@paulm749 Thanks. I like your comment too.
You are the spitting image of my mate Dave Hunter! 🤔
I may be the only one, but to me there's only Star Wars. The others don't quite work for me. They're more like fan fiction.
14:16 The Red Shoes is the favorite film of Spielberg, De Palma, and Scorsese.
Also your review and opinion on movies are excellent and very much appreciated thanks and speaking of Blue Velvet Dennis Hopper is in the first episode of the Rifleman which is television gold if you get a chance to watch thanks again
deepfocuslens- Did you ever read any film criticism books or see any film critics on TV? I grew up on books by Douglas Brode-"The Films Of The Fifties" and "The Films Of The Sixties". I watched Siskel and Ebert on their TV show every week. Now there are no film critic shows on TV anymore, just youtube movie critics, though you are the only one worth listening to.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on Karel Zeman's Baron Munchausen
I share your appreciation of the original Star Wars trilogy. It has its problems but overall it has its place. The prequels at least tried to add something and just failed to be good movies. The sequels, however, are despicably bad, in particular, "The Last Jedi" which just as well could be a Star Wars parody.
Very nice video. One of my favorite episodes of Siskel & Ebert was "The Movies That Made Us Critics" (siskelebert.org/?p=327) So, it's pretty cool hearing your take on it as well.
Films that made me the viewer I am today, in no particular order:
Star Wars Trilogy (1977 - 1983) - Some of the first movies, in general, I ever saw, captured my imagination and inspired me. Also served as a bridge into worlds of cinema I never knew of from Kurosawa films to classic science fiction like "Metropolis".
The Graduate (1967) - I often regard this as my favorite film. It's the first film I ever really came across that made me feel like chapters of my life fit into this film somewhere and somehow. Even with my most recent re-watch, I found things I had never really thought of before, adding to its evolving effect on me.
Moulin Rouge (2001) - This was the first instance I can recall where I really did not like a movie that everyone else loved. Where so many claimed it to be a loving tribute piece, I found it to be an obnoxiously childish rom-com with no creativity. But, it was important for me to really learn how to stick to my guns and not just give in to what others think. Be honest with how I feel and review it as such.
Saboteur (1942) - Far from being one of Hitchcock's best, but it was the first Hitchcock film I ever saw. As such, it was also one of my first delves into classic cinema. A stepping stone movie for me, to say the least, but something that introduced me to a completely different time period.
Raging Bull (1980) - A film I didn't care much for when I first saw it. But after some unfortunate events in my life, came back to me and hit me harder than any movie I think I've ever seen. A film that puts a lot of emotions and feelings into perspective for me, on top of being a masterpiece.
Back to the Future and The Godfather were big for me. You should do a video on your favorite commentary tracks.
Ever consider reviewing Dragonslayer (1981)?
You've explained exactly what criticism is, imo: WHY is the thing good or bad? There are assertions, there are opinions, but criticism is a sort of lawyer's job: using evidence to make a case. Anyway, for me, the first movie that really made think about what a movie could be - that irritated me, actually - was "2001". I was about 13 when I first saw it on a TV broadcast back in the early 80s. Watched the movie, didn't understand it. "What's the deal with the baby?" I wondered. What kind of movie was an incomprehensible movie? What was the director thinking? It was just a MOVIE. Wait a minute, here!
A few years later, bought some cheap VHSs of Kubrick movies. I had become a Kubrick NUT by then, but still didn't get "2001". I began to understand - and resent at first, but finally accept - that a movie director might be smarter than his critics, especially me, and I also began to understand that the "lawyer's job" would really apply to the discussion of works of art like "2001". Of course by the time I was in college and exposed to the entirely of European cinema, well ... I mean, Bergman? It was like "Fuuuuu-" And over my time there I made cases for what some of those movies meant and why they were or were not important, but I never did that with "2001".
I still don't know what's the deal with the baby, and I don't want to. I know it's there, and my life would've been poorer without it. :)
Think you squared up the thing for me. Opinions are like...well, we all know. I'm not interested in discussing a film unless you can back up your opinion. (I'm fond of saying that while "Vertigo" is my favorite Hitchcock, I'd much rather defend "Psycho" as being his best.)
I am DYING to hear you comment L'ECLISSI by Antonioni and there is another performer I would LOVE to know what's your feeling like: (don't laugh!) Marilyn Monroe!
Some would say I’m music critic my love of music especially rock music not a fan of modern rock music. Around 2009 I stopped paying attention New bands
I don't think we will get anything as epic as LOTR for a long time.
Most likely never!!!
Hello!! Please, Runaway Train,1985,jon voight,Andrei Konchalovsky,based on an old forgotten script written by Akira Kurosawa,i would like to listen to your words on it.would you?
Amazing movie!!!!
Eric Roberts too. Very young and promising actor. What's happened with him since then I've no idea. Lot's of trashy movies and roles.
@@LAZISH I've heard Roberts had an accident which slightly disfigured his face and the industry put him down.
Fight club.
The Matrix.
American Beauty 🥀
Pulp Fiction
Leon
Die Hard
Terminator
Alien
Bourne
Most those movies suck.. Lol
1:25 whatttt I'm 13 and I want to be a critic!
same lol
I'm talking very little. Before the concept of criticism registers.
@@deepfocuslens oh ok I see ! I really love ur vids! Keep up the good work!
LOTR is a classic and remains some of my favorite films