Help me appreciate movies!

May 26, 2008 11:41 AM

Help me appreciate movies!

I've been catching up on some movies lately, but it's mostly to kill time when I'm free. I would like to bring the interest to another level by understanding more about movies.

I want to know what makes a good movie? Why are some Oscar material and many others aren't? What makes a movie a "classic"? What are its characteristics? Why are some films loved by critics but is really a bore to many general viewers? What are they missing? Anything I should pay attention to when watching a movie that will help me appreciate it more?

posted by arrowhead to media & arts (21 comments total)

Dramatic camera angles, the use of sound, themes carried throughout the movie...etc...
Have you seen Citizen Kane? Citizen Kane kind of set the bar for a lot of what critics think (thought?) good films should have. If you haven't seen it, you should watch it and pay attention to how the movie is constructed.
posted by phunniemee at 11:49 AM on May 26, 2008

These are the kinds of big questions that film types argue over.

Film theory
Film criticism
posted by box at 11:50 AM on May 26, 2008

I've been thinking about this, and I think the best advice I could give would be to spend time listening to or reading some of the good reviewers. People like Mark Kermode (who has a very good BBC podcast), or Ebert. People who really get what films are trying for, and what they actually manage...
I watch films with a very critical (not always in a bad way) eye, but I'm not really sure where it came from, except for spending time writing, working with a director, and paying attention to the reviewers I agreed with.

Really I think all this has just made me think more while watching films, and I guess that comes down to you to decide to do... Otherwise, perhaps it's just how I (and you) are wired?
posted by opsin at 11:50 AM on May 26, 2008

To start, you might want to check out some of the many wonderful film blogs out there.

David Bordwell, author of one of the best and most commonly assigned film textbooks (also very worth checking out), has a good one. Girish is another of my favorites.
posted by bubukaba at 11:51 AM on May 26, 2008

I'm a film neophyte like you, but I'm lazy and can't bring myself to read any theory about it. So what I've been doing lately is watching a movie then reading reviews afterwards to help articulate what I did and didn't like about it. For instance, I just watched Knocked Up, then read Dana Steven's critical review in Slate, which points out a few glaring omissions in character development. Now the next time I watch a movie, I'll be paying a little more attention how well or poorly they explain the characters' motivations, as well as the techniques they use to move along major plot developments. This is admittedly not a very thorough or academic approach, but it makes movie watching more than just passive entertainment.
posted by footnote at 12:07 PM on May 26, 2008

A friend of mine is working his way through Roger Ebert's The Great Movies to increase his appreciation of film. I'm not sure whether the text on his site is the same as what's in the book, but The Great Movies on his Sun Times site will at least give you a starting point.
posted by kristi at 12:10 PM on May 26, 2008

I came to appreciate the mechanics of good movies by watching bad ones on MST3K, and noticing what doesn't work like it should: the lighting, the plots, the dialogue.
posted by johngoren at 12:13 PM on May 26, 2008

As many of the above commenters note, the best way to develop this kind of critical vocabulary is to spend a lot of time watching, reading about, thinking about and discussing movies.

The bad news is that I'm not sure there are any real shortcuts there. Lest that sound discouraging, the good news, though, is that it's never too late to start, and that, what with Netflix and Greencine and Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic and Moviefone (and, uh, torrent-aggregator sites), there's never been a better time to be a movie geek than right now.
posted by box at 12:19 PM on May 26, 2008

Here are some ideas, in no particular order:

- Try to see many different kinds of film, to get a sense of what's out there. This will help you approach the more "difficult" works. Try things you are unfamiliar with.

- Start watching the big-name classics. There's tons of 100 greatest films lists out there, pick one at random. Don't try to be exhaustive, there's no point. The idea is to start having reference points.

- Try to get a sense of film history. Try reading a book. This will help in identifying trends and influences.

- Check out some of the technical aspects if you are a technical person. Knowing how things are done will help you understand why they look the way the do. Some aspects of film, like photography, are inherently technical.

On preview, I need to learn to type faster or come up with more original ideas.
posted by ghost of a past number at 12:22 PM on May 26, 2008

I took a "masterpieces of cinema" class that used Marilyn Fabe's Closely Watched Films as a textbook, and I think even outside of a class setting it would be a good introduction to thinking more critically about movies. Each chapter focuses on a classic film (Citizen Kane, The 400 Blows, 8 1/2 ...) and gives an overview of its significance in film history and theory as well as an in-depth analysis of an important sequence--something I found particularly helpful since it provided a good model of how to think about these things.
I liked Fabe's style of writing a lot, so much so I finished the book on my own time. It definitely helped me appreciate movies much more.
posted by firefleet at 12:46 PM on May 26, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

I second ghost.

Watch a lot of movies. Just as importantly, read and talk a lot about movies—this will give you a better idea what's out there, so you can focus your viewing time on things that sound interesting.

If you live in a city, hunt down a good independent video store—they often have stuff you can't get on Netflix. Some used bookstores also have good, arty video selections.

Definitely explore as wide a range of foreign film as you can—Indian, French, Iranian, German, Chinese, Mexican, whatever you can get your hands on. It sometimes helps to have some idea of the cultural and political climate from which a film emerges (especially if the film deals explicitly or implicitly with those issues). Also make a point to explore different genres, styles, and eras. Basically, the more different kinds of films you see, the better equipped you'll be to compare and contrast them.

Rent a couple of things by Kurosawa and Tarkovsky—you might love it or hate it, but they're indisputable landmarks in film history, and you'd better have an opinion about it if you want to talk to film geeks. Don't get carried away with auteur theory, but make a list of directors whose work you don't know (or don't know very well), and stock up your Netflix queue. Maybe do a little research to determine which of their films are considered the best or most representative of their oeuvre.

Learn a little about the process of creating a movie: writing, shooting, acting, editing, scoring, and so forth. This will give some insight into the things you see on screen, and why they might be considered inventive or impressive (or not).

Flatly refuse to watch anything but widescreen editions. Pay attention to the way things are framed on the screen, the use of color (vibrant? washed-out? contrasty? dark? bright? some combination of these?), the way scenes are established, whether close-ups or wide-angle shots are used (and in which situations), how frequently shots change, whether the camera is still or moving, and how the sets and settings help describe the themes of the movie (are they claustrophobic? verdant? gray and mundane? fantastical?). Every director has his own visual vocabulary. Most importantly, observe how these techniques influence your feelings and your perceptions as you view the film.

Pay as much attention to what's not made explicit as to what is. Every good film is a mystery, in some sense—that's why you keep watching. In particular, try to figure out what's going on in the heads of the characters—why they're doing what they're doing, what they're thinking, what they're feeling. A lot of this is only implied, especially in better films that don't spoon-feed their audiences.

Forget about the Oscars. There are plenty of terrible films that receive Oscars, and plenty of transcendent films that fly completely under the establishment's radar.
posted by greenie2600 at 12:57 PM on May 26, 2008

Have you seen Citizen Kane?

I believe there is a DVD where Ebert does an added voice over for the movie, and breaks it down scene by scene. I've heard it is a really good watch and helps with understanding of the film tremendously.
posted by P.o.B. at 2:37 PM on May 26, 2008

There are lots of great places to start here, but there is always the Criterion Collection: they usually include essays and extras and critical commentaries that would be really helpful to someone trying to learn the ins and outs of cinema. Don't go exclusively Criterion, there is lots out there that they don't cover, but they do good work and are something to keep an eye out for.
posted by SoftRain at 2:43 PM on May 26, 2008

Listening to the commentary track on a DVD is often quite interesting, especially when it's by the director of the movie. Often the director comments on how a particular scene was filmed, what they were trying to do, etc.

To take a random example, in Ridley Scott's commentary on the Alien DVD, he talks about how the sets were deliberately constructed to give a cramped and claustrophobic feel; he also notes that there's not a lot of action until the halfway point in the movie, with the emphasis being on building up a raw and realistic atmosphere, so that when things start happening the viewer feels like they're there. (You can also hear him eating popcorn.)

It's a backstage view, so don't do this with movies that you really, really like--once you know how some of the illusions are constructed, it changes your experience of the movie.
posted by russilwvong at 5:25 PM on May 26, 2008

as a long time film buff and ex-hollywood type, i recommend reading Understanding Movies; it's a textbook i had assigned way back when I was in university but which I assume is still good.

not only does it give you an introduction to the key elements of making movies (mise en scene, lighting, editing, character, etc) but it illustrates its points with films both classic and modern. knowing the "language" of film will be really helpful in understanding why critical people like/dislike certain films and allow you make sense of why you like/dislike a film. it will also help suggest films for you to check out and let you know what to look for in them; i.e. what it is about Citizen Kane that makes critics wet their pants? this is more helpful than just watching a "classic" and trying to figure out on your own what makes it special.

i also recommend the classic book Adventures in the Screen Trade, which talks about how Hollywood works from the POV of a screenwriter William Goldman. if you want to understand why movies are made they way they are, this book is gold. it's about business, not art, but most movies are business ventures.
posted by xz at 6:21 PM on May 26, 2008

I'll second Citizen Kane, David Bordwell's Film History (I own/love this), and anything in the Criterion Collection (personally, I'd recommend 8 1/2, Seven Samurai, and Bicycle Thieves).

Another thing you should start doing is straight-up memorization of film trivia, facts, names, places, etc. For example, when I watch a film, I always IMDB it (before, if possible) to check the year, director, studio, actors, and crew. It helps to learn which directors you like; this is helpful when looking for something new to watch (ie. like Malick? try David Gordon Green; P.T. Anderson? Altman). Wikipedia (though not always 100% correct) is very useful for getting the basic information on a film.

Watch DVDs (even the ones you already own!) with the commentary on. I've heard great things about the one Ebert did for Citizen Kane, and Criterion is known for having great tracks. (Lots of great film discussion can be found here.)

Read movie reviews. Ebert has a fantastic list of 'great movies' on his website. I'd recommend this book as well.

Finally, just watch movies. That's the best way to start. Netflix has always surprised me with its recommendations--almost all of the time, I've enjoyed their suggestions. (If you don't have a Netflix subscription, get one now. It's invaluable for the movie-lover.) Watch the classics; Casablanca, The Third Man, The Searchers, Rear Window. Watch the famous directors, past and present; Kubrick, Hitchcock, Scorsese, the Coens, Kurosawa, Fellini, Ozu, Godard, Truffaut, Altman, Almodovar, Lynch, Wilder. Watch whatever your friends recommend. Watch whatever you can find.

Just watch movies.

PS. greenie2600 has some wonderful advice. Listen to that.
posted by reductiondesign at 7:32 PM on May 26, 2008

One thing that changed my perspective was to pay attention to directing instead of characters and stories.. I didn't quite get why my film geek friends always talked about a particular director's body of work whereas to me it was just, some films I like, some I don't. So I tried to not obsess over plot and whether or not it resolves neatly - I tried to see it a different way. Why does a director cut where s/he does, and shoot scenes the way s/he does? It's a medium, and the screen is flat, how do things move on the screen, how are they framed?

Watch some Godard and try to figure out what the hell he is doing, and Tarkovsky is a brilliant genius even if for 10-20 minutes stretches you wonder, did anything happen? No, not really. What is he doing, then? Try to stay awake. :) A neat film to watch might be Robert Bresson's Pickpocket because it does have a fairly simple story (if I remember correctly) but it's fascinating how he make the cuts and focuses so much on little things, small gestures. I think it's also worthwhile to read more about the director and the time in film history when s/he was working, to see what innovations s/he made. Citizen Kane is a great film now and easy to follow, but was more difficult and hard to appreciate at the time, while nowadays directors have adopted so much of that film's vocabulary.

Also just because something is on a lot of critics' greatest film lists and is called a masterpiece etc., you don't have to like it... it's good to look for dissenting voices. I hate a lot of 70's auteur stuff. For new stuff, check out the Village Voice's annual film polls and the essays with them.. and I recommend reading Armond White because he's so often completely at odds with all the other critics..

Senses of Cinema is a great online resource.
posted by citron at 12:30 AM on May 27, 2008

Also just because something is on a lot of critics' greatest film lists and is called a masterpiece etc., you don't have to like it...

Citizen Kane being the usual suspect in this category.

/ducks
posted by ghost of a past number at 4:39 AM on May 27, 2008

I took a "masterpieces of cinema" class that used Marilyn Fabe's Closely Watched Films as a textbook, and I think even outside of a class setting it would be a good introduction to thinking more critically about movies.

I was trying to remember the name of this book earlier when I was writing my post. It is really good, and isn't just for film students. Seconding Closely Watched Films.
posted by phunniemee at 6:17 AM on May 27, 2008

Kane is kind of a poor choice. A lot of the reason its considered good is because it did a lot of things technically that no one was doing before it, which makes it innovative and influential, but a lot of those techniques are almost matter-of-course in later movies so without having seen a bunch of stuff before Kane, you aren't really going to "get it".
posted by juv3nal at 10:10 AM on May 27, 2008

goddammit. Kane is kind of a poor choice as a starting point.
posted by juv3nal at 5:14 PM on May 27, 2008