TheDuke

Not sure if this is the right forum, sorry if it isn't. I've just started out my DVD collection and I've been looking to add some Criterion titles because they have some really critically acclaimed titles. So, off I go to Netflix and order some up. I watch them, and to be honest they are some of the most boring, yawn inducing titles I have ever seen. I can appreciate films that aren't all action but I really don't see how these movies have been critically acclaimed. So far I have seen Diabolique, Seven Samurai, Brazil, Crisis, and The Seventh Seal. Luckily, I guess, I did enjoy The Royal Tenenbaums (which is actually my favorite movie), Dazed and Confused, Grey Gardens, and Videodrome. So whats up? Do I just not have good taste? Am I going in expecting to much? Keep in mind I'm 16 so maybe I'll get lucky and my taste will evolve over time.

The Bus

Your taste will evolve. Also, not everything CC releases is automatically great. I personally didn't like Brazil that much.

But, you've probably seen a higher quality level of movies than some of your peers. Don't stick to any one genre.

Drop

Watch some of those films you didn't like in 4 years, you'll feel differently about them.

Your only high school age, there's still plenty for you to experience and change your perception of the world, college is a really great time to really test out your tastes.

Atleast you're trying and have your mind open. That's important, and try to leave behind any preconcieved notions about any films before you watch them. No film delivers what you expect, for better and worse.

EddieN

Things'll change. I now hate probably 90% of the music & movies I loved at sixteen.

TGM

You will learn to appreciate SOME of these movies once you get older.

However, a LOT of what Criterion puts out does happen to in fact be some of the most boring, yawn inducing titles ever made.

Johnny Zhivago

Yup, you're miles ahead of the curve for your age... I didn't really get into the classics of cinema until I was in my 20's. FWIW, I've never been a fan of Brazil either and I'm 37 years old. So, kudos for being open minded. Me thinks if you re-visit some of those films a decade or so from now you might appreciate why they are so highly regarded.

Tenebaums and Videodrome are good movies... So, obviously, you don't have bad taste. Different strokes and all that. Welcome to DVDTalk BTW...

Yakuza Bengoshi

Watching great films is like shooting heroin. At first it might seem stupid and make you throw up, but if you stick with it, you'll soon find it hard to imagine life without it.

The Man with the Golden Doujinshi

The first time I watched Brazil, it was the longer cut and I hated it. I just couldn't really follow along with what was going on and getting bored didn't help any. A few years later I watch the love version and it made more sense, except for the odd edits, and then I watched the longer one again and it wasn't that bad.

But what do I know? I thought Transformers was awful and the only reason people love it is because it really was the best movie of the summer as everything else was just so much worse.

nothingfails

ohhh, I thought maybe you liked really bad and campy movies and weren't sure if you have a bad taste in movies, or if you just appreciate the art of bad campy movies? I love to watch movies like Mommie Dearest, Manos, Staying Alive, Sliver (the Sharon Stone flick, not Slither) and a lot of bad horror/slasher flicks, but I realize how bad they are and enjoy them for that very reason.

brainee

As already stated, you get a pass in my book at this stage because of your age. And there's no rule that says you have to like every critically acclaimed masterpiece. For any good movie, you can always find intelligent people who just don't like it for one reason or another. It's good advice to revisit these when you're older, and still keep trying to keep an open mind. I remember watching Bergman's Fanny and Alexander when I was high school and I absolutely hated it. But now I love the movie and own it on DVD. Same for 2001; watching it post-Star Wars I just didn't get the appeal at first.

One thing puzzles me a little. You say you really didn't like Seven Samurai, Seventh Seal, Brazil, Diabolique ... ok. But do you really mean that you can't see anything in these movies that would make someone else like them? How someone could get swept up in the epic 7S, caring about the characters and the underdog storyline. Or how someone could like SSeal for the cool "chess vs death concept", the direction and photography, and the great Max von Sydow. Or Brazil for bringing an unusual dystopian vision to life (which has been oft-imitated), with an unusually dark sense of humor, topping it off with a head trip. There are a number of acclaimed movies that I don't like, but I don't know if there are any that I can't see any decent reason why someone else wouldn't like them.

rfduncan

I'd say more like refining your tasting palate for wine instead of cocaine, but some of those movies are tough to get your head around (I'd do some cliffnotes-type internet search for Seventh Seal - seriously). Try The Hidden Fortress - it is a little tough, but I'm sure you'll enjoy seeing how George Lucas borrowed LIBERALLY from it to create the original Star Wars.

islandclaws

I wouldn't say you do. The fact that you're open to watching CC films to begin with is a step in the right direction. Try reading some reviews of their titles first to get an idea of ones you might be interested in. You might enjoy some of the these titles: The Blob, Fiend Without A Face, Eyes Without A Face, Naked Lunch, Le Samourai, Le Circle Rouge. It's all about finding titles that seem to match your interests and go from there.

As an 80's horror film nut I don't really have room to say anyone has bad taste.

rhcp1214

Hey Duke! I'm also 16 and understand your problem. I began my DVD collection when i was 12 and my taste has VASTLY evolved since then. My favorite movie used to be Star Wars, now it's Taxi Driver (I'm a Scorsese Fanatic) and have a growing Criterion "collection." So, no matter what, your taste will grow...try some Kubrick films.

mikelowry

Watching Criterion DVDs(mostly) sometimes really tests your patience. Keep on watching and collecting Criterion DVDs and eventually you will be rewarded. With what? That's for you to discover.

The Man with the Golden Doujinshi

I've just discovered my wallet's lighter.

Dane Marvin

Also remember: Criterion isn't the only line of DVDs that contain masterpieces. At 16 you should be able to appreciate a film like "Citizen Kane" or "Treasure of the Sierra Madre" so start jumping into that Warner Bros Two-Disc SE collection. That said, one Criterion you absolutely must see -- and even at 16 I know you'll love it -- is the criminally underrated "Sullivan's Travels". Luckily, I believe this film made the newest AFI Top 100 American Films list.

Breton

A couple of thoughts: one, is that movies really were meant to be seen on the big screen and some play on TV better than others; and the other is that while subtitles are certainly preferable to dubbing, foreign-language films leave out entire chunks of dialogue in the translation.

Many older films rely on the audience getting lost in the world that represents the theater-going experience. It allows the director to take his time exploring a scene. It also gives the director a chance to explore the space of the scenery, or even the emotional world of the actor. Some of this carries over to the smaller screen, but not all of it. If a movie has a leisurely pace, it's going to be harder to watch on TV in your living room from the get-go. So, if you could somehow pay attention to all three hours plus of something like "Samurai," you're ahead of most people right there. I think modern movies have tended to be paced for television viewing, although the pendulum seems to be swinging back to much longer times for "serious" movies.

As far as foreign titles go, you may notice that if you have any familiarity at all with the language being spoken, the subtitles are much shorter than what people are actually saying. Entire chunks of dialogue don't make it over to the subtitles. The viewing experience has to suffer at least a little from that fact.

If you really have a serious interest in knowing classic cinema, you might want to read books on the subject. I can't recommend any offhand, but maybe other people here would have some ideas. Also, if you go to college and they have film appreciation courses, you might want to take one or two. I took a few in college, and they helped make me aware of movies that I had not heard of before that are considered classics, and the instructors/professors were also very helpful in terms of understanding the movies and what they represent.

Arthur Dent

I've noticed that my tastes have changed over the years. I'm 22 now (well, in a few hours!) and I remember not liking Fight Club when I saw it at around 14 or 15. Saw it again over the summer and really liked it. This has happened with other things, too.

TheDuke

Thanks for the help everyone
The main reason for my interest is that I want to be somewhat of a film historian when I grow up. I have a great book all about the history of film and most of the titles I have seen were recommended from the book, or just the directors in general. For some of the movies such as Seven Samurai, I could tell I was watching I well made film but I just didn't find the plot that interesting. I thought it was very well put together but what was going on was just not that interesting. The next title I have in my queue is Picnic at Hanging Rock, which I think I will like because I love a good mystery, especially people who have disappeared. Has anyone seen this?

DVDho78DTS

I give you credit for watching those films at such a young age. No way I would have watched a 3 hour + Japanese film at 16. I watched Seven Samurai not too long ago and thought it was great. I also watched Picnic recently and while being well made it wasn't anything like I thought it would be and is quite "boring."

brainee

Oh man ... I predict you're going to hate this one It's slow, atmospheric, beautifully shot ... and if you go in expecting a mystery (at least in the conventional movie mystery sense) you'll be disappointed. I like it now, but it's another movie I didn't like when I was a teenager but grew to appreciate more (Don't Look Now is another horror movie from the same period that I have a similar experience with). Probably not the best place to start with Peter Weir. Even if you're familiar with his "hits" (Master and Commander, Truman Show, Dead Poets Society, Witness), I'd tackle Gallipoli or The Last Wave for a sense of Weir's pre-Hollywood period.

Dr Mabuse

this is very good...

did you plagiarize or is this yours?...

to the OP... i'll chime in with the 'you're doing great for 16' stuff...

others have already said it... but stay with it... but seeing Kurosawa at 16?...

awesome...

might i suggest you yawn through Henri Georges Clouset's 'The Wages of Fear'?... and Bergman's 'The Seventh Seal' and 'Winter Light'?...

also Kurosawa's 'Ikiru'...

get them in at 16... you'll have such a cool thing coming back to them later...

awesome start man... cool stuff you seeing those films and having an interest... also kudos on being genuine enough to describe your take frankly like you did... impressive stuff all the way around... i think that's why the gang here was so... well... nice to you... that's not always the case...

i'm not sure exactly how many Criterions i own... but i'm positive it's not enough...

i love Brazil... i'm surprised to see people say they weren't impressed in this thread... but different strokes and whatnot...

'The Royal Tenenbaums' is a great film...

domino harvey

Films do not exist in a vacuum and many "classics" must be considered within context to realize what makes them great. You shouldn't expect to be able to see a well-regarded film and be able to enjoy it fully without being able to place it within cultural and historical contexts. Many Criterions come with essays and commentaries and other supplements that attempt to teach the average viewer about the film at hand.
A great introduction for you would be Bordwell and Thompson's Film Art: An Introduction, sort of a 101 Film Course in a book. It's pricey but you can either buy an older edition for cheap via eBay/Amazon marketplace, or get it from the library. For someone just beginning their film journey, it will help you with how to watch a film, which is not as obvious as you might think.

814am

Since Seenth Seal and Brazil are the only films I've seen by their directors I can't realy comment but With Seven Samurai, as great of a film as it is, it might not be the best movie to start Kurosawa with...something like High And Low, Rashoman or Sanjuro might be better since they seemed to be a little faster paced...or maybe watch Magnificent Seven (the american western remake of seven samurai).

Another thing to try is to do research and see who influenced your favorite directors...If you liked Wes Anderson and The Royal Tenenbaums, watch "Harold and Maude"...if you like Dazed and Confused check out the directors other Criterion "Slacker"...if you like Star Wars try Kurosawas "Hidden Fortress".

In the end its all about trying new things so have fun, the worse you have to lose is a few hours of your time.

DthRdrX

Hidden Fortress or Throne of Blood would be my pick to start with regarding Kurosawa films. Ikiru is similiar to Seventh Seal IMO with regards to subject matters about life/death.

Brazil can be a tough film to tackle at any age. I personally found more to it, and the concept of "systems", after being in & out of school for some time & working a normal "go no where" job. Try it again in a few years.