On movies and thinking

I saw Talladega Nights today. Yes Brad, it is Will Ferrell... and yes it was not above reproach (but no worse than any of the other movies one finds out there... which is really weird for Adam McKay and Will Ferrell). It got me to thinking about the plethora of different kinds of filmmakers out there.

First you have good filmmakers. People like Paul Haggis (Crash), Ron Howard (Cinderella Man, A Beautiful Mind, Apollo 13), Ridley Scott (Kingdom of Heaven, Black Hawk Down, Gladiator). These are the people that, although many people MAY argue with my taste in films in terms of the films that these people have made, make you appreciate the cinematography, the art, and the beauty that the camera can bring to the big screen. Sure they're Hollywood... sure they make formula movies and cliches... but who said a cliche can't be well done. It wouldn't have become a formula if people didn't like it you know. And a cliche didn't become a cliche because people hated the genres.

Then you have the filmmakers who have their moments, make interesting political statements and otherwise, but in such strange ways that you really need to dig to understand what they're getting at. Filmmaker like Kevin Smith comes to mind (Clerks, Mallrats, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Clerks II... you get it). Sure he makes a great commentary about some of lifes realities (the Catholic church, life, love, America) but does he have to do it in such a crude manner? Or have people become so unsophisticated that they can't understand deep truths without references to sex or crudity?

Then you have filmmakers like Adam Mckay et. el (Anchorman, 40-Year old Virgin, Talledega Nights), Michael Moore (Farenheit 9/11, Bowling for Columbine)... I'm sure there's plenty more who are just crap. I mean, tell you the truth, I liked Anchorman, thought it was hilarious.... but I don't like anything else Adam McKay/Will ferrell really. No REAL plot, crude and strange for it's own sake, and it's not even funny 3/4 of the time. Michael Moore just takes "facts" that he pulls out of goodness knows where and then makes people believe them by asking people in high positions completely loaded and biased questions that cannot properly be answered without an answer that would require words to be redefined. (Heck whole books are written on single phrases... video interviews do not do intellectual debate justice).

I guess the point here is that the vast majority of movies are a huge waste of time and I can't believe that I just spent so much of the past two years of my life watching movies. Most of them weren't even good... not to mention the fact that it's an expensive habit to get into. Watch your movies selectively and carefully people... let the people that get paid to watch movies (like movie critics) do that... read their reviews, go watch the movies that you really want to see then see if you agree. Word of advice... the Toronto Star movie critics are a bunch of morons.

Good night all.