::nervously shuffling feet::
The number one classic that has never done a single thing for me, sweeping epic or no, is Gone With the Wind.
God knows I've tried. It's not that I don't get the innovativeness of it, the scale, the first-evers. Honest. I getit. I feel no sympathy for any of the characters (except maybe Melanie, but not much). Can't be intrigued by the Civil War era in any medium. Can't honor any of the acting (except maybe Hattie McDaniel for doing a nice job with not much to work with)
My favorite GWTW moment came when a British friend and I staggered out of Legends of the Fall. My pal breathed a heavy sigh, turned to me and murmered in a lovely accent. "Oh my. I'm Gone With the Winded." I nearly swallowed my tongue.
::please no tomato tossing, I've just cleaned up::
Remember that Animaniacs episode where Dr. Scratchensnif is on a date at the movies, and the movie is a black and white French film which consists of a bunch of people on a train, wearing berets, smoking little tiny cigarettes, and reciting the words to "Allouette" in deep, meaningful tones, while a violin plays in the background?
Nope, but I didn't watch Animaniacs all that often. (Enough to know the theme, with which my ear is now wormed.)
Beej, I'm with you on the GWTW non-love. I saw it on the big screen back when I was around 11, and was not impressed. Tried watching it again during college on the slightly-smaller screen, and even though the epic scenes were pretty cool (I thought the sheer number of bodies in the wounded-at-the-railway-station scene did a great job of adding to the scale of the film), and the dancing was well done, I still didn't feel much of anything for it. Finally, tried it again a few years back when it showed up on TCM one Sunday night. The various scenes with slaves just set my teeth on edge, and I wanted to slap Scarlett silly, shake Melanie out of her "I'm such a saint" mood, tell Ashley to grow a pair, and slap Rhett for being just as much of a jerk as Scarlett. Finally, I just turned the channel instead of yelling at the screen any more.
If it helps with the classics, here's AFI's 100 Greatest American Movies with links to their other 100 greatest lists.
For me, Citizen Kane was great because it was a classic oral history, with all the people telling the story of Kane's life through their own perceptions. Me = big on relativism.
Anyway, classics from that list that I don't like include Gone With The Wind, ET, West Side Story, The Sound of Music, Network, Forrest Gump, and Dances With Wolves.
I'm hoping that they are purposefully blurring the line between good-guy-hero and bad-ass-psychopath
::says nothing::
A psychopath is not the same thing as a psychotic. "Psychopath" is the obsolete term for sociopath, or somebody incapable of moral formation and empathy.
It's not my fault I remember stuff from my Abnormal Psychology class.
A psychopath is not the same thing as a psychotic
Is Batman a psychopath?
I
don't think they're equivalent, but I figured the DSM was going to be whipped out anyway.
A psychopath is not the same thing as a psychotic. "Psychopath" is the obsolete term for sociopath, or somebody incapable of moral formation and empathy.
So ita can say he's a psycho, but she can't say he's psycho.
Is Batman a psychopath?
The not-killing credo suggests not. Also he seems to have
some
empathy with his charges.
The not-killing credo suggests not.
Well, then my point stands untouched.
Also he seems to have some empathy with his charges.
Hmm. You're reading different books from me. He may be concerned with their well-being, but empathy seems rather a stretch.
