LotR Ignorance (warning: Rant)

[Merlion]

That too, to an extent. My point was he wasnt trying to be pretentius or "important". He did it for his own enjoyment and his families.

 

[Vocenoctum]

Re: Re: Most reviewers are lit. majors who couldn't get a better job

OK, Kane is definitely better than Phantom Menace, any way you cut it. But while I haven't seen XXX (I had a desperate appointment to have my toenails split with a railroad spike), have you ever actually tried watching Gone with the Wind? Man, people would watch anything in 1939 if you threw a few movie stars in it.

I've never actually seen Citizen Kane (or, XXX) but I liked Gone with the Wind. Remember that not everyone likes the same movies.

I really do think people take movie's too seriously though. It's just entertainment!



OTOH, I do see a lot of nostalgia in the selection of what is or is not a Classic Novel. How many people had to sit through horrid novels that meant nothing to a modern audience in English class, simply because they were Literature!

 

[ssampier]

I can agree with that, older doesn't equal "better". But then again, special effects are not the only determining factor in a movie's appeal either. I can honestly say I've never seen XXX or Gone with the Wind (Citizen Kane either) I was merely using them as an example. It is silly to compare two unlike things.

As for being a former film critic, I issue the greatest of sympathies. Although the cartoon show, "The Critic" was a hoot, I'm sure the day-to-day drudgery was hardly comical.

As for the literature major comment, I was obviously joking. As mentioned, some literature is termendously dull and tedious. Newer fiction is overlooked simply because it isn't canon.

 

[Mark]

Re: Re: Re: Most reviewers are lit. majors who couldn't get a better job

I've never actually seen Citizen Kane...

I really do think people take movie's too seriously though. It's just entertainment!

Citizen Kane is a hell of a lot more than just a work of entertainment. It may have been one of the bravest movies of its time. Take the time to do a google search on it and I think you'll be fancinated by the background on that film.

OTOH, I do see a lot of nostalgia in the selection of what is or is not a Classic Novel. How many people had to sit through horrid novels that meant nothing to a modern audience in English class, simply because they were Literature!

One would think the increase in the ability to get published and the increase in the population would, by default, increase the chance for pertinence in novels...but I doubt you could make a case for it book by book. I'd love to see you begin a new thread with that goal and try. For those who may care about Western Literature, here's a checklist of sorts from Harold Bloom (who may not be with us much longer judging by the health displayed in a recent interview) -

http://www.literarycritic.com/bloom.htm

(It's sorted by age and region, but there's also a link sorting the whole list alphebetically)

http://www.literarycritic.com/bloom2.htm