Although I don't really absolutely HATE longer movies, I do generally prefer a shorter running time too! That's why I love Old Hollywood and classic Hong Kong cinema in which almost no film is longer than 90 minutes! I don't see why filmmakers nowadays can't tell a story in less than two hours, it's crazy!
What's it take to be a Film Buff?
- Thread starter sfoster
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Although I don't really absolutely HATE longer movies, I do generally prefer a shorter running time too! That's why I love Old Hollywood and classic Hong Kong cinema in which almost no film is longer than 90 minutes! I don't see why filmmakers nowadays can't tell a story in less than two hours, it's crazy!
Exactly! There are exceptions for me, as I love the extended cut of ALIENS and Michael Mann's 2 hour, 40 minute version of HEAT, but a lot of the time I like entertainment that gets to the point. I grew up watching reruns of old horror movies, like FRANKENSTEIN (70 minutes), THE WOLFMAN (70 minutes) and DRACULA (75 minutes). I thought it was cool that you could see two completely different subjects and not lose a whole night doing so.
I absolutely love those films! It is cool to get the opportunity to watch many films since they are so short. Sometimes I just think to myself, "I can watch Gone With The Wind/Lawrence Of Arabia/(insert long movie) OR I can watch about four classic Universal films, or two great 90 minute movies with time to spare."
I also like movies where there's lots of moments where characters are discussing something. Here are some examples:
Blair and the other characters in John Carpenter's The Thing examining The Thing.
The discussions in 12 Angry Men.
Mills and Somerset talking to one another in the bar scene in Seven.
The discussion in the diner in Reservoir Dogs.
For me as a film buff there's plenty of movies I have seen, most are considered classics but there are also many movies that are considered classics which I haven't seen yet. The important thing for me though is that even if I haven't actually watched a certain movie yet, as long as I know of it's existence and know about it's impact on film, I am still maintaining my knowledge of film.
Blair and the other characters in John Carpenter's The Thing examining The Thing.
The discussions in 12 Angry Men.
Mills and Somerset talking to one another in the bar scene in Seven.
The discussion in the diner in Reservoir Dogs.
For me as a film buff there's plenty of movies I have seen, most are considered classics but there are also many movies that are considered classics which I haven't seen yet. The important thing for me though is that even if I haven't actually watched a certain movie yet, as long as I know of it's existence and know about it's impact on film, I am still maintaining my knowledge of film.
Yeah, I think that knowledge of film is probably even more important than the actual amount of films watched in order to be a "film buff." Because there is simply way too many masterpieces out there to be able to watch them. I don't think there's anyone out there who has seen EVERY single masterpiece, I mean wouldn't they stop loving cinema if they did?
I think of myself as a film buff based upon a few different factors.
A) Could I make several recommendations to others for what to watch across multiple genres and interests.
B) I watch plenty of films outside (sometimes faaaarrr outside) the Hollywood blockbuster type films - so that I can make informed recommendations to others, or at least hold a somewhat intelligent conversation about them.
C) I critically examine and deconstruct the films waaaaay beyond "Did I like that? Y/N?"
E) And finally, I try to stay abreast of upcoming releases, again, not only just the big Hollywood pieces, but also of the small indie films that perhaps picked up distro at film festivals.
A) Could I make several recommendations to others for what to watch across multiple genres and interests.
B) I watch plenty of films outside (sometimes faaaarrr outside) the Hollywood blockbuster type films - so that I can make informed recommendations to others, or at least hold a somewhat intelligent conversation about them.
C) I critically examine and deconstruct the films waaaaay beyond "Did I like that? Y/N?"
- Did I like the screenplay irregardless of execution?
- Did I like the cinematography?
- Did I like the score?
- Were the characters remarkable? Could any random actor done an equally fine job of portraying the character? So, this was more about just telling the story, then?
- How much did it cost to make this?
- What revenue did it make? Is this above or below what I would have expected?
- What other films did the director make? Have I seen those? Can I draw comparisons between these films?
- Is this a remake or derivative? Have I seen the original?
- Etc.
E) And finally, I try to stay abreast of upcoming releases, again, not only just the big Hollywood pieces, but also of the small indie films that perhaps picked up distro at film festivals.
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A journey that began on 1/24/12 - I joined netflix DVD and had access to virtually any title I wanted, I began my film history education.
01/24/12 Roman Holiday
01/28/12 Raging Bull
01/28/12 Seven Samurai
02/02/12 The French Connection
02/07/12 North by Northwest
02/10/12 Casablanca
02/10/12 Full Metal Jacket
look at those titles.
It didn't seem like such a special time in my life when it happened, but wow to watch that many amazing films in a row that you haven't seen before!!
I wish I were as excited about all kinds of film, as some people who frequent this board are. But like 80% of the time I rate a film 3/5 stars or lower.
Also a lot of bad ones out there but I fought my way through it.. I queued and watched a ton of movies from imdb top 500, afi, time magazine, internet lists, actors, directors. At one point I was getting 8 DVDs at a time. And now two and a half years later...
My queue has been empty like this for 3 days!!! The only things I have left are all Very Long Wait.
Folks, I am a film buff
01/24/12 Roman Holiday
01/28/12 Raging Bull
01/28/12 Seven Samurai
02/02/12 The French Connection
02/07/12 North by Northwest
02/10/12 Casablanca
02/10/12 Full Metal Jacket
look at those titles.It didn't seem like such a special time in my life when it happened, but wow to watch that many amazing films in a row that you haven't seen before!!
I wish I were as excited about all kinds of film, as some people who frequent this board are. But like 80% of the time I rate a film 3/5 stars or lower.
Also a lot of bad ones out there but I fought my way through it.. I queued and watched a ton of movies from imdb top 500, afi, time magazine, internet lists, actors, directors. At one point I was getting 8 DVDs at a time. And now two and a half years later...
My queue has been empty like this for 3 days!!! The only things I have left are all Very Long Wait.
Folks, I am a film buff
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My friends call me a film buff, cause I have seen lots of movies they have never heard of. Not sure if that's enough to make me a buff though, but I explore different types of movies, that capture my interest, compared to what the average moviegoer will see.