What's it take to be a Film Buff?

sfoster

sfoster

Staff Member
Moderator
There's no right answer here .. but I know that I am not one. Yet.

I haven't seen every film on the AFI top 100 greatest, or the time magazine top 100, or roger eberts list of great films.

I've seen around 2000 movies total, and approximately 500 in the year 2013.

The most films seen in one year is 1,132 and was achieved by Maggie Correa-Avilés (Puerto Rico) in San Juan, Puerto Rico
Click to expand...

She more than doubled my score, but I would often rewatch films if they had a directors commentary. Maybe if I just went straight for the record!! :lol:

One thing I'll say, it's a real pleasure to pick up film books like "cinematic storytelling" and have seen 90% of the referenced films.

The world record-holder for movie watching is Gwilym Hughes. He watched more than 28,000 movies in his lifetime and held the Guinness World Record since 2008
Click to expand...

I don't think I'll ever touch that number.. Maybe I will get halfway there if I don't die young
 
I consider myself a film buff based on knowledge of movies, the directors, year of release, actors involved, producers, studio. I can recall names by connections I've made in my memory so I can name someone involved in a film in some capacity and link them to others.

I haven't seen every movie made of course and many of those I haven't seen are considered classics or groundbreaking films, either for their time or because they have stood the test of time. I think to judge whether you're a film buff or not based on lists that others have created, even if they are well known and trusted film sites, shouldn't be the only factor you take into account - what are your own tastes? What films could you just pick up and watch that you wouldn't normally but just for an exercise in spontaneity?

I have tried to see films across many different genres and decades. I was born in the early 80s but my appreciation of movies spreads from the 1930s (so far I haven't seen any movies prior to this decade) all the way to now. Sometimes I will go out to look for movies to buy that are a lot older.

On a side note, when someone says to me, as an example, "Oh I love this movie it's called Rear Window and it has this actor in it named James Stewart...but you're too young to know who he is" I feel like screaming, "I know who Jimmy Stewart is!"
 
Sometimes I am weak on staff for a film.. I'm trying to get better at that. I only recently learned that oliver stone wrote scarface. and that Christopher McQuarrie wrote the usual suspects.

Go figure, two great directors and their most popular features seem to be as writers
 
I don't agree with everything here but it's a pretty good guide.

moviegeekevolution2-copy.jpg


I think that Oscaria rarely watches foreign films, that's where I was for many years until late last year. Oscarias favorite films should be recently nominees of the Oscars not those foreign classics. There should be another step called "Essential Art House" or something where those classics fit in. I think that another step should be added which is "Criterion Geek" a person who exclusively watches films from the Criterion Collection. I've pretty much been on all of these stages of cinephilia.

A person who's a cinephile/film buff will spend so much time on watching films and reading about them. This person will also spend nearly all their money on films or film-related products.

I think it's important for a film buff to not have an inherent bias against "silent," black & white, foreign, or arthouse films. They should also try to love all genres too. I see a lot of hate against experimental film, westerns, and musicals that I think are essential genres for a film buff to watch. I don't think that a film buff necessarily needs to watch a lot of mainstream crap and the worst of B-movies, however this can help!

I don't think any of those lists (esp. the AFI) are good indicators of the level of cinephilia because they are too American-centric, and they even exclude amazing filmmakers like John Cassavetes. I think that the Roger Ebert list is a great mix of arthouse, mainstream, foreign, and classic films though (with great essays as well!). Once you become a true film buff you start to watch great films that are not even on the list, maybe some that most people are not even aware of but that are still great films.
 
PhantomScreenwriter said:
On a side note, when someone says to me, as an example, "Oh I love this movie it's called Rear Window and it has this actor in it named James Stewart...but you're too young to know who he is" I feel like screaming, "I know who Jimmy Stewart is!"
Click to expand...

James Stewart is probably my favorite American actor! Did you see him in Mr. Smith Goes To Washington if you haven't, you should check it out, it's probably the most inspiring performance I have seen!
 
^Mr Smith Goes to Washington is one of the many movies I haven't seen yet that I really should.

Excellent find with the Six Stages of Movie Geek Evolution! I followed a similar trajectory. But I was in a middle area between Familymovius Cartoonata and Blockbustericus where I was watching violent action films like Rambo: First Blood Part II, Commando, Cobra and Death Wish 3 - I was seven when I saw Terminator II: Judgment Day.

The other day I watched a movie starring Spencer Tracy from 1940 called Northwest Passage and it even kept me entertained being on television because the ads makes me dislike watching any movies on television - to sit down and watch this all the way through proved to me that it had me hooked despite the extended length due to ads.
 
PhantomScreenwriter said:
^Mr Smith Goes to Washington is one of the many movies I haven't seen yet that I really should.
Click to expand...

I'm sure you'll enjoy it! :)

Excellent find with the Six Stages of Movie Geek Evolution! I followed a similar trajectory. But I was in a middle area between Familymovius Cartoonata and Blockbustericus where I was watching violent action films like Rambo: First Blood Part II, Commando, Cobra and Death Wish 3 - I was seven when I saw Terminator II: Judgment Day.
Click to expand...

Thanks! Yeah I think I was similar there too because my father always loved action films and he always took me to see the Fast and Furious movies and the Rush Hour movies and he got me to watch some classics like Die Hard and Rambo.

The other day I watched a movie starring Spencer Tracy from 1940 called Northwest Passage and it even kept me entertained being on television because the ads makes me dislike watching any movies on television - to sit down and watch this all the way through proved to me that it had me hooked despite the extended length due to ads.
Click to expand...

I'm the same way with ads! It's unfortunate that films are shown with ads because it kills the original pacing and flow of the film. I'm going to check out that movie though, thanks for the recommendation!
 
sfoster said:
I've seen around 2000 movies total, and approximately 500 in the year 2013.
Click to expand...

Are you kidding me?! YOU'RE A FILM BUFF!!! :yes:

I don't think the generally accepted definition of "film buff" requires any particular level of expertise. I think it's just a statement of how passionate you are about film. I think it just means that you watch a lot of movies, across different genres, and you enjoy analyzing and discussing them on the merits of their artistic quality.

Any contributing member to this website is pretty much THE definition of a film buff.

MiniJames, that infographic is great! :lol:

I think I can honestly claim to be a Celluloid Sapien, though I unapologetically admit my strong preference towards blockbusters, especially sci-fi. :D
 
Cracker Funk said:
I don't think the generally accepted definition of "film buff" requires any particular level of expertise. I think it's just a statement of how passionate you are about film. I think it just means that you watch a lot of movies, across different genres, and you enjoy analyzing and discussing them on the merits of their artistic quality.

Any contributing member to this website is pretty much THE definition of a film buff.
Click to expand...

:yes:

MiniJames, that infographic is great!

I think I can honestly claim to be a Celluloid Sapien, though I unapologetically admit my strong preference towards blockbusters, especially sci-fi.
Click to expand...

Thanks! Yeah I think it's important to get to that level, when you're able to watch anything but you also have your own tastes. My preference is Japanese cinema (esp. the postwar era) and Old Hollywood. What I love about film is that there is so much out there for anyone, what makes the film buff/cinephile special though is that he/she is able to appreciate a greater variety of what's out there.
 
I can see a stop sign. But that doesn't mean I understand it. Or can even appreciate it for all the lives it has saved as it has stood against blinding sun, pelting rain, iced winds and more.
 
That is a very funny infographic! And I can definitely remember hitting those stages along the way! I even remember when subtitles clicked for me (Fritz Lang's M).

I often go on about the distinction between quality and taste, and I think they're getting to the same thing. When you have enough knowledge about films, you can recognize what is a "good" or "bad" film without interfering with whether you liked it or not. I like some good films and some bad films in equal measure!

So, yeah, you watch a lot of films and you think about them. I think that qualifies for film buff!
 
JoshL said:
I often go on about the distinction between quality and taste, and I think they're getting to the same thing. When you have enough knowledge about films, you can recognize what is a "good" or "bad" film without interfering with whether you liked it or not. I like some good films and some bad films in equal measure!
Click to expand...

Yeah, I think about that a lot but I'm never sure if we can truly be objective. There are some films that are hard to pin down as "good" or "bad" especially when they're experimental or not written about often. But it's important to recognize the difference. For example, the films of Jean-Luc Godard just don't get to me, I like them a bit on an intellectual level but I find other New Wave directors to be much more fascinating. Still, I know why his films are "good" and he has such a huge filmography that maybe I just haven't been watching the right films yet.

I'm glad you liked the infographic! :)
 
Watch as many films as possible. Films of all kinds. Learn pointless fun facts and go to film festivals. Read books on film, and get into filmmaking more so you know more about the process.

Nice chart James! I'm a Celluloid Sapien.... I think. I love all types of film.
 
Cracker Funk said:
Are you kidding me?! YOU'RE A FILM BUFF!!! :yes:

I don't think the generally accepted definition of "film buff" requires any particular level of expertise. I think it's just a statement of how passionate you are about film.
Click to expand...

Maybe we have different definitions ..

If someone told me they were a film buff, and then said they haven't seen lawerence of arabia, citizen kane, psycho, die hard, the matrix, schindlers list or the shawshank redemption I would think they are pretty silly for calling themselves a film buff.
 
sfoster said:
If someone told me they were a film buff, and then said they haven't seen lawerence of arabia, citizen kane, psycho, die hard, the matrix, schindlers list or the shawshank redemption I would think they are pretty silly for calling themselves a film buff.
Click to expand...

If someone told me they'd watched those films, I'd say "how can you be a film buff if you haven't watched foreign films, silent films, experimental films, or contemporary art films?" My definition of film buff has more to do with variety than the amount of established American classics a person watches. Also, I think that a real film buff should be discovering new classics that have previously been overlooked because if they only watch films from a list then they are simply watching established classics and many people have done that. A film buff goes further by watching what most people wouldn't even watch, as well as classics.
 
sfoster said:
Maybe we have different definitions ..

If someone told me they were a film buff, and then said they haven't seen lawerence of arabia, citizen kane, psycho, die hard, the matrix, schindlers list or the shawshank redemption I would think they are pretty silly for calling themselves a film buff.
Click to expand...

Ha ha! This is very true of myself, even though I've seen all of those. I'm a buff in certain areas, but not in others. I like the movies that people tend to hate, like SUPERNOVA and LAST ACTION HERO. I don't care much about a lot of movies that that masses go for. (LORD OF THE RINGS, GODFATHER, etc.) If a movie is over 2 hours, I have a negative bias against it. Never saw GHANDI for that reason. I can only say I've seen LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, because my parents took me to a theater showing, as a child. I don't like that kind of movie, though.

If I had my way, most movies would be 60-70 minutes and would usually show as a double feature. I can watch movies all day long (I used to see 5 or 6 on an opening Friday), but can't stand watching the same movie for an extended period of time.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top