Movies
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I know a guy that refuses to watch The Wire tv show because he's not interested in the gang violence.
That's just crazy talk. As I said previously, I prefer upbeat stuff, but The Wire is spectacular.
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I know a guy that refuses to watch The Wire tv show because he's not interested in the gang violence.
That's just crazy talk. As I said previously, I prefer upbeat stuff, but The Wire is spectacular.
I know, right? It's the realism that puts him off for some reason. He can watch a guy hack somebody into hamburger meat via The Walking Dead but seeing someone get shot is scary
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I wouldn't want to make an aversion to gratuitously miserable or depraved content be interpreted as my being unwilling to watch things that cast light on the underside of things (I also love "The Wire" and my favorite drama of all time is "Breaking Bad"). I think it would suck to live in that kind of denial where you can't be exposed to certain things.
I think the key is "gratuitous," as in, not serving a role in telling a story I care to witness. I don't want to see a story like "The House that Jack Built" and believe that shows like "True Detective" Season 1 and the above used different kinds of darkness and suffering to tell interesting stories (being a big fan of Lovecraftian horror, I'd particularly love a bit more existential darkness and cosmic horror per TD season 1).
Basically, if it isn't fun or doesn't expand my experience in a beneficial way, I'm not interested. Perhaps I'm just a hedonist.
To address @DougNg 's point, they changed the gun emoji to now be a water gun. I'm sure gun violence has been cut in half.
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Same here. My natural disposition trends toward depression. Willfully pushing my emotional state further that direction is just a bad idea. Anything dark and painful is a hard pass.
However, a movie I did see recently was Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse. That was absolutely phenomenal. Definitely, worth catching in the theater, too. There are a couple of scenes that are genuinely beautiful.
Couldn't have said it any better.
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I think the key is "gratuitous," as in, not serving a role in telling a story I care to witness. I don't want to see a story like "The House that Jack Built" and believe that shows like "True Detective" Season 1 and the above used different kinds of darkness and suffering to tell interesting stories (being a big fan of Lovecraftian horror, I'd particularly love a bit more existential darkness and cosmic horror per TD season 1).
Speaking of Lovecraft, why does no one adapt more of his stories into film? Next to Edgar Allen Poe and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle he is absolutely one of my favorite authors. Truly ahead of his time
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A fear of the image of firearms is all over the web now. It’s pretty pathetic
Right? The image isn't going to hurt you. Accompanied by needless irony.
And so I don't screw up the thread-thoroughly enjoyed Den of Thieves, a film with more firearms than you could shake a stick at.
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As with any narrative the use of firearms in cinema can have hugely varying impact. Scenes in John Woo's The Killer are so stylised that they become almost ballet. But then a film such as Elephant depicts the use of firearms with such impact that it resonates more.
As parents we have a choice to make as to what our children are exposed to. We choose not to let out son play with toy guns, and certainly don't expose him to films with guns (he is 3 1/2). If evidence of the continual ready exposure to graphic images on the young was needed, look at their perceptions of sexual relationships, boys particularly.
The British Army have a recruitment campaign at present that shows a teenage boy playing shoot em ups alone in his bedroom, with a parent commenting passively outside his bedroom door as though there was nothing possibly they could do to change the situation. The promo then switches to the same lad in the field carrying an assault rifle. Appaulling.
It's not a subjective issue. A person that triggers a firearm harnesses the power to kill themselves or someone else by accident or with purpose. Show more use of firearms in cinema I say, but show the reality, not the glorification. The visceral not the gratuitous.
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Very thoughtful @Stuart.T . Violence, real violence, bears no resemblance to the movie stuff. Real violence is sudden and messy.
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There's been plenty of Lovecraft adaptations, most notably Reanimator & Dagon.
Most of what i'm seeing appear to be schlock horror films. I know it was rumored at one point that Guillermo Del Torro and I think even James Cameron wanted to direct At The Mountains of Madness but nothing ever came of it. I think Lovecraft films would be hard to pull off. Reanimator and From Beyond are old school horror cult films that used practical fx. It would be difficult making a Lovecraft adaptation without relying heavily on cgi.
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As parents we have a choice to make as to what our children are exposed to. We choose not to let out son play with toy guns, and certainly don't expose him to films with guns (he is 3 1/2). If evidence of the continual ready exposure to graphic images on the young was needed, look at their perceptions of sexual relationships, boys particularly.
The British Army have a recruitment campaign at present that shows a teenage boy playing shoot em ups alone in his bedroom, with a parent commenting passively outside his bedroom door as though there was nothing possibly they could do to change the situation. The promo then switches to the same lad in the field carrying an assault rifle. Appaulling.
It's not a subjective issue. A person that triggers a firearm harnesses the power to kill themselves or someone else by accident or with purpose. Show more use of firearms in cinema I say, but show the reality, not the glorification. The visceral not the gratuitous.
Good points @Stuart.T
I'm on the other end of the spectrum. I allow my son to play with Nerf guns. Educating your child about the dangers of gun use, toy or real, is obviously important, so I do my best to make my son understand this. My ex-wife is 100% anti-gun, however, she took our boy to a summer camp last summer and he was allowed to shoot a compound bow, a bolt-action rimfire rifle and a slingshot. I didn't mind but more than anything I was surprised that she allowed our son to participate in these activities. I used to own a couple of rifles, which I no longer have, but my ex sure as hell let me know at every opportunity how much she hated them, despite the fact that I took a firearm safety course, read many books on rifles and kept them locked in a heavy duty safe.
With that said, I completely understand why some parents may take a harder stance on the idea of guns. I know a couple of other parents that will not let their children play with toy guns.
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Those franchises are very responsible for a generation of car owner in the UK modifying their vehicles and crashing them into ditches, or trees on blind corners, to the extent that where I live local authorities regularly apply dispersal orders for modified car meets.that said, I'm not against those type of films, I'm not against gun play in films.
Cars kill out of consequence through irresponsible or accidental use. The same simply cannot be said of firearms. I don't believe that horror films create killers, or that pornography creates rapists, or that westerns create gun toting rednecks, but I would like the industry to be more responsible in their portrayals. Not all audiences are as discerning or intelligent as the majority of IH's forum members. I do not advocate censorship either, just responsibility.
Anyone have recommendations for a really well written US indie comedy? It's been a while since we've watched one. 'Florida' was probably the most recent (dark) comedy we watched.
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@gaseousclay I've always thought of films such as The Thing and The Mist having huge debts of appreciation to Lovecraft.
I understand and respect your stance, and have juggled with the balance between a zero tolerance approach, with that of supervised and educated use. Our cultures are different too, so the future potential for my son to own a firearm is much more limited. Culture aside though, I will seek to educate him to make responsible choices about everything I can, for example illicit drugs too, and wouldn't encourage him to use something that could ultimately lead to his or another's death.
Whether the rationale be 'I use it recreationally to help me relax or 'I own it to defend my family and I, and it's a hobbie', there is always an intrinsic morality that can inform choice if educated and provided with a wide selection of information.
I think this thread is way subverted now!
So, indie comedy films?
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@gaseousclay I've always thought of films such as The Thing and The Mist having huge debts of appreciation to Lovecraft.
I agree. I love both films!
I understand and respect your stance, and have juggled with the balance between a zero tolerance approach, with that of supervised and educated use. Our cultures are different too, so the future potential for my son to own a firearm is much more limited. Culture aside though, I will seek to educate him to make responsible choices about everything I can, for example illicit drugs too, and wouldn't encourage him to use something that could ultimately lead to his or another's death.
Whether the rationale be 'I use it recreationally to help me relax or 'I own it to defend my family and I, and it's a hobbie', there is always an intrinsic morality that can inform choice if educated and provided with a wide selection of information.
I agree that the culture in which you live will play a role, in addition to education. I was born in Japan and lived there until I was 17. As you know, Japan has some of the strictest gun laws in the world, and their low crime rate proves that it is effective. Once upon a time I used to be anti-gun, then indifferent about it and then I started reading up on the subject and it really piqued my interest. Once I became fully immersed it was then that I started to appreciate firearms. For me it was more about the craftsmanship, the history, the culture, etc. It became an obsession the same way that denim became an obsession (or any other hobby for that matter). I think it's perfectly reasonable for people to fear that which they don't understand. Guns are scary, as they should be, but with proper education those fears dwindle.
I'm primarily interested in hunting culture. I know there are some that despise hunting but once I read about conservation practices and the environmental impact to local eco-systems (because of herd over population) I started to understand the benefits of hunting. I just read a news article that talked about Chronic Wasting Disease in deer populations and how it can be potentialy transmittable to humans if left unchecked.
Anyway, i've meandered off topic but it's good to have civil discussions about controversial topics sometimes
