Are popcorn movie watchers . . .dumb or just needing a break?

[ATMfromChico]

After listening this past week (and replays this weekend) something Ron was referring to made me wonder. Mr. Bennington has made clear on several occasions his disdain for a lot of movies that most people go to for simple entertainment. Big Blockbuster stuff that can be pretty predictable. And this got me to wondering. Am I dumb, or just needing a break? I am a farmer/truck driver that spends most days in my truck driving from here there, and listen everyday to O&A and Ron & Fez. I get to think a lot about subjects that Mr. Bennington penetrates with his wit and intellect. I also think a lot about money, spirituality, my marriage, my kids, the future, politics, and why the hell we exist in the first place. I do enjoy Indie/Foreign/ and other depressing films. On the other hand after days of thinking and thinking it is nice to lose yourself in a simple action film that does not do much more than you expect. Kinda like a rollercoaster that you can see each turn and twist, know what's going to happen and still enjoy the ride. What do ya think?

[DarkHippie]

i enjoy a brainless film every now and then. It's like a cinematic blowjob- you just sit back and enjoy.

[King Hippos Bandaid]

I like popcorn movies with robots in disguise

[donnie_darko]

i really don't think you should worry about what ron thinks, one moment ron enjoyed the matrix 2, then a few months later after hearing how much people hated it he'll change his opinion.

And Ron doesn't seem to have a very accurate perspective of the world, having moved from N.J. to N.C. I know that the people here have no access to "Indie" films. Having moved here and having sought out the nearest theatre, i know i have to go 70 miles to see a good movie, and i live very near to two major highways.

The truth is most of america doesn't have access to these movies, they aren't highly advertised on tv. And lets face it, if your friends don't get to see the movies, and you've never heard of em, how are you expected to see it? Most people aren't going to travel 70 miles to see a movie.

I can only imagine how much worse it is in the midwest.

if anything Ron has a skewed perspective of the world from living in major cities through out his life.

[oh_kee_pa]

i think deep down most people enjoy popcorn movies....

its like the accident on the side of the road, everyone slows down to take a look at it right? Human beings, in general, like explosions, car wrecks, guns being shot etc. And, it also delves into the theory of what if?

What if the weather turned the world into the "Day After Tomorrow"
What if I was the last person in NYC, and its interesting to see what these places would look like... It's the same was watching Mega Disasters on Discovery channel.

[CruelCircus]

You know, it IS ok to not agree with Ron on every single point.

I would think it'd be a pretty boring show if you're sitting out there saying "Yup" to everything Ron and Fez and Dave and Earl say. Have you noticed that Ron is willing to take a decidedly "devil's advocate" point of view (often contradicting his own previously stated opinion) on some issues just to get a lively debate going? That's one of the things that makes the show work.

[MikeB]

"Popcorn" movie people are dumb. If you go to see the spidermans, transformers, and pirate movies on the first weekend, heck if you see them in the theaters you are dumb.

But if I told Ron some of the movies I like, "I am Legend," "Heat," "Collateral," and "Batman Begins," he would probably call me a dumb popcorn movie watcher. I don't think those movies are up there with Coen Brother films or something like a Guide to Recognizing Your Saints but I still enjoy watching them.

[CruelCircus]

No! "Popcorn" movies are not automatically dumb. They have their place. Not every movie HAS to be some kind of academic excercise. There IS value in entertainment for entertainment's sake.

Not every movie that no one's ever heard of is a masterpiece, either.

[sailor]

this debate goes back to the ancient greeks (at least) who debated whether literature/theater should be didactic (teaching the reader/audience) or if it was ok to enjoy them simply for their entertainment value. i think there's a place for both in the world and if you want either they're out there. you may have to work hard to get them, but i'm sure you could get a good portion of the movies your looking for thru some on-line movie rental site or thru your cable/satellite package.

[Frizzle Fry]

What type of movies one likes has little to do with intelligence. It's much more a thing of what movies a person has been exposed to. People tend to be creatures of comfort and habit, and when something takes them out of that safety zone (as non-Blockbuster/non-Hollywood films often do) it's difficult to adapt. Personally, I feel like I've seen so many movies that most of the big Hollywood productions strike me as trite nowadays; I get frustrated with their predictability. But they have to be derivative; the studios will only invest in something which they feel has a good chance of being economically successful (and you can't blame 'em), and throwing in atypical, non-generic visual/narrative elements is an easy way to guarantee that people don't show up. With smaller productions the filmmaker retains significantly more control and for that reason independent films can deviate from the cinematic formulas of the past, they can be more singular, artistic visions. A lot of them are still complete shit, but the independent scene is the primary place where novel and unique ideas can still make it to the screen.

I just think it's interesting that there's this prevalent notion that abandoning our conscious intellect and escaping reality are valuable goals for entertainment. Do you think, maybe, that with a little bit of effort people could begin to derive entertainment from the act of thinking itself? I'd love to see that.

[FUNKMAN]

if a movie interests me or the person i'm going with that is all that really matters...

[ShowerBench]

I don't think the issue is really "Popcorn movies: dumb or worthwhile?" - but the idea that because big-budgeted movies are essentially made by committee with "success" being defined as appealing to the least common denominator (thereby maximizing profit potential), they far outnumber movies with something to say - or that are entertaining aesthetically or intellectually to the least to anyone over the age of 15.

Meaning that an entire year can pass in America in which fewer than five decent films are financed that might appeal to anyone who isn't under 15 or who cannot be endlessly entertained by exploding objects. When one considers how many intelligently written, beautifully shot or directed, or even cheaply-made and poorly-acted but conceptually brilliant films are rejected to finance the blockbuster action/teen horror/unfunny "romantic comedy" date movie genres, it justifies frustration over the current, general American appetite for garbage.

That doesn't mean every individual who enjoys a popcorn movie is an idiot - some just have the skill needed to suspend disbelief and the rest of their critical thinking capacity for two hours even if they usually enjoy something better - but it's more of a statement about the fact that so many Americans don't really seem to be suspending anything when they enjoy these movies, and they never demand anything better or different. Since most Americans aren't bona fide retards, it really comes down to a tendency to adopt a willful stupidity.

That tendency has bigger consequences than limiting what is available for us to see at the movie theater. It's how we ended up with Bush in office. So I understand the contempt for popcorn movies (and don't think the criticism is meant for those who occasionally indulge).

I.e., some popcorn movie watchers are just needing a break, but most are dumb.

[ATMfromChico]

I don't think the issue is really "Popcorn movies: dumb or worthwhile?" - but the idea that because big-budgeted movies are essentially made by committee with "success" being defined as appealing to the least common denominator (thereby maximizing profit potential), they far outnumber movies with something to say - or that are entertaining aesthetically or intellectually to the least to anyone over the age of 15.

Meaning that an entire year can pass in America in which fewer than five decent films are financed that might appeal to anyone who isn't under 15 or who cannot be endlessly entertained by exploding objects. When one considers how many intelligently written, beautifully shot or directed, or even cheaply-made and poorly-acted but conceptually brilliant films are rejected to finance the blockbuster action/teen horror/unfunny "romantic comedy" date movie genres, it justifies frustration over the current, general American appetite for garbage.

That doesn't mean every individual who enjoys a popcorn movie is an idiot - some just have the skill needed to suspend disbelief and the rest of their critical thinking capacity for two hours even if they usually enjoy something better - but it's more of a statement about the fact that so many Americans don't really seem to be suspending anything when they enjoy these movies, and they never demand anything better or different. Since most Americans aren't bona fide retards, it really comes down to a tendency to adopt a willful stupidity.

That tendency has bigger consequences than limiting what is available for us to see at the movie theater. It's how we ended up with Bush in office. So I understand the contempt for popcorn movies (and don't think the criticism is meant for those who occasionally indulge).

I.e., some popcorn movie watchers are just needing a break, but most are dumb.

I like your answer. Quite nicely worded. In my case, even though I'm a farmer/truck driver (which is no means an instant indicator of intelligence at all) currently, I graduated with a Film and Television Production Degree in Southern California. I even worked production on a few independent films (that sucked hard) and a playboy video (that sucked harder):devil2:
For me, on a personal level, I use the popcorn movie to simply allow my thoughts to be ground into oblivion for a couple of hours. It beats the hell out of a lot more destructive methods of escapism.

[MadMatt]

All movies are entertainment. And the type of entertainment you crave at the moment is the type of movie you look for.

All movies have their place and audience, and each is fluid. i enjoy what I enjoy, but that doesn't mean you have to.

[zentraed]

I like to think of myself as a movie snob, but I also enjoy certain popcorn movies because they advance the state-of-the-art. We've pretty much reached the point where anything imaginable can be rendered extremely well and that's only because people go out in droves to see Jurassic Park, Fantastic Four, and the like.

I think Ron's real problem is people whose only film experiences are popcorn movies (like Fez)

[drusilla]

i'm no movie snob at all. actually the shittier the movie, usually the more i'll like it for how terrible it is. i'm a big fan of campy movies & stupidity. but i also do really like some off center deeper films. i guess i'm pretty well rounded. i do enjoy the blockbusters. i like a lot of action movies as well as black comedies, & a lot of movies that are pretty sick or twisted.

[Fez4PrezN2008]

:popcorn:

[thejives]

Let's push this conversation a little further.

Film as a medium is a crutch for retards who can't imagine things they don't see in front of them. People who watch anymovies are idiots.

I only read books. And even then only books written in Latin by people who have been dead for hundreds of years.

And I ponder existence.

And post on rf.net.

morons.

[sailor]

i'm no movie snob at all. actually the shittier the movie, usually the more i'll like it for how terrible it is. i'm a big fan of campy movies & stupidity. but i also do really like some off center deeper films. i guess i'm pretty well rounded. i do enjoy the blockbusters. i like a lot of action movies as well as black comedies, & a lot of movies that are pretty sick or twisted.



http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/basketball/knicks/blog/norbit_poster-thumb.jpg

?

[underdog]

I think Ron's real problem is people whose only film experiences are popcorn movies (like Fez)

I think you've absolutely nailed it.

[ATMfromChico]

Let's push this conversation a little further.

Film as a medium is a crutch for retards who can't imagine things they don't see in front of them. People who watch anymovies are idiots.

I only read books. And even then only books written in Latin by people who have been dead for hundreds of years.

And I ponder existence.

And post on rf.net.

morons.

Here's the thing. I used to take philosophy classes in college for "fun" and found them to be a bit on the tedious side. Not because I was unable to take in the content, but because I discovered more using my own thoughts than that of others. I've always had to release my creative side in one manner or another. For me I love to put ideas to paper and write books. I've done a few. But I never had any real intention of publishing them. Simply because it was an opporotunity to get the thoughts worked out from my head, not to try and burden other people with what I thought might be a brilliant idea (ha ha!) That said, those of us who have multiple layers of life to deal with, sometimes like to shut our brain down for a couple of hours, not make it think more. But this goes back to asking is this making me dumb, or am I simply looking for escapist time to keep from shutting down completely?

[TheMojoPin]

I think most people enjoy watching pleny of "dumb" or bad or "popcorn" movies...Lord knows I do...I think Ron is talking about people who really ONLY go to these type of movies and see nothing else and think cinema begins and ends with whatever major sequel is coming out that week.

[sailor]

I think most people enjoy watching pleny of "dumb" or bad or "popcorn" movies...Lord knows I do...I think Ron is talking about people who really ONLY go to these type of movies and see nothing else and think cinema begins and ends with whatever major sequel is coming out that week.

i loved this post when zentraed wrote it. :)

[TheMojoPin]

I am a uniter.

[MrPink]

Just because a movie is a "popcorn movie" doesn't mean it's bad. The first 2 Terminators were not only "popcorn movies", but also genuinely good movies. There's good action movies and bad ones, it's the same with indie and foreign films.

[PapaBear]

I don't think I've eaten popcorn at a movie since I was 10. I do like popcorn movies sometimes, though. To be honest. I almost never go to the theater for ANY kind of movie.