Came here to post, but everything I wanted to say has, luckily, been said:
Originally Posted by divemaster
Y'all can dump on Mattrick all you want in these threads, but as far as the topic of older films being "dated" and newer acting styles being all that and old acting styles being the suxxors, he's completely on target and T-Dogz_AK47 is so, hmmm, I won't say "wrong" b/c it's subjective; how about "misguided" that it defies all sense. I'd rather read Mattrick's opinion of film quality any day over someone who sweeps decades of film into the dumpster b/c they "look dated."
Even though I may disagree with Mattrick on any given film (Goodfellas? really?), at least I have some respect form where he's coming from.I made no comment whatsoever on Mattrick's "judgment" or voting on films he may or may not have seen. My comment focused on the general attitude of "old films are cliched" or old acting styles are "dated" and therefore of lesser quality (e.g., "Best Picture films of the 40's, 50's and 60's just cannot compare to Best Picture films of the 70's, 80's and 90's."; and the acting in Casablanca is "appalling"; Citizen Kane is overrated and everyone knows it but is too afraid to admit it) etc. etc.
That shows a provincialism and narrowness of mindset that, to me, is just as bad for the integrity of a film quality poll (or discussion). Just write off decades of film b/c "they just seem so dated, man; loser films bummed me out."
Reminds me of the folks who refuse to watch a foreign language film b/c "the subtitles get in the way" and people talk funny and shit.I agree, I know people that won't watch a film just because its in black and white, or watch a foreign film because they have to read subtitles. It's a shame because they're missing out on so many great films.
I also have a really hard time comparing films from the 40s and 50s to films of today. The style of film making was just so different. But with each it fits the time it was made in. Go back to silent films, the acting in those is going to be completely different from the acting now. Does that make it worse? No, they had to act differently to be able to convey emotions and get points across without be able to speak.My wife won't watch any movies from the '70s or '80s. She can't get past the hairstyles, or clothes, or the grain of the film stock. Perhaps her biggest complaint is style of house interiors (wood paneling and shag carpets, anyone?) and how they are decorated. She would run screaming from just about any Oscar-winning film from the '70s and likely many from the '80s as well, because they are dated.
It's frustrating to deal with people whose minds are so closed. And misguided. That's what's so frustrating about this discussion. I'm not telling anyone they have to like any particular film. I mean, you like what you like and don't like what you don't like. It's just a shame that just b/c a film is older it gets categorized as no good due to it being "dated."
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