While looking for my second copy of UT2k4 that Scott is going to buy, I found a journal I was required to keep for one of my college classes at UW. I’ve typed it up and will be posting entries periodically. This was never written for a general audience, but it has ‘precursor to Less Than Me’ written all over it!
I watched a movie today called American Psycho. It was very strange, about a yuppie in the mid 1980’s who killed people for no reason. It was disturbing, but not as much as it should have been, his killings were somewhat artistic or poetic. There is a scene toward the end of the movie where he goes on a rampage and just starts shooting innocent bystanders (everyone he sees). I found this scene exhilarating and enjoyable, it was strange, the killings felt like killings in a video game. Nameless, near faceless bodies used as fodder for the “psycho’s” rampage. Afterward I discussed this movie and another, Oliver Stone’s Natural Born Killers, with my friend Phil. He, like me, found Psycho to be interesting and surprisingly not very disturbing. On the other hand we both felt NBK was a disgusting movie that as I said “was icky just to be icky.” I felt that the movie was just too self aware, and the killings were done in such a way as to make the audience feel disgusted. Overall I would recommend American Psycho especially because of the ambiguous ending which leaves you thinking about what you’ve just seen. 3&1/2 stars. I kinda wish Phil was dead... note: it appears as though the last sentence was added later.
You've used the phrase "too self-aware" when talking about movies/shows before. Can you explain what you mean by that? I realize that it may be a general term and may need a sort of contrast/compare, but I'm curious about what you consider "self-aware" to be for a movie/show.
.....oh and "why". (just like the essay tests in school)
A movie is self-aware when the characters act or speak like they know that they are in a movie. (like a character talking to the audience, etc.) This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it’s often done badly (and in general I think it’s a lazy tactic).
My main problem with it is it seems to hamper one of the joys of movie watching... escapism. A really engrossing movie can draw you in and make you forget that you are just watching light flash across a screen. The story can seem real and that you've somehow found a window in on the action. But when the characters start acting self-aware, you’re pulled right back to reality because the movie itself is saying “YOU ARE WATCHING A MOVIE!”
If you want a horrendous example of this, watch Ocean’s Twelve (or better yet, save yourself the torture and take my word for it). The whole “Julia Roberts plays a character pretending to be Julia Roberts” thing was SUPPOSED to be funny to the audience, and the characters played it up as such. Meaning, the characters shouldn’t realize that Tess pretending to be Roberts causes an ‘ironic’ circular reference, but they all act that way... Bleh!
Ah...ok, that helps a lot in understanding exactly what you mean. Thanks!
Dear readers of Jake's blog... Don't believe his lies!
I'm in China therefore there is NO way he could've watched said psychotic movies with me... I've examined his statements from every possible angle and have come to the conclusion that Jake is simply desperate for attention and affection... That or he is using your lack of short term memory to kill drug dealers for him... Only possible explanations
Phil English not so good... brain rotted out in Chinese opium dens!
Did you not see that this was written in 2002? This was written in my journal that we had to keep for Unka Spooge’s Creative Innovation class... I’m glad you saw this though, I’m going to be posting more entries and most of them are heavy with Jake on Phil action... Ahhh, the good ol’ days.
Holy cow! I guess I got too much of Unca's spooge on the brain... because not only did I completely miss the "retro" part (and make a complete tool of myself) but I also can't remember the American Psycho discussion, I remember the NBK part... I guess I was just sad that you might've found a new "Phil"... That and I thought I'd be funny