A Rebuttal to ‘The Idea of What a Movie Is’

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Greed (1924) | Directed by Erich von Stroheim

Greg,

There’s a film writer I like named Marya Gates who once tackled the idea that “old movies” aren’t worthwhile. In a short video overview of film history from inception to the present day, she concluded that “if you don’t love all of it, I don’t understand how you can watch any of it.”

This, to me, is the only valid way of viewing movies. Dismissive negativity is the cheapest commodity in the world and the culture of holding yourself in smug superiority over what you’re viewing seems only to grow in the echo chamber of the internet, full as it is of teenagers and self-proclaimed cynics who cling to their assumptions and prejudices as an essential and valuable part of themselves, not recognizing that those qualities are our greatest failings. So, I’m baffled by your piece The Idea of What a Movie Is.
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The Idea of What a Movie Is: A Very Greg Journey Through Film

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A movie.

Just a Bunch of Footage

Security camera footage is not a movie, but screened at a film festival with a name like ‘Big Brother’s Kung Fu Grip’ (or some artsy crap) it is.  Andy Warhol filming the Empire State Building for nine hours is a movie—the video the real estate agent showed you of the interior of the house on Maple is not.  It’s all about context and intention.
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An Interview with Brendan Mitchell, aka, WetMovie1

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Brendan Mitchell, known on YouTube as WetMovie1, is a self-proclaimed movie hoarder—and quite proud of it. He has over 5,000 VHS, DVD’s and Blu-rays in his ever-growing personal collection, and posts weekly updates on his channel discussing his latest purchases. He also posts reviews of new movies, as well as ‘Hoarding Up’ videos, in which he films himself and his friends as they travel to big box stores to stock up on new releases and sale items. One could definitely say he’s certifiably obsessed with movies, and his attitude is infectious—he’s a very friendly and personable guy, and when you watch his videos, his completely unpretentious disposition towards cinema, and awe for all that it has to offer, rubs off on you.
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Advice Column #1 (3/18/13)

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Critically acclaimed, visually striking, black and white movies that aren’t fucking boring. For example: Dr. Strangelove, Seven Samurai, The Hidden Fortress, Yojimbo, The Night of the Hunter. – Nikul B.

Cody Clarke: ‘Boring’ is kind of relative, so here are some visually-striking black and white movies that are ‘not boring’ for completely reasons. I think you might enjoy them, based on the ones you listed:

Editor’s Note (12/4/14): We no longer answer movie questions through our advice column. We answer them in the mailbag segment of our podcast. Send them to Cody@SmugFilm.com and we will answer on the show!
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Always Finish the Goddamn Movie

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I live by a couple of rules in life: the early bird catches the worm, treat others as you would like to be treated, once you go black you never go back, and always finish the movie you started no matter how goddamn horrible it is.
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