I was surprised that you all hated the movie 'Stay' so much. I know it was a difficult one, but I had thought that perhaps you would get interested in trying to figure out what it was all about. However, I guess movies like this are hard enough, without having to figure them out in a foreign language!
There were two reasons I wanted you to see this movie.
The first was because it was not a Dream Machine movie. It was a different genre completely and belongs to the class we call Independent. What this means is that someone - or a group of someones - puts up the money for the movie to be made: it is not one of the big studios who do so. This means that the Director has more independence - s/he does not have to conform to the usual Hollywood standards. Some Independent movies have gone on to become incredibly famous, popular and lucrative [ made lots of money], but this is not the reason behind them.
Not just Directors, but writers, actors, producers - everyone gets tired of making movies with one eye always on the Box-Office receipts [i.e. for financial success]. As we have said before - Dream Machine movies usually always have a happy ending, characters are pretty one-dimensional (i.e. they are usually good or bad; not a mixture of both as are most people), everybody is good looking, people's hair and make-up is always perfect; and, unless you are a complete idiot, they are usually predictable - you know pretty much where the movie is going and, often, exactly how it is going to get there.
Sometimes, of course, brilliant directing, acting or a happy combination of the two, can all work together to make a movie that, while it conforms to these standards, does not, while one is watching, seem to do so. These, while not coming along too often, are the kinds of movies that, in time, become classics like The Shawshank Redemption, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, etc.
But, in the main, Dream Machine movies follow a particular pattern and standards. For the truly artistic, the imaginative, the creative, it can be frustrating to spend a lifetime making these kinds of films. So the Independents allow true artistic expression. This is why they are sometimes known as Art House movies. Sometimes they fail miserably, sometimes they succeed, but they are always interesting and thought provoking, and definitely not the kind of thing you sit around with your girl/boyfriend and a bag of popcorn and watch when you just want to chill. There are millions of people who only watch Art House movies and festivals all over the world attract substantial followings. Within the genre there are also awards and trophies given which, Art House aficionados [people who are experts or appreciators of a certain field]will tell you, are far more valuable than a mere Oscar.
It is usually University students who make up a large proportion of the following of Independent movies.
The second reason I wanted you to see it is, I guess, pretty obvious. It was to prove how the 'rule' of Beginning, Middle and End does not always need to be followed - especially in the hands of a master of their craft. Although you might not have liked the movie particularly, you will have to agree, I'm sure, that the cinematography, the script, the acting, - every aspect in fact - of this film was wonderfully handled. Rules are, in fact, not always applicable ...in fact there are those who pride themselves on being able to defy them.
The thing is, of course, is to spot the difference between someone who is just trying to break rules, or go against conventions simply for the sake of doing so;and someone who is just so genuinely gifted that obeying or disobeying rules simply does not occur to them. They are the true originals. So that no discussion of Film or Theatre could be said to be complete without diving into their world and taking a look.
Although you may have disliked this move, and although you might not have understood it, it is possible that, years from now, when all the movies you have seen become a blur inside your mind, this movie - for whatever reason - will still be inside your head.
There were two reasons I wanted you to see this movie.
The first was because it was not a Dream Machine movie. It was a different genre completely and belongs to the class we call Independent. What this means is that someone - or a group of someones - puts up the money for the movie to be made: it is not one of the big studios who do so. This means that the Director has more independence - s/he does not have to conform to the usual Hollywood standards. Some Independent movies have gone on to become incredibly famous, popular and lucrative [ made lots of money], but this is not the reason behind them.
Not just Directors, but writers, actors, producers - everyone gets tired of making movies with one eye always on the Box-Office receipts [i.e. for financial success]. As we have said before - Dream Machine movies usually always have a happy ending, characters are pretty one-dimensional (i.e. they are usually good or bad; not a mixture of both as are most people), everybody is good looking, people's hair and make-up is always perfect; and, unless you are a complete idiot, they are usually predictable - you know pretty much where the movie is going and, often, exactly how it is going to get there.
Sometimes, of course, brilliant directing, acting or a happy combination of the two, can all work together to make a movie that, while it conforms to these standards, does not, while one is watching, seem to do so. These, while not coming along too often, are the kinds of movies that, in time, become classics like The Shawshank Redemption, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, etc.
But, in the main, Dream Machine movies follow a particular pattern and standards. For the truly artistic, the imaginative, the creative, it can be frustrating to spend a lifetime making these kinds of films. So the Independents allow true artistic expression. This is why they are sometimes known as Art House movies. Sometimes they fail miserably, sometimes they succeed, but they are always interesting and thought provoking, and definitely not the kind of thing you sit around with your girl/boyfriend and a bag of popcorn and watch when you just want to chill. There are millions of people who only watch Art House movies and festivals all over the world attract substantial followings. Within the genre there are also awards and trophies given which, Art House aficionados [people who are experts or appreciators of a certain field]will tell you, are far more valuable than a mere Oscar.
It is usually University students who make up a large proportion of the following of Independent movies.
The second reason I wanted you to see it is, I guess, pretty obvious. It was to prove how the 'rule' of Beginning, Middle and End does not always need to be followed - especially in the hands of a master of their craft. Although you might not have liked the movie particularly, you will have to agree, I'm sure, that the cinematography, the script, the acting, - every aspect in fact - of this film was wonderfully handled. Rules are, in fact, not always applicable ...in fact there are those who pride themselves on being able to defy them.
The thing is, of course, is to spot the difference between someone who is just trying to break rules, or go against conventions simply for the sake of doing so;and someone who is just so genuinely gifted that obeying or disobeying rules simply does not occur to them. They are the true originals. So that no discussion of Film or Theatre could be said to be complete without diving into their world and taking a look.
Although you may have disliked this move, and although you might not have understood it, it is possible that, years from now, when all the movies you have seen become a blur inside your mind, this movie - for whatever reason - will still be inside your head.
Hi,Cireena!I am Lucy.At the first sight of this photo,I really feel surprised .It is me.Then I read this artical carefully.Compared with Chinese Movies, Dream Machine movies are similar to those directed by Zhang Yi mou.With famous actors,gorgeous scenes,good-looking dressing,they are inclined to attract thousands of people's eyes.However,I don't like movies of that style.So,I'd like to see the movie you recommend,I think I'll like it.
ReplyDeleteHi Lucy
ReplyDeleteYeah, well, been having trouble with my phot programmes, so wasn't able to put upphotos regularly or when I recieved them. Now am just putting up whichever ones I can.
As to the movie, Stay, it is extremely difficult to follow - but the point is one is not always supposed to "follow" Art House movies. Thats their point.
You could try downloading it off the net or bowwow it from me, if you like. Also, if you have never seen The Shawshank Redemption,m try to get hold of that too.