- Playing
- Think About Your Movies
- From
- Vermont Public Radio
A video store clerk describes a parade of movie watchers who eschew well-made films and seek out thoughtless movies.
"Art inspires discussion. Great art inspires arguments...."
"Think About Your Movies" is part of the series 10 in Their 20s. The fresh voices in the series could have been recorded almost anywhere and provide an insightful look into the thoughts of the nation's newest adults.
More from Vermont Public Radio
What Matters
(02:37)
From: Vermont Public Radio
A 20-something party-goer fights the apathy of his peers.
New Jersey Honesty
(02:54)
From: Vermont Public Radio
A crunchy-granola environmentalist professes a love for New Jersey.
Finding a Spiritual Home
(02:43)
From: Vermont Public Radio
A young couple seeks community through joining a church.
Politics Up-Close and Personal
(02:52)
From: Vermont Public Radio
A campaign staffer's perspective on the impact of Howard Dean's presidential campaign
World View
(02:57)
From: Vermont Public Radio
One traveler compares how he was received in Europe in Fall 2001 and two years later.
Eat Wisely
(02:57)
From: Vermont Public Radio
A writer ponders the intersection of food and the environment.
Support the Expos
(02:21)
From: Vermont Public Radio
A baseball fan pleads for others to join in his support for the fading Montreal Expos.
Lend A Hand
(02:01)
From: Vermont Public Radio
A college student dispels stereotypes about her generation.
Health Insurance Dilemma
(02:19)
From: Vermont Public Radio
A young mother weighs the costs of buying health insurance against the risks of living without it.
How To Mix A Cocktail
(02:58)
From: Vermont Public Radio
Crisp, fizzy and refreshing -- we learn to mix the perfect summer cocktail.
Related Pieces
Piece Description
A video store clerk describes a parade of movie watchers who eschew well-made films and seek out thoughtless movies. "Art inspires discussion. Great art inspires arguments...." "Think About Your Movies" is part of the series 10 in Their 20s. The fresh voices in the series could have been recorded almost anywhere and provide an insightful look into the thoughts of the nation's newest adults.
3 Comments
|
Review of Think About Your MoviesSmug, superior, and yet surprisingly simple-minded, Mindell is oblivious to the fact that much of the best criticism being written about movies and TV makes much finer distinctions between trash and treasure than he is capable of (see Tom Carson's reviews for Esquire and, now, GQ). Mindell's thoughtless blanket dismissal of the usual suspects (Friends and David Spade movies) is more of the preaching to the choir that public radio could do without. I know No. 7 on the list of Reviewing Terms says I shouldn't review something I don't want to hear on the radio, but what sense does that make? How will you distinguish between something competent but uninspiring and something that, like Mindell's piece, should be avoided at all costs? I suggest you amend these terms. If you can't take negative criticism, you've no business soliciting comment. |
|
Review of Think About Your Movies
In this commentary/essay against bad movies, the essayist expands his thoughts to culture in general and television in particular, why art doesn't satisfy most people, and why South Park is more artsy than just about any other television show. The narrator makes the point that if you don't have to think about it at all, it's not art. And, he says, the worst films and television shows are biggest hits.
This goes back to what my R/TV professor told me in one mass media class: popular movies and shows are popular because they appeal to the most people. This is obvious. But the reason they appeal to the most people is that they are middle-of-the-road. It is just like that vanilla party guest who won't be trapped in a stand, neither pro or anti, nor, as it turns out, is he interesting. To be interesting, you need to actually say something, not just exist for a laugh track or to be the show most people watch. The personal perspective is from a video store clerk, those that I imagine have seen so many movies -- it's almost a job requirement after all -- that they are sick of vanilla and probably pity the rest of us that aren't yet. This piece is well-thought-out and makes good points without being too stuck up about art. I think most PR listeners can identify and will agree with this essay. |
Transcript
(Host) In his work at a video store, "20-something" Commentator Luke Mindell (mihn-DELL) hopes that you won't ask him for a movie that doesn't make you think.
(Mindell) Film is my favorite art form and I see it cheapened and watered down every day. I've been a clerk in a video store for five years now, and it never ceases to amaze me how bad most movies are. I'm even more amazed at how popular these awful movies are with the public. Sometimes I'll see a great film like, well recently there was Lost In Translation. A customer asked me to recommend a movie. I asked if he had seen Lost in translation and he said, "No, what's it about?" I began to explain: it's sort of about the isolation of being in a culture that is totally alien to your own. No reaction. Finally, he came back at me with, "Is Dickie Roberts any good? I like David Spade."
Lots of people have no room for art in the...
Read the full transcript
Timing and Cues
Appropriate for use during a news magazine - ATC or Morning Edition. Requires host to read live Intro and Outro. (These are provided in the transcript.)
Additional Files
- Transcript (LukeMindell.doc)
- Transcript (LukeMindell.doc)
Of 3 purchasers of this piece...
- 3 also bought:What Matters (02:37)
- 2 also bought:
Misfire (04:14) - 2 also bought:
- 2 also bought:
The Singing Yeast Cell (12:45) - 2 also bought:
We Were On Duty (53:37)
Justin Grotelueschen
Posted on July 18, 2004 at 06:07 PM | Permalink
Review of Think About Your Movies
I'm sure there are some youth out there who would really dig this, even though I didn't.