WHAT I CAN’T STAND
Recently somebody wrote into the “Ask a Critic” feature in Entertainment Weekly with the question “What subject matter can’t you stand in movies?” – in other words, what makes a great movie so incredibly painful to sit through that you don’t want to watch the movie again? The EW critic answered “anything with needles.” That would rule out any junkie movies. I have no problem with needles, as you all know.
For me, there is a triumvirate of painful scenarios. Here they are, in no particular order:
ANIMAL CRUELTY
This is an obvious one. I have to avert my eyes anytime an animal is hurt or killed onscreen – it makes me panic. I’m not talking about fake animal violence, where I’m able to keep repeating, “the ASPCA was supervising, no one was hurt, that’s a fake doggie!” One example of that is American Psycho.
However, some of my favorite movies contain scenes of animals being slaughtered: Apocalypse Now and Cyclo both come to mind. I can’t handle this, and still look away every time I know the throat-slashing is about to occur.
FINGER-MANGLING
I hate watching people’s fingers being cut off. It sends a chill to the very core of my being. I would rather watch someone’s leg being crushed with a sledgehammer than someone getting a paper cut underneath their fingernail. The other night I had this bizarre image of razorblades under my fingernails; I couldn’t get it out of my head and it tortured me for hours. I know that sounds crazy, but that’s just how it is. To me, a leg stump is less gross than someone who’s missing the tip of one finger. This general category also includes fingernails getting pulled off. Some great movies which fall into this category are The Wind That Shakes the Barley, The Machinist, and the grand-prize winner: The Piano.
WHEN PEOPLE ARE ABOUT TO DIE AND TOTALLY LOSE THEIR SHIT
In a lot of movies, a person is about to be executed, or murdered, or whatever, and they stand there stoically, being brave and noble before the end. I find it pretty easy to sit through scenes like this. In a lot of other (probably more believable) movies, a person is about to be killed, and totally flips out. This is my cue to panic. Plenty of great movies contain these delightful scenes, including The Wind That Shakes the Barley (again), and the mother of all such movies, Dancer in the Dark.
I’ll add others as I remember them. There are so many other movies that fall into these categories, but I honestly feel like I’ve mentally blocked most of them out.
Recently somebody wrote into the “Ask a Critic” feature in Entertainment Weekly with the question “What subject matter can’t you stand in movies?” – in other words, what makes a great movie so incredibly painful to sit through that you don’t want to watch the movie again? The EW critic answered “anything with needles.” That would rule out any junkie movies. I have no problem with needles, as you all know.
For me, there is a triumvirate of painful scenarios. Here they are, in no particular order:
ANIMAL CRUELTY
This is an obvious one. I have to avert my eyes anytime an animal is hurt or killed onscreen – it makes me panic. I’m not talking about fake animal violence, where I’m able to keep repeating, “the ASPCA was supervising, no one was hurt, that’s a fake doggie!” One example of that is American Psycho.
However, some of my favorite movies contain scenes of animals being slaughtered: Apocalypse Now and Cyclo both come to mind. I can’t handle this, and still look away every time I know the throat-slashing is about to occur.
FINGER-MANGLING
I hate watching people’s fingers being cut off. It sends a chill to the very core of my being. I would rather watch someone’s leg being crushed with a sledgehammer than someone getting a paper cut underneath their fingernail. The other night I had this bizarre image of razorblades under my fingernails; I couldn’t get it out of my head and it tortured me for hours. I know that sounds crazy, but that’s just how it is. To me, a leg stump is less gross than someone who’s missing the tip of one finger. This general category also includes fingernails getting pulled off. Some great movies which fall into this category are The Wind That Shakes the Barley, The Machinist, and the grand-prize winner: The Piano.
WHEN PEOPLE ARE ABOUT TO DIE AND TOTALLY LOSE THEIR SHIT
In a lot of movies, a person is about to be executed, or murdered, or whatever, and they stand there stoically, being brave and noble before the end. I find it pretty easy to sit through scenes like this. In a lot of other (probably more believable) movies, a person is about to be killed, and totally flips out. This is my cue to panic. Plenty of great movies contain these delightful scenes, including The Wind That Shakes the Barley (again), and the mother of all such movies, Dancer in the Dark.
I’ll add others as I remember them. There are so many other movies that fall into these categories, but I honestly feel like I’ve mentally blocked most of them out.
posted by ginsoakedgirl at 6:41 PM
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