[!@#$%!]

Originally Posted by Antagon

Buddy - this is commentary, not actual criticism. And re-evaluating films after a while is a pretty common thing, always has been. A short couple of sentences can NEVER fully convey how one fully feels about a movie. I still really like Lost Highway and those cameos/spotlights were a product of their time - no real fault on part of the movie in general. But I think it is important to consume media consciously. I can like something and still comment on how some of its aspects have aged poorly. We go into this as human beings with strong feelings and opinions about something, not some perma-neutral entity. Plus, this is a dinosaur of a forum where people blurt out their opinions like there's no tomorrow. It comes with the territory. Deal with it

yeah, i'm okay with that--blurting out my opinion in this dino forum is exactly how i deal with the territory. and so it goes

anyway just like consumption of media needs to be conscious, so it is with media commentary. commentary is not above commentary, right? commentary goes on and on

so anyway, the reason i felt moved to comment was to warn against certain unconscious reflexes bred by social trends. they are no longer a form of consciousness, but a kind of required checklist. trends, like media, also change with time

and digging for worms was a hot trend for a while, yes. it was initially practiced by americans, who due to their puritanical tendencies generally prefer moralizing to art. this is why america needed john waters. and still does!

but the moralizing disease spread everywhere, carried by modern academic practices and the internet. and in the end it did nothing except create a circular firing squad. and now we're here, where the trend has exhausted and the intent backfired. the culture has moved on from the worm digging

and yet! go to the (stereogum?) instagram page showing the thurston-lee-steve reunion. a glorious noise! but what do some people comment? kim this, kim that, i read kim's book, team. sure sure, i love kim and what she's doing, im team kim too, but a lot of people commenting there are not listening with their ears. they just want to dig for worms and show everyone their moral stance about someone else's life (not their own)

it's like nietzsche said, long after god was dead his shadow would continue (or something like that)

am i conflating those behaviors with yours? no, i am conscious enough to know the difference. i know the two of you, you're gifted, well read, aesthetically inclined, and good writers. but do i see your commentaries lured by the habit of that tired trend? yes, that i definitely do. i'm sorry! i believe my lying eyes

so anyway i'm hoping i don't lose your good aesthetic instincts to that particular variety of the holy inquisition. i don't say this to impinge on your freedom. it's just commentary for people i like and respect. maybe it's useful, and if not just discard

anyway, i like this here link, and i hope you do too, as my offering. happy holidays!

https://youtu.be/iCurxt0ULzk