What's Wrong With My Movie Taste?
Why do filmmakers like Christopher Nolan make movies that feel like commercial blockbusters, even though their movies are also highly acclaimed, critically praised, and considered great works of cinema? His movies become huge blockbusters, to the point that even so-called art films or Oscar-bait movies often cannot compete with them commercially.
For example, Christopher Nolan was inspired by Kurosawa's Ran to make The Odyssey. I recently watched Ran, but I found it very boring, dull, uninteresting, and unengaging. On the other hand, Nolan's The Odyssey looks so great, engaging, and entertaining.
Another example would be Tenet. I have watched it about five times, and I still didn't understand half of what was happening every single time. Yet, even though I didn't understand it, I completed the movie and remained engaged for most of it.
Another example is Quentin Tarantino. People often say that Tarantino can be absurd, while Scorsese "hits the spot." But I personally find Scorsese's movies dull and uninteresting, while Tarantino's movies are extremely engaging. They hook me almost instantly.
For example, The Hateful Eight. If this movie had been made by another director, such as Scorsese or Denis Villeneuve, I probably wouldn't have watched even 10 minutes of it. Yet The Hateful Eight is one of my all-time favorite movies.
It isn't about old movies either. 12 Angry Men is one of my favorite movies of all time. However, when I watch Alfred Hitchcock movies, such as Strangers on a Train or similar older films, I often feel bored and can't even finish them.
Another example is that I sometimes feel like I don't enjoy movies unless they are in English. Then I watch movies by Bong Joon-ho, and I am instantly hooked.
You wouldn't believe this, but one of my all-time favorite movies is Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. It's a movie about menstruation, and the weird part is that I'm a male. How am I able to relate to a movie like that?
I also watched Spielberg's Schindler's List, which many people consider one of his greatest movies and one of the greatest films ever made. I watched it and thought, "It's okay." Then I watched Spielberg's Empire of the Sun, and it became one of my favorite movies of all time.
Most of the time, when someone recommends a movie to me and says, "It's a masterpiece," there is probably a 98% chance that I will hate it.
At the same time, I often fall in love with movies that have been heavily criticized or disliked by both critics and general audiences.
People recommend directors like Andrei Tarkovsky to me, saying that he makes great psychological movies, but I sometimes can't even get through the first 10 minutes.
So, what exactly is wrong with my movie taste? Why do I connect so strongly with some movies that other people consider mediocre, while I find many universally acclaimed masterpieces boring and uninteresting?