In Celluloid we trust?

As most of the readers of this blog know, there was a recent arguement at the ol' verdict regarding basically visuals vs. story in cinema. I made my first post when I was very tired and kind of in a bitchy mood and let my opinion become weakened because of the state I was in. It was stupid of me. But I basically said stories belong in books and not on film. And I don't agree with that...so why did I say it? I was set off because a lot of people were saying Tim Burton's films were bad because they lacked a solid, straight A to Z narrative structure and that pisssssssssssseeeeeed me off. Tim Burton is not necessarily my abolute favorite fella anymore, but I will always have a special place in my heart for him and his work. He does make narrative films, but the reason I've always liked them is because they are able to speak through visuals in a dark and beautiful way that's always connected with me on a personal level. As I said, if you turn the sound off on a good Tim Burton movie, you will always be able to know what's going on.

And during the past year or so, I've been exposed to all sorts of different kinds of cinema I didn't even know existed. It's a mind opening experience that I've enjoyed immensely. Stan Brakhage, Maya Deren, Joseph Cornell, Man Ray, and an armful of others relied on no story at all and the images they created were a lot more powerful than many of the narrative films I've seen. And even though the images were not part of a story, they all seemed like they fit together in a brilliant and scattered puzzle. Some experimental stuff really sucks, I had to go to a screening at Chicago Filmmakers last summer and everything in it was absolutely terrible except for maybe two of the shorts. But if it's good, I can't even begin to tell you what power it beholds.

And since learning about some of this stuff, I've tried to share my newfound love with some other film fans I happen to know. They didn't take to it at all and proclaimed it to be bad because there's no cohesive story. I told them I didn't understand because the basis of cinema is about visual storytelling and whoever said a story had to go from A to B to C, why can't it go from A to P and back to E? That was the general reaction and it was very frustrating. So when the same kind of thing happened on DVD Verdict, a place I love to be, I was really taken aback and defensive. I know not everyone can like the same thing, but why can't people be open to new experiences? If you claim to be a film fan, why not give it a shot? Maybe they were saying they were open and just responding to my poorly worded opening statement. I ruined any chance of getting people to try it because of that.

Oh well, it's been a frustrating week there anyway. I've had many insulting things said to me, all by the same asshole of a person, including that I have the writing and thought processes of an 8th grader and a hypocrite. What I've never really told anyone at verdict before is that I've got some slight brain problems because of my OD on sleeping pills when I was 15. Ever since then, I haven't been able to articulate myself in writing or in speech nearly as well as I used to. So, it usually takes me twice as long to prepare an essay or research paper when the occasion arises. It's also not fun not being able to articulate yourself when you're a perfectionist. It's also very exhausting, so when I come online to relax, I don't pay nearly as much attention to my form. I write enough as it is, twenty to thirty pages minimum, I don't need my relaxation time to be crowded with the anxiety of proper English. I'm sorry if that bugs any of you. It's just my way.

But I really appreciate those who came forward with a kind p.m. to tell me their feelings. It was very nice and greatly helpful because I was feeling kind of down on myself. Thank you. Good night!