Did you enjoy the Blair Witch Project?

[kittyP]

I thought it was pretty good for when it was made.
I wish I had seen it believing it was real though.
I'd did make me motion sick at the cinema.
I've watched it once or twice since but would not be in a rush to again.

 

[rubbershoes]

what films do hipster beard cunts claim we should watch instead?

Anything by Tarkovsky

 

[Meh O'Naise]

Stop misusing the term "breaking the fourth wall" and I think you are taking this far too seriously.

Like all fictional works - The film exists within its own reality. Suspension of disbelief is what makes a fictional narrative work.

When you can no longer suspend that disbelief because of a stupid, easily avoidable error, then it no longer works on its own terms. That is to say, that is when you become acutely aware that it is, in fact, JUST A MOVIE. And All the other work that has gone into making the film work is undone.

Of course if I was some sort of retconning loon - which I'm not - I'd say this was a deliberate set up for Blair Witch 2, which is entirely based on the premise that Blair Witch I is fiction (a conceit I really like, and I like Blair Witch 2 because of it, but still...).

Fact is, because of such stupid errors, this film doesn't actually work for me. it all falls apart because of the lack of care put into it constructing the believeability of the false narrative. I'm not talking about stuff like Civil War re-enactment specialists saying "oh, Gettysburg is rubbish because the sewing on the buttons is inaccurate", but simple, basic, fundamental stuff in the fictional narrative.

You know, like watching X-Men First Class and seeing the tanker with the missiles going to Cuba without tarps on. Because if you are smuggling missiles across to a foreign power, you don't do it in plain sigh. Simple, basic, logical, straightforward stuff.

 

[MillwallShoes]

Like all fictional works - The film exists within its own reality. Suspension of disbelief is what makes a fictional narrative work.

When you can no longer suspend that disbelief because of a stupid, easily avoidable error, then it no longer works on its own terms. That is to say, that is when you become acutely aware that it is, in fact, JUST A MOVIE. And All the other work that has gone into making the film work is undone.

Of course if I was some sort of retconning loon - which I'm not - I'd say this was a deliberate set up for Blair Witch 2, which is entirely based on the premise that Blair Witch I is fiction (a conceit I really like, and I like Blair Witch 2 because of it, but still...).

Fact is, because of such stupid errors, this film doesn't actually work for me. it all falls apart because of the lack of care put into it constructing the believeability of the false narrative. I'm not talking about stuff like Civil War re-enactment specialists saying "oh, Gettysburg is rubbish because the sewing on the buttons is inaccurate", but simple, basic, fundamental stuff in the fictional narrative.

You know, like watching X-Men First Class and seeing the tanker with the missiles going to Cuba without tarps on. Because if you are smuggling missiles across to a foreign power, you don't do it in plain sigh. Simple, basic, logical, straightforward stuff.

if you approached it with a more lighthearted outlook you might have enjoyed it!!

 

[Reno]

Like all fictional works - The film exists within its own reality. Suspension of disbelief is what makes a fictional narrative work.

When you can no longer suspend that disbelief because of a stupid, easily avoidable error, then it no longer works on its own terms. That is to say, that is when you become acutely aware that it is, in fact, JUST A MOVIE. And All the other work that has gone into making the film work is undone.

Of course if I was some sort of retconning loon - which I'm not - I'd say this was a deliberate set up for Blair Witch 2, which is entirely based on the premise that Blair Witch I is fiction (a conceit I really like, and I like Blair Witch 2 because of it, but still...).

Fact is, because of such stupid errors, this film doesn't actually work for me. it all falls apart because of the lack of care put into it constructing the believeability of the false narrative. I'm not talking about stuff like Civil War re-enactment specialists saying "oh, Gettysburg is rubbish because the sewing on the buttons is inaccurate", but simple, basic, fundamental stuff in the fictional narrative.

You know, like watching X-Men First Class and seeing the tanker with the missiles going to Cuba without tarps on. Because if you are smuggling missiles across to a foreign power, you don't do it in plain sigh. Simple, basic, logical, straightforward stuff.

If you can't suspend your disbelief because of songs on a tie-in soundtrack album, songs which didn't even appear in the film, then it's time to take a good, hard look at your life.

 

[Meh O'Naise]

If you can't suspend your disbelief because of songs on a tie-in soundtrack album, songs which didn't even appear in the film, then it's time to take a good, hard look at your life.

One thing Blair witch got right - and it memorable for - is that it was approached in a very novel way ; the movie itself wasn't the end of the experience. It was probably the first film that embraced the internet from the off as an extension of the film itself, as part of the mythology. The website, the book, the soundtrack....all these things were part of the *cough splutter, i hate myself for using this wanky word* synchronicity of the whole multi-media event.

It's like watching Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and (ok, slight exaggeration) then finding the characters talking about how the information leaked via teh intermawebz.

I had a look at my life, and I appear to spend too much time on the internet, mind you.

 

[butchersapron]

I thought it was great and it scared the shit out of me.

(Will this do?)

 

[Part 2]

I've never seen it. I feel like I've probably left it too late now.

 

[butchersapron]

I've never seen it. I feel like I've probably left it too late now.

That's what i thought, but was wrong, there's no twist to get, nothing like that. Give it a go.

 

[MillwallShoes]

I've never seen it. I feel like I've probably left it too late now.

get on it now.

 

[Part 2]

On that recommendation, I shall

 

[Reno]

One thing Blair witch got right - and it memorable for - is that it was approached in a very novel way ; the movie itself wasn't the end of the experience. It was probably the first film that embraced the internet from the off as an extension of the film itself, as part of the mythology. The website, the book, the soundtrack....all these things were part of the *cough splutter, i hate myself for using this wanky word* synchronicity of the whole multi-media event.

It's like watching Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and (ok, slight exaggeration) then finding the characters talking about how the information leaked via teh intermawebz.

I had a look at my life, and I appear to spend too much time on the internet, mind you.

I do understand what you mean about the multi-media thing, but in the end films (or multi-media creations or any fiction) aren't real life. To criticise fiction because its world doesn't conform 100% to the world you see through your window is missing the point. You were talking about suspension of disbelief. That's what it's there for. It requires a little bit leeway on your behalf to buy into that fictional world. Unfortunately that's how films now are mostly discussed online: not in terms of artistry, but to what extend they conform to reality, which is the most unimaginative way possible to approach art or entertainment.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

One good thing about it: it led to Cloverfield...

 

[Pingu]

One really fucking bad thing about it: it led to Cloverfield... which was the biggest pile of shit film ever

fixed for you

 

[MillwallShoes]

One good thing about it: it led to Cloverfield...

awful film.

blair witch, with it's no budget, humiliates it.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

I liked Cloverfield, at least up to the point when you got a good look at the monster.

 

[Reno]

awful film.

blair witch, with it's no budget, humiliates it.

How does Blair Witch "humiliate" Cloverfield ? I enjoyed it a lot more than Blair Witch.

 

[MillwallShoes]

my own subjective experience was that one was excellent, the other was a sorry piece of shit.

personal taste.

 

[Pingu]

I liked Cloverfield, at least up to the point when you got a good look at the monster.

I was rooting for the monster.

"eat the fuckers.. now.. quickly so I don't have to endure anymore of this shit" I recall thinking.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

I was rooting for the monster.

"eat the fuckers.. now.. quickly so I don't have to endure anymore of this shit" I recall thinking.

Once the monster was revealed, it turned into standard Godzilla fare. Before that, it was an interesting study of humans as ants.

 

[MillwallShoes]

my own subjective experience was that one was excellent, the other was a sorry piece of shit.

personal taste.

you could say it humiliates it by the amount spent on budget and the critical response to both films. BWP will become a cult classic for a long time, cloverfield is almost already forgotten.

 

[Reno]

I was rooting for the monster.

"eat the fuckers.. now.. quickly so I don't have to endure anymore of this shit" I recall thinking.

That's the thing to say over and over on forums about the film, isn't it ? The characters were no worse than those in many other modern genre films, but for some reason it's become the stick to beat the film with. The only reason seems to be that they they are a bit more affluent then characters in these films usually are. They are actually a bit more altruistic than characters in monster movies usually are and rather than saving themselves, the plot is about them putting everything on the line to save a friend. And in the end they all are dead, so if you really hated them so much, it's win-win.

 

[Reno]

you could say it humiliates it by the amount spent on budget and the critical response to both films. BWP will become a cult classic for a long time, cloverfield is almost already forgotten.

Cloverfield mostly got very good reviews and was a huge success and as people like you still bitch on about it on the Interwebs means it hasn't been forgotten. While not a mico-budget film like Blair Witch, for an effects heavy Hollywood film Cloverfield was fairly low budget and looked a lot more expensive then it was.

 

[kittyP]

I do understand what you mean about the multi-media thing, but in the end films (or multi-media creations or any fiction) aren't real life. To criticise fiction because its world doesn't conform 100% to the world you see through your window is missing the point. You were talking about suspension of disbelief. That's what it's there for. It requires a little bit leeway on your behalf to buy into that fictional world. Unfortunately that's how films now are mostly discussed online: not in terms of artistry, but to what extend they conform to reality, which is the most unimaginative way possible to approach art or entertainment.

I dunno.
I have a great ability to suspend disbelief, even with quite "lame" films, if they get me right.
But I get what he is taking about.
Sometimes, for you /me personally, ability to do that is spoiled by something slight.
I can that can be very personal and something that won't spoil it for others.

 

[Reno]

I dunno.
I have a great ability to suspend disbelief, even with quite "lame" films, if they get me right.
But I get what he is taking about.
Sometimes, for you /me personally, ability to do that is spoiled by something slight.
I can that can be very personal and something that won't spoil it for others.

So you also bought the goth rock cash-in album and were taken out of the film retrospectively ?

 

[kittyP]

So you also bought the goth rock cash-in album and were taken out of the film retrospectively ?

No


I am just saying I have watched films before that every one else has liked and I just can't suspend my disbelief properly, which is nothing to do with my general ability to do that.
Sometimes it's one line, one song etc that can make it break or film and is subjective.

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

Blair Witch was one of the most boring films I have ever sat through. I don't understand why there is so much love for it beyond the multi media bundle.
Cloverfield was watchable once, (Shame about the annoying cast) certainly more enjoyable that the zero joy I got from watching Blair Witch.
I heard that Cloverfield was original to be three films, all advancing the story but all based at exactly the same time, just in different locations. I thought that was a cool idea.

 

[8ball]

I loved it, I'd had just enough spliff to get a bit paranoid and properly into it and also lose enough short-term memory to half-forget it was all just pretend.

Without that maybe it wouldn't have worked - the DVD should come with a carefully-titrated dose of weed.

 

[Knotted]

I thought it was very effective but then I spook easily. Some people are just too sober and level headed to ever find themselves scaring themselves silly in a forest and as a consequence they are just not going to get this film. A brilliant film for idiots like me and a terrible film for everyone else. I suppose that works out at "average" then.

 

[8ball]

I thought it was very effective but then I spook easily. Some people are just too sober and level headed to ever find themselves scaring themselves silly in a forest and as a consequence they are just not going to get this film. A brilliant film for idiots like me and a terrible film for everyone else. I suppose that works out at "average" then.

Fuck statistics - great for many things, not for rating films.

edit: 90 milliseconds after I posted that I remembered about the existence of rottentomatoes - I request that comment be struck from the record