Things have really gone downhill in a hurry!

Discussion of programming on TCM.
Erebus
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Joined: April 26th, 2007, 4:46 pm
Location: Reno, Nevada

Post by Erebus »

Mr. Arkadin wrote:Unfortunately there are not that many people there who want to discuss film.
That’s the reason I’m usually reluctant to post: I realize I possess almost no innate aptitude for assessing artistic depth, whether it be for film, canvas, or music. I know what I enjoy, but mostly it’s limited to a sense of what’s realistic regarding character or plot, or simple affection for the personalities of the actors involved. I tend to like movies as they develop more than as they resolve, though I recognize that only with completion does a film succeed as a whole. I do credit myself with an eye aware of the unworthy but as for quality in and of itself, I feel almost mute. Easy to say why one boos, less so why one applauds. Guess that makes me a human being.

The only reason I even have an inkling that I have an ear or eye for what passes is that I tend to hang with folks who can in fact create or say something intelligible about the nature of creativity. All too often I feel as though I view simply to see actors whose personalities I like, such as with Eastwood, Wayne, or Holden, among many, many others. I know that’s not so unusual.

It’s almost only via saturation that I’ve gained some appreciation for acting ability, such as with a Davis or a Guinness. By contrast, only rarely do I feel competent to speak out on successes or failings of direction, and even then only if a film seems to violate something I see as fundamental to human nature. Sometimes a script seems overwritten in the sense that it makes the characters seem too quick or smart. TV shows often fail that way, at least for me.

How’s that for a digression? Guess I should feel fortunate to know that I don’t understand why I enjoy movies. Thank you Mr. Arkadin.
Vecchiolarry
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Joined: May 6th, 2007, 10:15 pm
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Post by Vecchiolarry »

Hi Erebus,

I think most people fall into the catagory you've described. You like what you like and don't like what you don't.
I know that applies to me. I'm no movie afficienado and tend to think there is good and bad in all movies.

If you like John Wayne, then good for you; he was a great star and deserved his Oscar. And, I think he did a pretty good job of acting too!

These people who pontificate on and on about the lighting and sound and the camera angles and think they're "auteurs" bore the hell out of me.
I usually say to them what Mary Astor said to Olivia De Havilland in "Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte" on the courthouse steps: "I have no more time for you; no even one more minute!!".......

Larry
Mr. Arkadin
Posts: 2645
Joined: April 14th, 2007, 3:00 pm

Post by Mr. Arkadin »

Erebus wrote:
Mr. Arkadin wrote:Unfortunately there are not that many people there who want to discuss film.
That’s the reason I’m usually reluctant to post: I realize I possess almost no innate aptitude for assessing artistic depth, whether it be for film, canvas, or music. I know what I enjoy, but mostly it’s limited to a sense of what’s realistic regarding character or plot, or simple affection for the personalities of the actors involved. I tend to like movies as they develop more than as they resolve, though I recognize that only with completion does a film succeed as a whole. I do credit myself with an eye aware of the unworthy but as for quality in and of itself, I feel almost mute. Easy to say why one boos, less so why one applauds. Guess that makes me a human being.

The only reason I even have an inkling that I have an ear or eye for what passes is that I tend to hang with folks who can in fact create or say something intelligible about the nature of creativity. All too often I feel as though I view simply to see actors whose personalities I like, such as with Eastwood, Wayne, or Holden, among many, many others. I know that’s not so unusual.

It’s almost only via saturation that I’ve gained some appreciation for acting ability, such as with a Davis or a Guinness. By contrast, only rarely do I feel competent to speak out on successes or failings of direction, and even then only if a film seems to violate something I see as fundamental to human nature. Sometimes a script seems overwritten in the sense that it makes the characters seem too quick or smart. TV shows often fail that way, at least for me.

How’s that for a digression? Guess I should feel fortunate to know that I don’t understand why I enjoy movies. Thank you Mr. Arkadin.
You sound like you have quite good abilities to me! 8) Seriously though, I did not mean to sound pompus or insulting. My apologies if it came across that way. I only meant that the nature of any topical board is it's topic. Unfortunately some people could care less about that and are more concerned with disruption or trying to establish control as a certain member is doing there now.

Don't ever feel like you shouldn't pop into a thread and say something. Your opinion is as vaild as the next persons. It's the contribution of everyone that makes this board a fun place.
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mongoII
Posts: 12340
Joined: April 14th, 2007, 7:37 pm
Location: Florida

Post by mongoII »

Thank you, vallo. I've been a member of the TCM boards since 2001 and I guess old habits die hard.
I've had a good time of it for most of those years, especially with many of the members I came in contact with. It was always my pleasure to discuss and share my knowledge of the movies and the stars as my threads indicate.

In any event, this is a fine site and it's nice to see many of my TCM co-members here.
Joseph Goodheart
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Dewey1960
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Joined: April 17th, 2007, 7:52 am
Location: Oakland, CA

Post by Dewey1960 »

Mongo, just for the record: for the longest time (especially the past few months) your posts were among the only reasons worth logging onto the TCM site. I for one am very grateful that you are here!
-Dewey
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knitwit45
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Joined: May 4th, 2007, 9:33 pm
Location: Gardner, KS

Post by knitwit45 »

AMEN TO THAT!!!!!!! Mongo Joe, you, Moira, Larry, and the others who post here now are the only reasons I kept going back. Thanks for hanging in there for all of us.
"Life is not the way it's supposed to be.. It's the way it is..
The way we cope with it, is what makes the difference." ~ Virginia Satir
""Most people pursue pleasure with such breathless haste that they hurry past it." ~ Soren Kierkegaard
Erebus
Posts: 49
Joined: April 26th, 2007, 4:46 pm
Location: Reno, Nevada

Post by Erebus »

Mr. Arkadin wrote: Seriously though, I did not mean to sound pompus or insulting. My apologies if it came across that way. I only meant that the nature of any topical board is it's topic.
No offense taken at all, and I realize that none was intended. I was just using your sentence as a point of departure for some off-topic energy I happened to find. Thanks to everybody for the kind words and affirmation.
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CoffeeDan
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Joined: April 25th, 2007, 1:53 pm
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
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Post by CoffeeDan »

I think the storm is over at the TCM boards, but the sun hasn't come out yet. And it may be overcast for a while.

I, too, wish that the TCM web administration had moved faster on the flame wars, but it's hard to do that without a firm set of rules and regulations in place. It's much easier to say to an offender, "You broke this rule and that one" rather than saying that so-and-so complained. It carries a lot more weight. The code now in place looks like a good one, and they are taking such offenses seriously now, so give them credit for that much.

As a result, participants seem to be a little too cautious as to what they should and shouldn't post. I think as more of them realize that the troublemakers are gone (and that TCM will act quickly to prevent further trouble), everybody who is left will relax and start posting as they once did.

What I miss from when I started posting six years ago are the TCM moderators who would not only open and organize new folders, but start and particpate in discussion threads, keeping some of them going even when people didn't seem to be interested at the time. You could tell who they were by the letters TCM before their names (e.g., TCM-Joy, TCM-Phil, etc.). The TCM staffer who goes by MGMWBRKO comes closest to filling this gap, but I'd like to see more TCM staffers take the initiative to make the forums a pleasant place again. That alone would prevent more fights on the boards.
cmvgor
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Joined: April 23rd, 2007, 10:23 am
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We've still got the Looky-Loos

Post by cmvgor »

I still check the TCM boards, at least once daily, and I've noticed one pattern that may be cause for encouragement. Even with very few people posting, There are some out there who are still dropping by to read
what is there. I began jotting down and recording the figures in the "Views" columns of some of the threads that interested me. From my figures in the Westerns Forum, for instance I noted that the viewer count for SueSueApplegate's thread on Strother Martin rose from 914 to 1055 between May 12 and May 21, with no additions to the Replys column.

In that same period (5/12-5/21), I recorded the following changes:
The L.Q. Jones thread -- Viewers went from 1,164 to 1,367. No new posts.
The Audie Murphy thread --Viewers up from 2,554 to 2,738. No new posts.
The Tim Holt thread -- Up from 260 to 320. No new posts.
The Sam Peckipah thread -- Views up from 415 to 681. Postings up from
14 to 18.

I can't claim to render a full explanation of these figures, but I do feel that continuing viewers are not just Oasis Exiles looking things over
before coming back here to other business. Maybe others will have an
explanation that will be both accurate and useful.
"Faint heart never filled inside straight"
--Bret & Bart's Pappy
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mrsl
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Joined: April 14th, 2007, 5:20 pm
Location: Chicago SW suburbs

Post by mrsl »

The only thing I go to TCM for nowadays is to check the schedule. All the people I followed over there are now over here, and often their comments are repeated from here.

I know I'm not the most interesting person to talk to, but we all have our little quirks and foibles. I have a few pet peeves, and a few things that make me really angry and I try to keep those latter ones in check. The only thing I can hope is that when I do say something that seems unfair to anyone, they will let me know, so I don't do it again. That's how I feel about the TCM admin staff. I let them know I was being hurt in their back yard, and they did nothing to correct the problem until it was too late. I p/m'd them, I e-mailed them, I wrote open letters to them, and I commented on the technical problems topic, yet all they did was offer a bone called an 'ignore poster' button, which still has not appeared to my knowledge.

All I know is, if all of you return, and drop this site, I will be a long time in determining if I care to rejoin. I feel they rejected my participation by their lack of interest, as much as saying, we don't need you. As Mr. L used to say:


"If a dog bites you once, it's a bad dog, if he bites you a second time, you're stupid, if he bites you again, you deserve it."
:oops:

Anne
Anne


***********************************************************************
* * * * * * * * What is past is prologue. * * * * * * * *

]***********************************************************************
klondike

Post by klondike »

> " "If a dog bites you once, it's a bad dog, if he bites you a second time, you're stupid, if he bites you again, you deserve it."[/color] :oops:

Anne[/quote]"

OR -

You just taste really good!

Klondike
Hollis
Posts: 687
Joined: April 15th, 2007, 4:38 pm

Post by Hollis »

Hey there again,

I didn't realize when I posed my question that it would generate this much discussion, and all of it lucid and with a certain validity as well. One thing is an absolute certainty however. There clearly are no idiots to be found among this group. Even those who, like me, ask more questions than provide answers do it in a way that's almost always guaranteed to elicit educated responses and from a variety of viewpoints as well. It's always good to hear people compliment rather than ridicule each other. Someone made a really good point earlier when they said they didn't know why they liked movies, they just did! I've been trying to say that for months and couldn't put my finger on it. Thanks for doing it for me. I also found it interesting that someone noticed that the number of viewers of particular threads far exceeded the replies to the thread over the same period but were at a loss to explain it. I think that the answer might be so obvious that no one wants to offer it for fear of sounding self serving. There's a real good chance that those who still habituate that forum exclusively just don't have much to say! Call me a snob if you'd like, but I'd rather offer something up when I know someone will appreciate the effort rather than trying to rip it to shreds because it doesn't agree with their own perceptions or opinions. Even if it's a question rather than an answer, like I said before, here I know I'm not going to be called something derogatory because the question seems so simple to someone. Even if they do think I'm an idiot (and they may be right at times) at least they're well mannered enough to keep it to themselves, and that's where I think a lot of the difference between the two forums lies. I don't remember who it was that first extended me the invitation to join this happy family, but I'm very much indebted to them. Thanks again!

With a song in my heart!

Hollis
Vecchiolarry
Posts: 1392
Joined: May 6th, 2007, 10:15 pm
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Post by Vecchiolarry »

Hi Hollis,

You're definitely not an idiot, only an 'inquiring mind'.... But, stay away from the "National Inquirer"!!!!!!

There are no stupid questions - - that's how we learn, from babyhood onward... Who, what, where, when why, how.........
From why is the sky blue to how do we get to Mars, they're all a learning experience.

Like you, I have more questions about movies than answers, and I dare anybody to call me stupid!! I do that myself....

Larry
Hollis
Posts: 687
Joined: April 15th, 2007, 4:38 pm

Post by Hollis »

Hi again Larry,

Welcome to the club my friend. I've always thought that self deprecation is the highest form of humor. After all, if you can't laugh at yourself, what right have you to laugh at others? The answer? You don't, plain and simple. My parents, luckily, taught me that lesson early on. I was guilty of taking myself far too seriously, even as a child. Then again, I'm such an easy target that it would be be damned near impossible not to laugh at myself! What, me worry? (Where have I heard that one before?) The way I see it, if someone has a problem with me, it's just that, their problem, not mine. I have too many other things of far greater importance to worry about. The trick, as I've been told so often, is to be able to distinguish between the things you have a certain amount of control over versus those you don't. Worry about what you can control to some degree and laugh at what you can't! I don't need to go to my grave any sooner than necessary, that'll come soon enough, won't it? Thanks for supporting my point of view. Even if you hadn't, you would have done so in a way that supported your own opinion rather than attempting to try to belittle mine. I think you've supported my earlier contention that that's the biggest difference between the "Mother Ship" and this, our "Escape Pod!" Take care and enjoy your holiday weekend. To everyone who may be reading this, even if you're a pacifist and find war and it's brutality anathema to you, spend a moment or two contemplating the sacrifices made by those who have served to protect and keep us and others free. "No greater love hath a man than to lay down his life for his brother." I know I'm paraphrasing and offer my apologies to whomever the original quotation is attributable to. Again, I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable holiday. Adios, amigos!

With all my respect,

Hollis
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movieman1957
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Post by movieman1957 »

Hollis wrote: "No greater love hath a man than to lay down his life for his brother." I know I'm paraphrasing and offer my apologies to whomever the original quotation is attributable to. Again, I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable holiday. Adios, amigos!

With all my respect,

Hollis
Jesus. John 15:13
Chris

"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana."
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