Rantastic: There is No Set Canon

Many times when discussing all matters of film, I hear, “oh, if you haven’t seen this movie then you’re not a real film fan.”  Even worse, sometimes I have people say, “oh if you don’t like this movie then you’re not a good film fan. “  Let’s just get this out of the way first: there is no set canon to which a film fan is judged to be a film fan or not.  Whenever I hear this phrase, it frustrates me, near the point of being past an annoyance.  There are films that anyone who is a film fan probably should watch if only to be able to learn and be a part of conversations that many enthusiasts have.  Yet if they do not, then they can still be a lover of the cinema.

I’m going to assume because you’re reading this you like film.  You should probably watch Citizen Kane, The Godfather, and Chinatown, if you haven’t already, because they are talked about maybe the most of any films.  It would be beneficial, and I would recommend, watching Seven Samurai, Pulp Fiction, and Donnie Darko.  At times in art, and since film is my favorite art it’s what I’m most referring to, people need to learn to be reasonable.  For instance, I don’t even like Donnie Darko all that much, yet I would recommend it, because it is a work of artistic film, a cult genre new classic, and one whose themes deserve to be discussed.  It does get tiring when I hear that not seeing these films makes you a faux-film fan. 

Every Christian needs to read the bible and should follow the teachings of Christ.  Every Buddhist must search for the supreme Nirvana.  Every citizen of a nation should pay taxes to their (properly functioning) government.  Every film fan does not have to like Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.  I say this as an example because this happened to me a while ago, as in I was told that not liking this makes me not capable of understanding film.  Any critique I have of the film is a separate matter, but I can say that I simply just don’t like it.  I don’t like the story, I don’t get into it, and it’s long without much payoff.  I would never fault it technically by any means, and I love some of Kubrick’s other work.  It’s not that I don’t like films with unhinged narratives or long films; I just don’t like this one. 

To be a film fan, you simply have to watch films.  Liking and disliking is what causes fun debate and discussion.  There is no reasonable attitude to deeming someone not well versed enough to discuss; there is no set canon.

Well, I’m done ranting for the day . . .

by Phillip Bryant