Porn is boring
I’ve decided that visual porn is boring. Nothing much ever happens; the characters simply keep on doing the same thing over and over again for ten straight minutes. I want to tell them to cut to the chase. Enough with all the “uh”s and “ah”s and “oh”s already. They sound like they’re constipated, in labour, or suffering from severe asthma.
This state of affairs should not surprise me, since I’ve always preferred reading to watching. I don’t have a “rule” about reading the book before seeing the movie adaptation, but generally much is lost when a story is on screen compared to when it’s on paper.
When I read, I get to see the whole scene in my mind’s eye, detail by detail. I get to delve into the hearts and minds of the characters and identify with what they feel, discover what they are thinking. I get to watch the interaction between the characters, pick up their little characteristic gestures and mannerisms, look for the nuances in each scene.
On screen, the viewer tends to miss much of that. Each frame lasts for only a split second, then is gone forever. There is no way the viewer will be able to capture and digest everything contained in that split second before things move relentlessly on. Besides, on screen you don’t get the benefit of being told specifics like, “he smiled snidely”. You have to figure out for yourself what kind of smile the character is flashing. And, since it all occurs so fast, even if you recognise a snide smile for what it is, you have no time to savour the implications of that smile. The things it hints at. What it might possibly mean for the other characters.
In a way, movies always seem to me the ultimate form of entertainment. Essentially, the viewer plonks him- or herself down in front of the screen and exclaims, “Entertain me!” There is no need to do anything else. Certainly no need for thought processes or flights of imagination.
While one might argue that there’s no need for a great deal of imagination anyway where porn is concerned, I still find porn movies extremely boring. Give me erotica instead any day.
Er. Wanking material?
Comment by Eliar Swiftfire — July 28, 2005 @ 1:27 am
Mmm…like slash. Yummy, lol!
Comment by Kerfs — July 28, 2005 @ 1:30 am
Oh the differences between men and women!
Comment by MB — July 28, 2005 @ 4:44 am
I viewed my share of porn as a teenager. It was fun at first. Then, I realized one day I’d seen everything there was to see. Without getting into weird stuff that really doesn’t interest me, there’s nothing left. Even as a teen, I pretended it was fun more for the sake of “being macho” than because it was really all that interesting.
As to the book/movie thing, I’m mostly with you. I tend to either read a book or watch the movie. I have an active imagination and it’s hard for me to watch a movie after reading a book because the movie never interprets the characters the way I did. There are exceptions. I enjoy the Harry Potter movies almost as much as the books, but I blame that on exceptional storytelling by the author.
A good movie can be more than mindless. A good movie will use your ears along with your eyes and will allow you to extrapolate all those little things you’re missing. There’s a place for dumb entertainment, though. It’s the same as with books. Sometimes, you just need a simple story.
Comment by kevin — July 28, 2005 @ 6:19 am
“Essentially, the viewer plonks him- or herself down in front of the screen and exclaims, “Entertain me!” There is no need to do anything else. Certainly no need for thought processes or flights of imagination.”
The above applies only to “mass market” entertainment, popularly lumped as “Hollywood” action movies or low-brow comedies.
There are some movies out there that inspire debate or are thought-provoking. There are some that, if you do not pay attention and use your brain, will not enjoy the movie.
Not all movies are characterized by the statement quoted. Do you agree?
Sadly, the majority dismiss these films as “art films” or “boring”, when they don’t know what they are missing.
Comment by aw3 — July 28, 2005 @ 11:05 am
Eliar - Wanking material: erotica. Far more arousing than x-rated movies.
MB - Yes, that’s what makes things interesting, isn’t it?
Kerfs - Lol, nice to have someone agree!
Kevin - You’re right, after a while we’ve seen all there is to see. There are only so many positions two (or more) human bodies can contort themselves into.
Aw3 - Yes, some films are thought-provoking. But there are too few of them.
Comment by Scribbler — July 28, 2005 @ 4:16 pm