pop culture
Okay so a conversation has ensued between me and The Bee. She posted about how this Benny had come up with a list of movies that The Bee was missing out on. And so to get caught up on pop culture - The Bee recorded this list of apparently-pop-culture-approved movies:
Shawshank Redemption Braveheart Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon The Holiday Anchorman Hot Rod Austin Powers Inception Devdas (Bollywood) The Usual Suspects Fightclub The Godfather O Brother, Where Art Thou Snatch The Titanic Tristan and Isolde Nausicaa of the Wind Valley Last of the Mohicans Indiana Jones (first 3) James Bond (recent two + GoldenEye) Eagle Eye E.T. Schindler's List War of the Worlds American Beauty The Departed Departures (Japanese) Anna and the King The Dark Knight Toy Story 3 How to Train Your Dragon The Professional (aka Leon) The Pianist Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind The Prestige V for Vendetta Slumdog Millionaire Water Heat Donnie Darko Platoon Babel Terminator 2 Trainspotting There Will Be Blood Children of Men Kill Bill Resident Evil (first one) Star Trek Get Smart The Nightmare Before Christmas The Neverending Story Robin Hood (Kevin Costner) Interview with a Vampire The Green Mile Legends of the Fall The Game The Fifth Element Total Recall Iron Man Chronicles of Riddick Taken The Hunt for Red October Independence Day Cloverfield American History X City of God
I do say, an impressive lot of movies. But I questioned this "Benny" and where they came off calling this list pop culture. I made some suggestions like ditching The Chronicles of Riddick (Hollywood completely cannibalized the original Riddick) and replacing it with Pitch Black and including some lesser known movies like To End All Wars (Kiefer Sutherland) and Amelie (foreign). There were a lot of other suggestions and so a revised list can be seen here.
But the conversation of pop culture continued. Movies were suggested like Pride and Prejudice (granted, there was a remake with current actors) and The Sound of Music which, I don't argue, are classics. Even James Bond, Indiana Jones, The Godfather and Star Trek (possibly Terminator 2) could now be considered classics in their own genres...But Pop Culture?
War of the Worlds (Tom Cruise)?!?!? Eagle Eye?
Then it occurred to me that I may not know the definition of pop culture. Leave it to me to get into an argument about something I don't even know how to define. Popular Culture. My comment on The Bee's blog was something along the lines of "not every movie that was produced with a big celeb name makes it pop culture...and sequels should seldom EVER make it to lists unless they cause a redirection in the plot/character line".
So - like every good debater and uninformed person - I googled it.
This is what I found on a couple of more reputable dictionary sites:
1. "Contemporary lifestyle and items that are well known and generally accepted, cultural patterns that are widespread within a population"
2. "Pop culture is the knowledge of current, or up-to-date events."
Okay, so according to #1 just about anything could go. I'm not really closer to winning this debate of descriptors...Then I looked at a much LESS reputable site: The Urban Dictionary where my name is defined as "perfection" and a whole lot less nice things. Let's just say that anybody can define whatever they want on The Urban Dictionary...kind of like Wikipedia - except worse and better all at the same time.
This is what The Urban Dictionary said about Pop Culture:
1. The cultural phenomenon that facilitates the definition of words on the internet. Pop Culture simply denotes a widely accepted group of practices or customs. Goths, preps, youths all are parts of its' embodiment, but so are you/we, internet users who slander others on websites. [ this may have something to do with all of the less-than-nice things defined under my name ]
2. Nearly anything on television. books on bestseller lists. top grossing movies. as well as their respective countercultures. Pop culture changes with the youth of the world.
3. The destruction of the human race.
There you have it: Pop Culture is destruction and anything goes all in one pile of constant generational change. Makes sense to me...right? Nope.
Well, seeing how I'm no farther ahead than when I started - I've decided that this is probably an argument not likely needing to be solved by me. Rather, I will stick to my "classics and essentials" when compiling lists of things like movies and music. That way you will not spend time worry about what's popular but rather what will be around in 20 years that will be worth talking about. Movies or songs or bands that enable you to take part in intelligent conversations in an melting pot of social atmospheres.
Examples (do not mistake this for an exhaustive list):
Casablanca
James Bond (one from every actor who played JB...so that you can partake in arguments about who the best was) Batman (again...make sure that you are versed enough to debate between Keaten, Kilmer, Clooney, and why it was okay to go back to the beginning with Bale)
Atleast one Jane Austin movie - just to make you fit in with the well-read group
Clockwork Orange or Full Metal Jacket (you never know when this will come up and you need to be prepared when it does)
Blairwitch Project (low budget, first person film making and I'm not suggesting it because it was a good movie)
Epics: Last of the Mohicans, Robin Hood, Kingdom of God
Any and all of the academy award's Film of the Year
Musicals: Hairspray, Sound of Music, Fiddler on the Roof
Any movies that may have been referenced in the TV show, Gilmore Girls (because really, they were the end all and be all of us people who consider ourselves versed in the world of movies).
Foreign movies (because it shows that you don't just hit the video store and go for the movies that have the most copies on the shelves...it means that you have taken your time to read through the descriptions and haven't just passed over it because you don't recognize the actors)
Movies that you can make into a Bible Study (makes you look deeper than just surface level themes and you listen to what's being said)
If you know me at all - you will know that I could write pages and pages on movies but I'll leave it at that. I don't think that there will be a winner for this one Bee - it's pretty muddy water if you ask me.
Until next time, peace out
.:bear:.
Shawshank Redemption Braveheart Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon The Holiday Anchorman Hot Rod Austin Powers Inception Devdas (Bollywood) The Usual Suspects Fightclub The Godfather O Brother, Where Art Thou Snatch The Titanic Tristan and Isolde Nausicaa of the Wind Valley Last of the Mohicans Indiana Jones (first 3) James Bond (recent two + GoldenEye) Eagle Eye E.T. Schindler's List War of the Worlds American Beauty The Departed Departures (Japanese) Anna and the King The Dark Knight Toy Story 3 How to Train Your Dragon The Professional (aka Leon) The Pianist Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind The Prestige V for Vendetta Slumdog Millionaire Water Heat Donnie Darko Platoon Babel Terminator 2 Trainspotting There Will Be Blood Children of Men Kill Bill Resident Evil (first one) Star Trek Get Smart The Nightmare Before Christmas The Neverending Story Robin Hood (Kevin Costner) Interview with a Vampire The Green Mile Legends of the Fall The Game The Fifth Element Total Recall Iron Man Chronicles of Riddick Taken The Hunt for Red October Independence Day Cloverfield American History X City of God
I do say, an impressive lot of movies. But I questioned this "Benny" and where they came off calling this list pop culture. I made some suggestions like ditching The Chronicles of Riddick (Hollywood completely cannibalized the original Riddick) and replacing it with Pitch Black and including some lesser known movies like To End All Wars (Kiefer Sutherland) and Amelie (foreign). There were a lot of other suggestions and so a revised list can be seen here.
But the conversation of pop culture continued. Movies were suggested like Pride and Prejudice (granted, there was a remake with current actors) and The Sound of Music which, I don't argue, are classics. Even James Bond, Indiana Jones, The Godfather and Star Trek (possibly Terminator 2) could now be considered classics in their own genres...But Pop Culture?
War of the Worlds (Tom Cruise)?!?!? Eagle Eye?
Then it occurred to me that I may not know the definition of pop culture. Leave it to me to get into an argument about something I don't even know how to define. Popular Culture. My comment on The Bee's blog was something along the lines of "not every movie that was produced with a big celeb name makes it pop culture...and sequels should seldom EVER make it to lists unless they cause a redirection in the plot/character line".
So - like every good debater and uninformed person - I googled it.
This is what I found on a couple of more reputable dictionary sites:
1. "Contemporary lifestyle and items that are well known and generally accepted, cultural patterns that are widespread within a population"
2. "Pop culture is the knowledge of current, or up-to-date events."
Okay, so according to #1 just about anything could go. I'm not really closer to winning this debate of descriptors...Then I looked at a much LESS reputable site: The Urban Dictionary where my name is defined as "perfection" and a whole lot less nice things. Let's just say that anybody can define whatever they want on The Urban Dictionary...kind of like Wikipedia - except worse and better all at the same time.
This is what The Urban Dictionary said about Pop Culture:
1. The cultural phenomenon that facilitates the definition of words on the internet. Pop Culture simply denotes a widely accepted group of practices or customs. Goths, preps, youths all are parts of its' embodiment, but so are you/we, internet users who slander others on websites. [ this may have something to do with all of the less-than-nice things defined under my name ]
2. Nearly anything on television. books on bestseller lists. top grossing movies. as well as their respective countercultures. Pop culture changes with the youth of the world.
3. The destruction of the human race.
There you have it: Pop Culture is destruction and anything goes all in one pile of constant generational change. Makes sense to me...right? Nope.
Well, seeing how I'm no farther ahead than when I started - I've decided that this is probably an argument not likely needing to be solved by me. Rather, I will stick to my "classics and essentials" when compiling lists of things like movies and music. That way you will not spend time worry about what's popular but rather what will be around in 20 years that will be worth talking about. Movies or songs or bands that enable you to take part in intelligent conversations in an melting pot of social atmospheres.
Examples (do not mistake this for an exhaustive list):
Casablanca
James Bond (one from every actor who played JB...so that you can partake in arguments about who the best was) Batman (again...make sure that you are versed enough to debate between Keaten, Kilmer, Clooney, and why it was okay to go back to the beginning with Bale)
Atleast one Jane Austin movie - just to make you fit in with the well-read group
Clockwork Orange or Full Metal Jacket (you never know when this will come up and you need to be prepared when it does)
Blairwitch Project (low budget, first person film making and I'm not suggesting it because it was a good movie)
Epics: Last of the Mohicans, Robin Hood, Kingdom of God
Any and all of the academy award's Film of the Year
Musicals: Hairspray, Sound of Music, Fiddler on the Roof
Any movies that may have been referenced in the TV show, Gilmore Girls (because really, they were the end all and be all of us people who consider ourselves versed in the world of movies).
Foreign movies (because it shows that you don't just hit the video store and go for the movies that have the most copies on the shelves...it means that you have taken your time to read through the descriptions and haven't just passed over it because you don't recognize the actors)
Movies that you can make into a Bible Study (makes you look deeper than just surface level themes and you listen to what's being said)
If you know me at all - you will know that I could write pages and pages on movies but I'll leave it at that. I don't think that there will be a winner for this one Bee - it's pretty muddy water if you ask me.
Until next time, peace out
.:bear:.
Apparently it took me some time to get over to the clean slate... but i finally made it! two posts too late, but better late than never, right? For the record... good list. Except Casablanca... but that's another story.
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