Films you appreciate more later

[Zero]

so - i'm watching wes craven's new nightmare - just got it with a dvd of the last four freddy films and already re-watched freddy v jason.

anyway - so i'm watching it and recognizing why it doesn't work but also appreciating the idea of it, the ingenuity, etc.

i think what failed wes craven is that the 'real world' parts of the film seem too melodramatic and overwrought to feel 'real' - i couldn't help but feel if it had been done with more of the cinema verite style that has become so popular (almost mock-documentary) it would have worked really well. the idea of freddy slipping out of the fiction and into the real world is pretty cool - but the 'real' world in the film just feels to much like a movie to make the impact work (i think the same problem hit Last Action Hero - which was another film to try the trick)

SO - now ot the point of my thread - are there films you've watched again and appreciated more in reviewing it, perhaps because the flaws of the film seem more apparent and understandable??

[urgeok2]

i have 2 excellent examples - probably mentioned them before in another thread ..

1) Beatlejuice. disliked it the 1st time is saw it ... i had a completely different expectation and it took a couple of viewings before i appreciated it for what it was.

2) The Core. the 1st time i saw it i thought it was crap ... then i heard a critic mention that it was like an old Jules Verne type movie which in 1 second flat totally changed my perspective of the film.


those are the only 2 times i can recall changing my position on a film - for the better.

[Elvis_Christ]

My all time favorite film The Warriors was like this to me.

When I first saw it I didn't appreciate it and was disappointed. A re-watch a few years later cemented its greatness to me.

[siorai]

Salo: 120 Days of Sodom. The first time watching it was pretty intense and disturbing. The message of movie (my own interpretation and Pasolini's) didn't hit me at first. I was too overcome by what was happening on the screen to actually appreciate why it was happening. After watching it a couple more times and reading through the book that came with the Criterion re-release, I have to say that while I won't exactly watch this movie on a weekly basis, I do appreciate it on a whole other level.

Brazil. The first time I watched it I had no idea what to expect. It was way back when I paid no attention to directors and the style of movies they made. The over the top humor and dark surrealism was just too much at the time. I liked the movie, but couldn't really say that I really grasped the totality of it. Now though, it's easily one of my favorite movies. It probably goes without saying then that Gilliam is also one of my favorite directors.

[Rodus]

Eraserhead
First time I saw it I was more then a little baffled but every time I re-watch it I enjoy it more. It'll never be an easy to watch movie but it is a great one.

[_____V_____]

Best examples - Alien 3 & 4.

[newb]

Pink Floyds "The Wall"

It flew completely over my head the 1st time viewing it....perhaps I was too young.



or too sober :D

[Elvis_Christ]

Originally Posted by siorai

Salo: 120 Days of Sodom. The first time watching it was pretty intense and disturbing. The message of movie (my own interpretation and Pasolini's) didn't hit me at first. I was too overcome by what was happening on the screen to actually appreciate why it was happening. After watching it a couple more times and reading through the book that came with the Criterion re-release, I have to say that while I won't exactly watch this movie on a weekly basis, I do appreciate it on a whole other level.

That flick can be interpreted a number of ways. I'm not sure what side of the fence I sit on to be honest. Part of me sees it as a total art wank excuse to live out some Pedophile fantasy while part of me sees it as an attack on authority and shows how "absolute power corrupts absolutely".

[The Mothman]

This mostly happens with surrealist films for me. the first time i watch i try to hard to understand it, and think 'what the fuck is going on?"
then I usually watch it again without trying to understand. much more enjoyable.
Naked lunch is a good example.
I've also only seen Suspiria once, a couple years ago, didn't like it. I have a feeling if I watch it again I'd like it more.

[jenna26]

Phantasm is the one that comes immediately to mind. Couldn't stand it the first couple of times I tried to watch it, but finally finished it recently, and I really liked it. No idea why I never really connected with it before.