Pretentious Movies

Sad Professor

I think pretentiousness is more about a sense of importance than how serious a film takes itself or how stylised it is. I'd be more inclined to use it to describe films that are under the mistaken impression that they are saying or doing something profound instead of just being glorified b-movies or soap operas.

While I liked Birdman and some of his other films, I think Inarritu is a very good example of a pretentious director. It's a more of a problem with his earlier films. His newer ones have such brilliant cinematography and camera work thanks to Lubezki that it's possible to just experience them and ignore the mostly terrible scripts.

Chancer3001

Tree of life

The master. Ugh

And even tho i liked it, the revenant had pretentious parts. Like eating the animal part. Oh its a real animal part.... havent we heard of acting?
Like dustin hoffman in the marathon man

s7ryf3925pivug

Argh. 'A Serbian Film.' I sound like a scared dog when I even read the title. Absolutely pretentious, but that is the least of what is wrong with that sick piece of ****.

My vote is for Pi.

Ursus Horribilis

The 2nd Matrix film. The people making that had gone up their collective backsides in the wake of the first film.

evolving_doors

Anything by Daniel Aronofky

No country for old men too... yawnfest. But he had a cool vacuum cleaner gun. Wow /s

JohnnyFlash

Most of the wildly overrated crap that Woody Allen has directed.

The Mulk

Dangelo Cuddly Slab wrote: »

Argh. 'A Serbian Film.' I sound like a scared dog when I even read the title. Absolutely pretentious, but that is the least of what is wrong with that sick piece of ****.

My vote is for Pi.

Jesus, just read the plot on Wikipedia, sounds horrific.

My vote for most pretentious goes to Velvet Goldmine. Just a mess of a movie.

Chancer3001

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

Most of the wildly overrated crap that Woody Allen has directed.

Actually agree

Mad_maxx

Birdman
Watchmen

MEGA BRO WOLF 5000

Sorry about that wrote: »

Lost in Translation.

Pretentious? No.

It’s absolutely amazing. My fav movie of all time. If I had to pick...

Ash.J.Williams

I had a mate that only enjoyed Michael Bay type movies, got too much to handle and I simply couldn't have him over anymore!

I honestly felt so pretentious!

He actually thought I was trolling him when I put on "sightseers" one night...

(awesome movie btw)


I do enjoy a good pretentious movie though.

Ash.J.Williams

Hunky Monster wrote: »

Pretentious? No.

It’s absolutely amazing. My fav movie of all time. If I had to pick...

ive never seen it but want to as i'm a huge kevin shields/MBV fan ....however.....

MBV as much as i love them are pretentious as f**!

mistersifter

Call me by your name.

NewbridgeIR

Ghost Dog: The Way Of The Samurai
Dead Man
Ghost World

errlloyd

Came in here to post birdman, two or three already have. I loved it, don't get me wrong. But I always thought the movie was a super pretentious movie having a cut at how pretentious theatre is.

shazzerman

Fear and Desire
El Topo
Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson
King Lear (the Godard one)

lbc2019

Little Miss Sunshine urgh

Mad_maxx

lbc2019 wrote: »

Little Miss Sunshine urgh

Not a movie I'd consider pretensious

Dades

Mad_maxx wrote: »

Not a movie I'd consider pretensious

Indie, yes. Pretentious? Never.

lbc2019

Dades wrote: »

Indie, yes. Pretentious? Never.

I just felt it disappeared up its own self righteous hole myself

The Crowman

I'd rather watch most of the movies mentioned here than the interminable superhero/comic book franchise/X Men spinoff's that clog up multiplexes of late.

Mr.Nice Guy

Man of Steel. That one scene about why he wears the letter S on his chest - "on Krypton it means hope". GTFO of here.

Mr.Nice Guy

Mr.Nice Guy wrote: »

Man of Steel. That one scene about why he wears the letter S on his chest - "on Krypton it means hope". GTFO of here.

But, like, that's just sh1t..and tacky maybe..not really pretentious..

Larbre34

mistersifter wrote: »

Call me by your name.

You beat me to that one.

I shall offer instead 'Birdman' and 'The Shape of Water'

Its such a subjective thing. I know 'Apocalypse Now' is a massive load of pretentious w@nk but its compelling.

And people have mentioned Kubrick, yes he did make some dreadful pretentious rubbish like 'Eyes Wide Shut' but then 'Full Metal Jacket' is a continuous icy cold shower of message. Ditto Oliver Stone's catalogue.

Richard Hillman

Whiplash

topcelt

Get Out

soap1978

The shinning

soap1978

soap1978 wrote: »

The shinning

Ah here..

Ipso

soap1978 wrote: »

The shinning

Shh. Do you want to get sued?

Noodles81

I really like a lot of what has been described as pretentious:

There will be Blood...the build up throughout the film to the final scene is excellent.
The Tree of Life...very poetic with lots of symbolism about life.
Mulholland Drive...an excellent portrayal of severe mental illness that's also a really weird and compelling tale of the unexpected.
Eyes wide Shut...I loved the juxtapostion of the thrill of the illicit in the night time and the ugly reality of the same in the cold light of day, which mirrors her initial dream and his subsequent need to experience it outside the marriage.
The Lobster: Very dark and funny but with real heart to it.

However, I found The Phantom Thread, The Danish girl and The Shape of Water really annoying despite looking forward to seeing them.

I suppose it's personal taste and what speaks to you. I love Black Mirror on Netflix which could be described as pretentious but is just really good storytelling. I found that horror with Donald Sutherland, Don't look Now to be really pretentious and a big let down but it's always rated as one of the best horrors...so I don't know...

My favourite film of the past few years has to be Paddington 2. So you can have a fantastic film that's universal and still not be pretensious at all.

ZX7R

Chocolat
And
Titanic

homerun_homer

Mother has to be one of the most pretentious films I've ever seen.

El Duda

topcelt wrote: »

Get Out

Are you suggesting the film 'Get Out'?


or are you responding to Richard Hillman's suggestion of Whiplash?


Cos Richard really need to GTFO for suggesting Whiplash tbf

RocketRaccoon

Only God Forgives is the most pretentious movie by the worlds most pretentious director.

Dades

Noodles81 wrote: »

The Lobster: Very dark and funny but with real heart to it.

Ha - funny you mention The Lobster. I hated that. But I don't think it was pretentious, just quirky to the extreme. And daft.

ZX7R wrote: »

Titanic

Pretentious?

El Duda

There's a pretentious O' Meter here...

http://pretentious-o-meter.co.uk/

It measure critical reviews against audience scores to give a pretention score. For example...



Titanic = 40% Mass Market

Mother! = 76% Pretentious

Dades

El Duda wrote: »

There's a pretentious O' Meter here...

http://pretentious-o-meter.co.uk/

It measure critical reviews against audience scores to give a pretention score. For example...

Not buying this as a meter...

http://pretentious-o-meter.co.uk/?q=Paddington+2&rt=false&imdb=true

Paddington 2 - 76% Pretentious!!

Zeek12

Richard Hillman wrote: »

Whiplash

Intense, compelling, absorbing.....
A fantastic film.

I don't think any of those characteristics should be confused with pretension.

Just because the lead character was self absorbed and egotistical, it doesn't by default make the film pretentious!

redmgar

homerun_homer wrote: »

Mother has to be one of the most pretentious films I've ever seen.

It was, but I enjoyed it. At least it didn't hide the fact that it was up its own a***

El Duda

remembered another one...

Listen to Guy Ritchie's revolver DVD commentary. That guy is so far up his own ass.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3qSlpL3TOk

megaten

Is Bridman pretentious? Its been ages since I watched it but I remember it being super straightforward.

MEGA BRO WOLF 5000

megaten wrote: »

Is Bridman pretentious? Its been ages since I watched it but I remember it being super straightforward.

I loved the movie, then THAT final scene happened and I thought yep, pretentious.

Mad_maxx

ZX7R wrote: »

Chocolat
And
Titanic

How could something as conventional and bland as titanic be considered " pretensious"?

NIMAN

Once asked a friend who had watched Chocolat what it was like.

His reply, "Chocosh1t".

Probably the best film review ever. To the point.

topcelt

El Duda wrote: »

Are you suggesting the film 'Get Out'?


or are you responding to Richard Hillman's suggestion of Whiplash?


Cos Richard really need to GTFO for suggesting Whiplash tbf

The film Get Out

kerplun k

I remember going to the cinema to watch a movie starring Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church called Sideways, it was the one time I almost walked out halfway through a film. I really hated it and remember describing it as pretentious.

Several years later I just happened to catch it on TV and loved it. It’s funny how perceptions change. It’s too easy to call something pretentious, especially if it’s doesn’t click with you.

MEGA BRO WOLF 5000

topcelt wrote: »

The film Get Out

Maybe you prefer the saw franchise.

Or scream.

Get out is the best horror in a long long long time.

topcelt

Hunky Monster wrote: »

Maybe you prefer the saw franchise.

Or scream.

Get out is the best horror in a long long long time.

Didn't think much of those either but they are not pretentious

metaoblivia

Out of Africa. It's been 20 years since I watched that film and I still can't get over Meryl Streep's ridiculous voice over: "I had a farm in Ahfricaaaah."

Technocentral

Regarding Sideways its very mainstream, actually took the piss out of wine snobs. Anyways, only two types of anything, good or bad.