YOU GOT IT ALL WRONG, DAY FOURTEEN
- By Jeremy Smith
- Published 04/17/2008
- Lists
You and I and all those people out there with a vocal love of film have ruined it for everyone, pimping movies up, falling in love with mediocre films and championing them to near-legendary status. We've embraced turkeys, legitimized borderline movies, and elevated modest films in our favorite franchises above and beyond realistic standards. We've even embraced the films everyone likes, somehow adding a credibility to them that transcends the mainstream. Sacred cows, little flicks, and everything in between. It's time we took a look inward and came clean with 25 movies we think need to be taken down a peg or two.
These are our four categories for this list:
These are our four categories for this list:
OVERRATED
These guys have had it too easy. Far too easy. Don't believe the insane hype.
OVERBLOWN
Good flicks that have gotten too damn big for their britches.
MISUNDERSTOOD
Asshole, you love this film for all the wrong reasons.
WHAT THE FUCK
Something went horribly wrong here and it's carried over the the fans, who are blinded by shizer.
Why A Clockwork Orange Is Overblown
Your guide: Jeremy Smith
CHUD's Logline: Anthony Burgess's invigoratingly repellent novel becomes a seductively amoral romp in the tightly-clenched fists of Stanley Kubrick. Delinquent youth Alex DeLarge's life of ultraviolence is interrupted when he's arrested for his myriad crimes and subjected to the Ludovico Technique. He reenters society a changed man - and a marked man incapable of defending himself from the monsters with whom he associated and the innocent (now vengeful) civilians he wronged. Eventually, he reclaims his free will, and this is either a triumph of human nature or a condemnation of man's innate awfulness.
Its Legacy: Equated "Kubrick" with "coldness". Received an X-rating. Blamed for inciting criminal activity (which led Kubrick to request that it be banned in the U.K.). Bolstered Malcolm McDowell's counterculture, movie-star clout. Associated the fourth movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony (aka "Ode to Joy") with rape, murder and/or profuse vomiting (until Die Hard reclaimed it in the name of common thievery). Pioneered the use of new zoom lenses (and set the stage for Kubrick's groundbreaking, natural light experimentation on the superior Barry Lyndon). Added another prickish antihero to the pantheon of disaffected youths. Gave Luis Bunuel a boner. Inspired Billy Joel's "Pressure" video.
Why It's Here: I detest A Clockwork Orange.
Even when I was most susceptible to its antisocial charms (i.e. a sophomore in high school), it struck me as a crock of shit. Sure, the craft of the thing was astounding: Kubrick's wedding of Wendy Carlos's synthesized classical music - Purcell's "Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary" in particular - to disquieting, sometimes profane imagery was an undeniable call to action; that one single zoom out in the Korova Milk Bar can still explode the possibilities of the medium. But the film felt emotionally undernourished; Kubrick might've connected with the humor of Burgess's novel, but he couldn't locate the horrified conscience of it. Burgess, whose wife was assaulted by American servicemen during World War II, was writing from experience, and he hated himself for it. "If one can put an act of violence down on paper," exclaimed Burgess, "you've created the act! You might as well have done it! I detest that damn book now!"
Kubrick would eventually atone for this smirking wickedness with Full Metal Jacket (which depicts desensitization in a calm, cogent manner), but casual admirers are more likely to gush over A Clockwork Orange when discussing the maestro's best work. They love Kubrick's intransigence in the face of an X-rating (even though he sped up the threesome to appease the MPAA), and they take its iconic status as evidence of its greatness. The violence may be outlandishly funny and attractively staged, but we're not meant to be titillated by it - except that we are Oh, but it's an indictment! Alex represents man unleashed! He is free of rules and deeply ingrained concepts of decency, and isn't it horrifying that this creature lurks within all of us?
Yes, and it was doubly horrifying to see young men missing the point by dressing up as Alex and the Droogs at midnight movies during the late 80s and early 90s. You might think this makes A Clockwork Orange a perfect candidate for "misunderstood" status, but I honestly think these imbeciles are reading the film correctly. "I was cured, all right" is a moment of fist-pumping defiance. It's the thump of a baseball off The Cooler King's cell wall. We're celebrating Alex's return to normalcy, which means it's one long rape-a-rama until the next misguided administration futilely attempts to recondition evil young men. The combination of Kubrick's craft and McDowell's charisma drowns out the nuance of Burgess's critique, and the film becomes an attack on conformity. Only the squarest of the square don't enjoy a bit of ultraviolence every now and then.
If I were Kubrick, I would've banned it, too.
A Moment of Piss: "The William Tell Overture" menage a trois outs Kubrick as a Benny Hill fan.
These Ain't Chopped Liver Alternatives: Full Metal Jacket, Point Blank, Los Olvidados, Over the Edge, Badlands.
Justin Waddell Agrees (sort of): It’s interesting that this pick comes a day after Ferris Beuller’s Day Off made the list. Kubrick was something of a John Hughes fan, you see. Or, at the very least, he liked Anthony Michael Hall’s performances in Hughes’ movies so much that he originally cast the pre-beefy version of the actor as the lead in Full Metal Jacket. Hall dropped out after having had enough of the director's infamous exacting and exhausting shooting style. Kubrick was also a big fan of Bon Jovi and Arby's. I hope. Anyway, the Ferris that Dellamorte sketched for us yesterday shares some characteristics with the Alex we meet in Clockwork. They both like to browbeat their friends, drive hot cars, and, well, subvert, shatter, or just plain ignore the institutions that are trying to glue them and everyone else firmly in place. By the end of their respective movies, both young men have gotten away with their transgressions. Ferris is back on track to being a “productive” member of society (he casually acknowledges that this is probably his last hurrah before the confines of adulthood); Alex has been forgiven by and even united with an establishment far more wicked than he could ever hope to be.
Kubrick certainly sees Alex for the monster he is. But do we? The mighty S.K. might have muddied the message too much at the end of the day. We are asked to identify with Alex, laugh with and at him, and feel sorry for him when he becomes a victim. But, then, we are supposed to root for him when he’s restored to full Alexness AND be nauseated as we do it. Jeremey's right - when I watch it, I just feel relieved and happy for Alex, honestly. McDowell is just so fucking likable in the role. And the way Kubrick shoots his terrible actions at the beginning of the movie go a long way towards softening our perspective of him...just as Alex would have wanted, of course. Jeremy is probably right that there might be something wrong in the design of the film that leads people (still!) to buy fake eyelashes (throwing one out, of course), snap on some white suspenders, and bust out a the patented knife-cane. I’m looking at you, Gnarls Barkley. Yet, I guess people do tend to dress up as monsters, right? I do think that Kubrick had to be saddened (and probably amused) to see the character so deified. Anyway, I would actually tuck A Clockwork Orange comfortably into our Misunderstood category, kiss it on the forehead, and turn off the light is what I'm saying.
Russ Fischer Disagrees: Overblown? 'Misunderstood' perhaps, thanks to the dialogue and costuming that stick in your head even when their meaning fails to. But this is a film that leaves a large footprint by virtue of the fact that it turns broad yet prescient ideas about modern violence into pop art. You don't have to like it; Clockwork is an ugly, unpleasant experience, but it has an enduring quality that is impossible to deny.
The general worldview combined with Kubrick's alluring cinema craft makes for a uniquely disquieting experience. I can empathize with those who are repulsed rather than drawn inward. If Kubrick was actually horrified into withdrawing the film in the UK (and not threatened into it, as his wife claims) I could understand that, too. It's one thing to know that you're right, and another to see it acted out on the nightly news.
Message Board Discussion.
These guys have had it too easy. Far too easy. Don't believe the insane hype.
OVERBLOWN
Good flicks that have gotten too damn big for their britches.
MISUNDERSTOOD
Asshole, you love this film for all the wrong reasons.
WHAT THE FUCK
Something went horribly wrong here and it's carried over the the fans, who are blinded by shizer.
Why A Clockwork Orange Is Overblown
Your guide: Jeremy Smith
CHUD's Logline: Anthony Burgess's invigoratingly repellent novel becomes a seductively amoral romp in the tightly-clenched fists of Stanley Kubrick. Delinquent youth Alex DeLarge's life of ultraviolence is interrupted when he's arrested for his myriad crimes and subjected to the Ludovico Technique. He reenters society a changed man - and a marked man incapable of defending himself from the monsters with whom he associated and the innocent (now vengeful) civilians he wronged. Eventually, he reclaims his free will, and this is either a triumph of human nature or a condemnation of man's innate awfulness.Its Legacy: Equated "Kubrick" with "coldness". Received an X-rating. Blamed for inciting criminal activity (which led Kubrick to request that it be banned in the U.K.). Bolstered Malcolm McDowell's counterculture, movie-star clout. Associated the fourth movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony (aka "Ode to Joy") with rape, murder and/or profuse vomiting (until Die Hard reclaimed it in the name of common thievery). Pioneered the use of new zoom lenses (and set the stage for Kubrick's groundbreaking, natural light experimentation on the superior Barry Lyndon). Added another prickish antihero to the pantheon of disaffected youths. Gave Luis Bunuel a boner. Inspired Billy Joel's "Pressure" video.
Why It's Here: I detest A Clockwork Orange.
Even when I was most susceptible to its antisocial charms (i.e. a sophomore in high school), it struck me as a crock of shit. Sure, the craft of the thing was astounding: Kubrick's wedding of Wendy Carlos's synthesized classical music - Purcell's "Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary" in particular - to disquieting, sometimes profane imagery was an undeniable call to action; that one single zoom out in the Korova Milk Bar can still explode the possibilities of the medium. But the film felt emotionally undernourished; Kubrick might've connected with the humor of Burgess's novel, but he couldn't locate the horrified conscience of it. Burgess, whose wife was assaulted by American servicemen during World War II, was writing from experience, and he hated himself for it. "If one can put an act of violence down on paper," exclaimed Burgess, "you've created the act! You might as well have done it! I detest that damn book now!"
Kubrick would eventually atone for this smirking wickedness with Full Metal Jacket (which depicts desensitization in a calm, cogent manner), but casual admirers are more likely to gush over A Clockwork Orange when discussing the maestro's best work. They love Kubrick's intransigence in the face of an X-rating (even though he sped up the threesome to appease the MPAA), and they take its iconic status as evidence of its greatness. The violence may be outlandishly funny and attractively staged, but we're not meant to be titillated by it - except that we are Oh, but it's an indictment! Alex represents man unleashed! He is free of rules and deeply ingrained concepts of decency, and isn't it horrifying that this creature lurks within all of us?
Yes, and it was doubly horrifying to see young men missing the point by dressing up as Alex and the Droogs at midnight movies during the late 80s and early 90s. You might think this makes A Clockwork Orange a perfect candidate for "misunderstood" status, but I honestly think these imbeciles are reading the film correctly. "I was cured, all right" is a moment of fist-pumping defiance. It's the thump of a baseball off The Cooler King's cell wall. We're celebrating Alex's return to normalcy, which means it's one long rape-a-rama until the next misguided administration futilely attempts to recondition evil young men. The combination of Kubrick's craft and McDowell's charisma drowns out the nuance of Burgess's critique, and the film becomes an attack on conformity. Only the squarest of the square don't enjoy a bit of ultraviolence every now and then.
If I were Kubrick, I would've banned it, too.
A Moment of Piss: "The William Tell Overture" menage a trois outs Kubrick as a Benny Hill fan.
These Ain't Chopped Liver Alternatives: Full Metal Jacket, Point Blank, Los Olvidados, Over the Edge, Badlands.
Justin Waddell Agrees (sort of): It’s interesting that this pick comes a day after Ferris Beuller’s Day Off made the list. Kubrick was something of a John Hughes fan, you see. Or, at the very least, he liked Anthony Michael Hall’s performances in Hughes’ movies so much that he originally cast the pre-beefy version of the actor as the lead in Full Metal Jacket. Hall dropped out after having had enough of the director's infamous exacting and exhausting shooting style. Kubrick was also a big fan of Bon Jovi and Arby's. I hope. Anyway, the Ferris that Dellamorte sketched for us yesterday shares some characteristics with the Alex we meet in Clockwork. They both like to browbeat their friends, drive hot cars, and, well, subvert, shatter, or just plain ignore the institutions that are trying to glue them and everyone else firmly in place. By the end of their respective movies, both young men have gotten away with their transgressions. Ferris is back on track to being a “productive” member of society (he casually acknowledges that this is probably his last hurrah before the confines of adulthood); Alex has been forgiven by and even united with an establishment far more wicked than he could ever hope to be.
Kubrick certainly sees Alex for the monster he is. But do we? The mighty S.K. might have muddied the message too much at the end of the day. We are asked to identify with Alex, laugh with and at him, and feel sorry for him when he becomes a victim. But, then, we are supposed to root for him when he’s restored to full Alexness AND be nauseated as we do it. Jeremey's right - when I watch it, I just feel relieved and happy for Alex, honestly. McDowell is just so fucking likable in the role. And the way Kubrick shoots his terrible actions at the beginning of the movie go a long way towards softening our perspective of him...just as Alex would have wanted, of course. Jeremy is probably right that there might be something wrong in the design of the film that leads people (still!) to buy fake eyelashes (throwing one out, of course), snap on some white suspenders, and bust out a the patented knife-cane. I’m looking at you, Gnarls Barkley. Yet, I guess people do tend to dress up as monsters, right? I do think that Kubrick had to be saddened (and probably amused) to see the character so deified. Anyway, I would actually tuck A Clockwork Orange comfortably into our Misunderstood category, kiss it on the forehead, and turn off the light is what I'm saying.
Russ Fischer Disagrees: Overblown? 'Misunderstood' perhaps, thanks to the dialogue and costuming that stick in your head even when their meaning fails to. But this is a film that leaves a large footprint by virtue of the fact that it turns broad yet prescient ideas about modern violence into pop art. You don't have to like it; Clockwork is an ugly, unpleasant experience, but it has an enduring quality that is impossible to deny.
I wouldn't characterize the film as 'smirkingly wicked', nor do I believe Kubrick failed to find the conscience of the novel. He simply disregarded much of it. Where Burgess, in part, sought to find some distinct good in the root of human nature, Kubrick called humanity out as intrinsically violent in a way that needs no justification or condemnation. (Quell surprise.) You might as well condemn oxygen and hydrogen for combining into water; our violent nature is as basic and inarguable. Consequently, the movie doesn't revel in Alex's all-too natural awful behavior. The violence is simply there, and Kubrick's observing eye is indeed cold as he instructs us to look at the action as direct experience. He doesn't moralize there, expecting our own social conditioning to take over so that we're properly repulsed.
The general worldview combined with Kubrick's alluring cinema craft makes for a uniquely disquieting experience. I can empathize with those who are repulsed rather than drawn inward. If Kubrick was actually horrified into withdrawing the film in the UK (and not threatened into it, as his wife claims) I could understand that, too. It's one thing to know that you're right, and another to see it acted out on the nightly news.
Message Board Discussion.
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Comments
Comment #1 (Posted by AnimalStructure)
This column is getting lamer by the minute. Instead of criticizing the movie on the grounds you do, how about criticizing for it's awful pace. Kubrick was a visual master, but pacing has always been the biggest thing keeping his movies from being great. Only Dr. Strangelove is paced well as a film. A Clockwork Orange has some deadly boring sequences and for that reason it IS overblown.
Comment #2 (Posted by hobo)
i know guys that will j/o to the scenes in this film. i'm not sure how i feel about that.
Comment #3 (Posted by SleestakVaginaFace)
Check out Burgess' ENDERBY series for an amusing look at his working relationship with Kubrick. Don't go looking for any meaningful discussion of this period in Burgess' autobiographies though, he skims over Kubrick with derision and disregard.
Comment #4 (Posted by drbenway)
"Why It's Here: I detest A Clockwork Orange."
That says it all... I really liked this column, at first. But you guys are doing a really terrible job of pointing out what makes these movies fundamentally flawed. For the most part, you just seem to be criticizing these films' audiences rather than the work itself.
Comment #5 (Posted by Joshua)
Seriously, now it just seems that this column is just trying to provoke a response. At first I thought the purpose was to knock films down a notch that are universally overblown. But now, you can't even find two people who think A Clockwork Orange is overblown, because Justin only "slightly" agrees with Jeremy. You should have called the series what it is "Movies other people like, that I don't"., and that would be fine. But skewering classics because they might not be, gasp,perfect, or that you are in the minority who does not enjoy them, just comes off as lame as that kid who "liked that band unitl they got popular". CHUD is better than this. But thankfully, the attempt to knock a classic like A Clockwork Orange down a notch in stature will go no further than this web page.
Comment #6 (Posted by jason)
Is this some meta-commentary on this column? As in: Chud's hacks have it "all wrong"?
Comment #7 (Posted by eric)
I open it up just to be annoyed. next you are going to tell me why waking up in the morning is overblown. Please try to show me why Face Off is overblown but don't just go down the list of AFI 100 and think that you are so cool for hating it.
Comment #8 (Posted by Other)
People are getting really bent out of shape it seems by this column, and the current state of CHUD in general. It's kind of annoyingly pathetic as to how much angst these folks have towards a site they frequent daily. These are opinion pieces, not the gospel, you losers.
Comment #9 (Posted by bpvalentine)
Maybe there's just too many writers on this column, hitting too wide a spectrum of film. It really is starting to feel like this is just going for shock value and provocation now. Going after masterpieces from some of the top 5 filmmakers out there (thinking of Schindler's List, too) isn't the same to me as going after Goonies. Even if I don't respond to 100% of Clockwork or Schindler's, I still respect they're works from rare geniuses. I'd pick other battles.
Comment #10 (Posted by radar)
Can we not allow that a movie like Clockwork Orange could be complex enough to withstand all readings?
Sure, the treatment Alex receives during his rehab program is disgusting (just as disgusting as waterboarding terrorists) but that doesn't mean that Alex, himself, is above disgust.
The final moments of the film are disquieting. Can't filmgoers be relieved and horrified that Alex is free from his treatment and ready to do bad again?
Isn't this concept just as disturbing as an Guitmo detainee getting out of prison and returning to terrorism?
Jeremy knocks the Kube for making a film to complex to provide easy answers. But isn't that what we expect from great art--an honest discussion of troubling subjects?
Jack-offs may not get it...but they also condone torture and warrantless wiretapping.
You don't have to like 'Clockwork Orange' and disliking it may even be a sign of your love of humanity. All the same, Russ' argument is right...to deny the truth of 'A Clockwork Orange' is to deny the violence within ourselves.
Plus, Jeremy's argument is pretty close to psuedo-liberal arguments for banning Grand Theft Auto, first-person shooters, and gangster rap. Lieberman and Hillary would be proud, Mr. Smith!
Comment #11 (Posted by BeakHead)
And Beaks makes an epic blunder, all but erasing the goodwill he had secured in previous columns.
And #8 Other, we're lamenting the sad state of Chud because we frequent it and miss it's former level of quality. You know what's annoyingly pathetic? People who try to convince others to shut up and enjoy their shit sandwich.
Comment #12 (Posted by Vegetable Lasagna)
If all you whining cocksuckers stopped bitching your shitty thoughts on these talk-back sections, I fucking guarantee this equally shitty column wouldn't exist. This column is all the CHUD douche bags saying, "gosh, these fat/pedo jokes hurt my feelings. I know, let's make our site an even bigger joke and use it to annoy the people who come here for actual content, and not lame ass commentary." Hey Nick, better delete this one too, you fucking joke.
Comment #13 (Posted by an unknown user)
This, along with Fight Club and Scarface are misunderstood by 80% of young males looking to make "sweet movies". I remember having a classmate that loved this movie to death because it "was all about ultra violence and rape and shit". While I do not detest the film, people's responses to it have made me never want to see it again.
Comment #14 (Posted by Alec Fucking Guinness)
OK, this is really going just a bit too far. I thought the Ferris B. column was tongue-in-cheek (perhaps stretching it a bit), but now I think you guys really believe everything you write. It's gone from jocular commentary to pretentious, OVERBLOWN drivel.
End it, please.
Comment #15 (Posted by ennui)
u guys have to be kidding at this point. First that nonsense interpretation of Ferris Bueler and then Justin Waddell (insert fat joke) goes back to ridiculous Ferris take to interpret this movie. April Fools was weeks ago. And notice one more thing, you guys have been consistently attacking message rather than craft, while your interpretations are straight out the politically correct university for testicularly challenged. Seriously, I am sorry that not every movie is the Color Purple.
Comment #16 (Posted by mr_adam)
Misunderstood. Especially by you, Smith.
Coming from the UK I didn't get to see this until kubrick had died when I was in my 20s but I thought that the film was a joy and I still enjoy it today, especially the grating electro score. Chances are the media played up the "copycat" nature of the crimes that got it banned by Kubrick - an act which said more about the British media than it did either as an admission of corrupting film or as a comment on the inherent violence in British society. I find the pacing to be absolutely fine, yes Kubrick's films deviate slightly from the action-beat formula most people require to keep their attention focussed but look at what he did!
Also, Die Hard reclaimed "Ode to Joy" in the name of EXCEPTIONAL thievery.
Comment #17 (Posted by jib)
You Chud clowns couldn't be more wrong if your names were Wrongie McWrongenstein.
Comment #18 (Posted by Trent)
I couldn't agree more with the inclusion of this film. In terms of production design and cinematography its brilliant. As a story, not to mention a message, its muddy and uninvolving. Its also sleep-inducing in its latter half. While I can appreciate the artistry involved, this one is a misfire in my book
Comment #19 (Posted by Gwai Lo)
A Clockwork Orange would be a perfect candidate for your "Misunderstood" category, but I don't know what it's doing here in "Overblown". A Clockwork Orange is an excellent film that is appreciated more for its ultraviolence, ironic comedy and Malcolm McDowell's iconic performance than its thematic substance. It's not too big for its britches, it's Kubrick, I'm pretty sure he makes those britches that fit the Hulk after he transforms from puny Banner.
Comment #20 (Posted by SciCurious)
Watched this again a few weeks back (the new DVD) after a long break. It's not overblown - it really is THAT GOOD. If The Kube had taken a moral stance either way on Alex the film would have failed utterly. Though he obviously made the mistake of thinking the film would be watched and discussed and analyzed by mature adult minds - not an audience known for making films into the big financial hit this was. Definitely misunderstood, but not overblown. Oh yeah - the "Benny Hill" sex scene was 20-30mins in length. I can only imagine that had it been normal speed it would have been cut up somewhat and far less effective - in this form it's a short, fun romp, like the experience it was representing.
Comment #21 (Posted by KurtQuake)
14 Days and you guys still haven't fixed that typo.
Comment #22 (Posted by Dave)
I can't agree with calling "A Clockwork Orange" overblown. Misunderstood, though? Hell yes. Every single jackass who puts on a bowler and codpiece at Halloween has missed the point of the film by a mile.
Comment #23 (Posted by THE EVIL THAT MEN DO)
Wow! A Clockwork Orange. I have to agree with Beaks. Cold, smirking, maleficent, dehumanizing. There's something off-putting/irresponsible about how it whistles while it works. It holds your hand, & takes you on a journey into delinquency + depravity. It's a failure because the audience gets off on it. (The last time I saw the film was WB's 75th Ann. film festival in Atl.. I went wanting/expecting to reappraise an unappreciated classic. well the show was packed; filled with an assortment of freaks, anarchists, bikers, & nerds. Tho the show went off gangbusters for them, I walked away saddened, disgusted, disallusioned, + more than a little sick to my stomache. people had clapped, stomped their feet, cheered all through out (like as Beaks said, McDowall was McQueen) There was no introspection for these ghouls. It was like being in amidst the starstruck mob in Natural Born Killers. I mean, people were laughing at the rape scene! ) Great debate. Excellent points made by both sides. In the end though, It's all about the Beaks. (A-game today!)
Comment #24 (Posted by moviemenace)
At least Jeremy takes a firm stand. I do not agree with him, "Clockwork" is brilliant for many of the reasons Jeremy rips down. At least there is none of this pussy-footing around the guys did on "Schindler's List". Jeremy's firm and harsh, even though he's wrong.
Comment #25 (Posted by Vinz)
Alex is a terrific antihero, equal parts enthralling, sickening, and pathetic. It's inevitable that some people see only the surface. Heck, many very bright people try to argue that Satan is the hero of Paradise Lost. It's no fault of Milton's, who provides an onslaught of evidence to the contrary amongst Satan's empty bombast. Also, dressing like Alex for Halloween is no different from dressing as Dracula or Jack the Ripper.
Comment #26 (Posted by ExarKoontz)
Getting up in the morning... it's just hard anymore.
Comment #27 (Posted by Tony)
Holy Hannibal Lecter! What the hell is wrong with everyone? I sincerely hope that the last entry in this series is: You Got It All... WRONG - Misunderstood. Why is everyone acting like the CHUD gang went back in time and cock-stabbed their childhood in the doo-doo hole? It's a friggin' opinion piece people. The idea is to get people to go back and examine their previously held conceptions on a piece of art from a different angle. Do you really need to take that as some kind of personal attack to your manhood?
Comment #28 (Posted by an unknown user)
I'm still enjoying this column. Please continue it.
Comment #29 (Posted by adam)
this movie is an absolute definition of perfection in craft and production. appreciate the work and genius that went into rendering it, keep your opinions about its message to yourself.
Comment #30 (Posted by eclpticus)
wow? clockwork orange? whats next? please oh please tell me #15 is gonna be CITIZEN KANE! I mean seriously where else do you go from here? APOCALYPSE NOW seems kind of obviousat this point. For a real you got it all wrong cult movie; i would like to hear your opinion on NAPOLEAN DYNAMITE...?
Comment #31 (Posted by Dave)
Please stop with this column. There's been 14 of these now and maybe THREE have been accurate. "Look how credible we are!" Hipsters. Throwing. Rocks. It's all this crap is 11 out 14 installments in.
Comment #32 (Posted by Lighthouse)
I totally agree with Beaks on this one. I've seen Clockwork Orange a few times and have never understood why people consider it a masterpiece. I love nearly all Kubrick's films except this one. It is without a doubt overblown.
Comment #33 (Posted by hiroprot23)
"It's the thump of a baseball off The Cooler King's cell wall". God bless you. That line does as much to restore my faith in humanity as most of these mouth-breathing comments do to destroy it.
Comment #34 (Posted by an unknown user)
"Overblown: Good flicks that have gotten too damn big for their britches."
Yet Mr. Smith says, "I detest a Clockwork Orange".
Detest: Something you do not like.
Good: Something you like.
And Nick wonders about all the confusion.
Comment #35 (Posted by fireflyfellow)
@Tony--who's taking it as a personal affront? What I see are readers who are frustrated by the lack of quality in what was originally a very promising series. I'll back up and admit that the last few installments, while still a bit pretentious and condescending, have at least upped the intelligence level, and for that I'm grateful. Today's piece by Jeremy was well conceived and written, even if I don't 100% agree with it. On a side note, what's it like to be a person who uses phrases like "cock-stabbed your childhood in the doo-doo hole?" Do you feel pretty cool about yourself when you look in the mirror? Unless you're, say, 14 years old, that's just sad, friend.
Comment #36 (Posted by Andy Larsen)
Great inclusion, and a terrific critique by you, Mr. Smith. This column was a joy to read just to see CHUD's two best writers (Beaks and Russ) square off. Keep up the good work.
Comment #37 (Posted by TheOldUltraViolet)
I love analysis of Clockwork Orange, the film is critic proof. Anyone who tries to review this movie succeeds only in reviewing themselves. It really is a mirror.
Comment #38 (Posted by Johnny Anonymous)
Chud.com is overblown. And yet we keep coming back to this trainwreck. I guess hits are all that matters. Job well done, Nick and co. Don't stop the own-horn-tooting tripe. It's so bad it's good.
Comment #39 (Posted by gridbug)
Dim getting whacked in the sac for his oh-so-rude Bronx cheer in the milkbar = CINEMATIC GOLD.
Comment #40 (Posted by Jake)
#13 is right. Male High school film dorks through early-university film students can't stop jerking off over those three films, and it's painful to be near. A guy sitting next to me in film class in ~2001 once leaned over and told me that "I wanted to destroy something beautiful" was one of the most powerful meaningful lines of dialog from a film that he had ever heard. Sadly, I wanted to punch him.
Comment #41 (Posted by AJ)
**** this column. It was a decent idea if you want to actually create a legitimate dialogue about the merits of some of these films. As it is though, you're just using it to stir up some controversy while taking pot shots at everyone who disagrees.
Between this, and Devin's constant nostalgia bashing, this entire site is reeking of elitism. Get over yourselves.
Comment #42 (Posted by What AJ Couldn't)
FUCK this column. And Devin is fat.
Comment #43 (Posted by johnny karate)
Clearly this film is misunderstood, and unfortunately, Jeremy seems to be among the ranks that have misunderstood it. I think this passage from the forward that Burgess wrote for the 1986 edition best sums up the underlying theme of both the novel and the film: "...by definition, a human being is endowed with free will. He can use this to choose between good and evil. If he can only perform good or only perform evil, then he is a clockwork orange- meaning that he has the appearance of an organism lovely with colour and juice but is in fact only a clockwork toy to be wound up by God or the Devil or (since this is increasingly replacing both) the Almighty State. It is as inhuman to be totally good as it is to be totally evil. The important thing is moral choice.”
Comment #44 (Posted by Kevin A. Ranson)
Keep 'em coming. This column keeps getting better and better!
Comment #45 (Posted by eric)
The problem I am having with this is that it is a geek friendly site that just does not like geeks. You chud as a whole are not even giving much news. Today I was driving down Magnolia and saw a sign for a film called Munday. What is that about. What are they really filming there. Who is involved? Instead all you do is post terrrible cartoons and opinions about films that were not new fifteen years ago. Give me news. That is why i am here. It is not called Opinions of Cinematics that happened twenty years ago. Get over how smart you are in hindsight and don't put it in perspective as to what the culture was doing the time the movie came out. Pretend like it came out today and didn't influence a generation of film makers. I know it is hard to get up from the couch or away from the computer so i understand when you look over at your dvds and think that this is the next great way for you to get a paycheck but real critics already have hashed over this material. For god's sake interview more people in the industry that you claim to love. Get me some news. Mush. Go. Now.
Comment #46 (Posted by Jack the Ripper)
{Re: eric}No offence, but you soound like an idiot. Who cares how old a film is? If you don't understand yesterday's cinema, you can't appreciate todays. You're lack of curiosity is telling. The fact people like yourself are so up in arms about these articles is simply sad. what's wrong with thinking; being challenged. What are you so afraid of? Sounds like you're embarrassed about a lack of taste. I mean, if you care more about some random movie being filmed down the street than A Clockwork Orange, you might be more comfortable elsewhere. (Take up knitting, I hear its a nice hobby) We need more columns like this, not less. And for all the people bitching about CHUD attacking your favorites, not holding your hand, defend your opinion, bring something to the conversation, or sit down and shut up.
Comment #47 (Posted by Jack)
It would be nice if this site could be a little more positive and a little less negative. Cynical is fine, but the negativity is getting to be a bit much.
Comment #48 (Posted by Caravaggio)
"Why is everyone acting like the CHUD gang went back in time and cock-stabbed their childhood in the doo-doo hole?"
-Because when I was 6 A Clockwork Orange was the only after school special that made going to such a gaudy institution tolerable! --But Seriously, these columns are shaky because they're reactions to the worst reactions to the films in the first place. Weird place to start.
Comment #49 (Posted by John)
I don't think anybody would be offended if you took this comment section away. Seriously.
Comment #50 (Posted by dave)
it said overblown in the beginning but by the end of the 2nd opinion I thought I was reading a misunderstood batch of shit. If you are going to make up categories with specific criteria you might want to follow it.
Comment #51 (Posted by Moorish)
I call bullshit on this article. The movie is just here because Jeremy "destests" it. It is a superb film and not overblown at all. The fact that even the guy writing the diss seems to waver on whether the film is "misunderstood" or not says it all.
Comment #52 (Posted by Tony)
Fireflyfellow, how about this, I will agree that cock-stabbing makes my reflection smile, if you concede that tearing someone down and calling them friend to make yourself feel better is on the same pathetically low rung of the ladder. If we can agree on that then you can call me whatever you like.
Comment #53 (Posted by Look at all the comments!)
See, that's what this column is about. We get to interact with strangers over films we do/don't love. Comments are fun. This site obviously isn't about real news anymore. It's kinda a Film Comment with dick jokes. And that's fine by me. Shit, I disagree with Pauline Kael's reviews and still read them because at least she put some effort into analyzing the damn things. Keep up the good work and keep the comments section. Some of y'all are doing bang up jobs with the comments while others (of course) want to make snarky jokes. Both are fine and the fact that this shit is allowed shows some balls on the part of the CHUD staff. Instead of a message board that they can dictate to they allow any ol' asshole (like myself) to respond to their work. And give credit where it's due: they put work into these columns.
Comment #54 (Posted by Grandjester)
Well, another bit, FAR off the mark.
Just kill this thing now, you offend me more each and every day.
And I thought you fuckers were supposed to know FILM. Apparently not, guess I'll still to Harry Knowles lame ass day late shit, at least it doesn't pretend to know wtf they are talking about.
Assclowns, the whole fucking lot of you.
Comment #55 (Posted by Bugs)
I respect the opinion of those who actually get into the nitty gritty details of making film than some couch potatoes who claim to be experts. That said, Kubrick is one of the most overrated directors I've ever heard of. Ever. That's all folks.
Comment #56 (Posted by Dennis Harper)
This series has gone down the toilet. Enough negativity. Jesus.
If you're googling CHUD and see this post then "Hi!"
Comment #57 (Posted by Tom Strong)
One of the best movies ever.
Comment #58 (Posted by RCA)
"there might be something wrong in the design of the film that leads people (still!) to buy fake eyelashes (throwing one out, of course), snap on some white suspenders, and bust out a the patented knife-cane. I’m looking at you, Gnarls Barkley." Check out the video for Blur's "The Universal" they did this shit a decade before Gnarls. Great video that is clearly referencing A Clockwork Orange, without glorifying it. Although they definitely seem to be trying to invoke the same kind of feelings that the movie does through their presentation. I love this movie too, just figured everyone else has pretty much stated the obvious here.
Comment #59 (Posted by andrew)
God, what a stupid entry. What's next, Raging Bull, Citizen Kane, The Godfather II and Star Wars? CHUD is acting immature and annoying these days.
Comment #60 (Posted by SwampCow)
It's funny when ppl rail against those that wear droog attire [or any other that may qualify] during Halloween, stating that they are missing the point. What an idiotic statement. The adorning of a costume is intrinsically neutral. You'd have to ask the person wearing it why he/she was doing so before making statement like "missing the point". They may in fact totally understand the representation. They could be making an ironic statement. They could just be dicks.
Comment #61 (Posted by Plague)
CHUD.
Give it up.
You've lost your sense of purpose, your wit and dare I say it, your intelligence.
Why did all of this seem to occur when the site changed its look and took on more sponsors?
I'm sure that's just a coincidence.
You don't even break stories anymore. I read shit on here that I read days ago on Cinematical or other sites.
Keep it up and you'll be as full of shit as Bloody Disgusting or something.
Alright, I'M OUT.
Comment #62 (Posted by Rotten666)
yup, the chud guys are snarky, Nick is barely literate, but you know what? These are some of the reasons I enjoy the site. I've been coming here for years and the only problem is this fucking comments section. For the love of god, stop the madness nick. There is nothing worse than whining fanboys. And for all the pinheads out there complaining about this list....the point is to promote discussion. Which is what the list is doing. It's not about right or wrong.
Have any of you fuckheads sat up until 4 in the morning drinking beer and arguing the merits of your favorite films? No? Then go AWAY.
Comment #63 (Posted by Paddytom)
Have to agree with Swampcow. Who doesn't want to to walk around with a cane and a whopping big codpiece. Apparently it was quite a spiffy look a couple hundred years before CO was released. Dont begrudge the faithful codpiece becuase of a few tossers.
Comment #64 (Posted by The Mutt)
I think the film is misunderstood, even by Kubrick.
At the end, it is not Alex that is cured, it's society. Alex is no longer anti-social, he has become the perfect example of society. He didn't change to fit society. Society changed to match him.
Comment #65 (Posted by K)
Everyone's allowed their opinion in this country. Mine is that this site is sucking and this part of it is retarded. One could point a finger at every film in the world and tear it apart in some way or another. The important thing to remember is it is a means of escape and diversion from our meaningless silly short little lives and one should spend more time watching films than bitching about them.
Comment #66 (Posted by Greg)
This column is fucking retarded, as are the people writing for it. There is no "perfect" film. Every single movie you mentioned in this column holds up to the test of time. I have read this column for the last time. Fucking jerkoffs!
Comment #67 (Posted by davenix)
This is the same website that tripped over itself to get me to go see that piece of shit Running Scared. i'm convinced you guys will blow any production that gets you promo status, extra access or premiums (coffee cups?) and can imagine why anyone still appreciates the opinions of anyone related to or published on this AICN posers.
I guess I could have summed this all up in one word = Douchenozzle...
Comment #68 (Posted by davenix's brain)
Type "Douchenozzle." It'll be hilarious.
Comment #69 (Posted by At least I understand)
wow. Never lose the comment section. 130+ hits alone thanks to the comments (2 hits for each comment left). I always thought this column was to inspire debate and conversation about the movies in question. Instead we get the usual juvinile insults towards the site and writers. If you are too stupid to actually defend the movie then your comments are worthless. And if these hecklers are actually adults, that is pretty damn pathetic too.
Comment #70 (Posted by Aethyrr)
I was waiting for this.. Now make an article about 2001: A Space Odyssey and I'll definitely stop reading this *section*
Comment #71 (Posted by davehouston)
Agree with prior post - seems to me to be a mirror that reflects what you bring with you to the cinema. Enjoyable column - thanks
Comment #72 (Posted by an unknown user)
I very much liked A Clockwork Orange. I frankly don't think it's supposed to be a celebration OR a condemnation of the evil or antisocial or violent nature of man. It has everything to say about choice as a fundamental part of humanity and about revenge as a sad, cowardly, degenerate act, just as bad as the crime it's avenging.
It's a moral film, but it's moral in an atypical way. It doesn't condemn Alex directly because it's vital that we like him. We have to be able to forgive him for being a repulsive person for the rest of the movie to work. We're supposed to be appalled at the wreck he becomes when his ability to choose is taken away. We're supposed to be disgusted at the people beating and torturing him now that he's defenseless. And we're supposed to be glad when he comes back to his old self, because he's regained his humanity.
This all came across as the overarching themes. There is of course a bit of "the rest of us aren't so very different from Alex" in there, but to be honest I suspect the main purpose of that is to make us more willing to forgive him. It has the side-effect of shocking us by our own bloodthirstiness, but I don't think that's the point.
On people dressing up as Alex: I think most of them are probably just interested in dressing up as a charismatic baddiwad and playing make-believe. Any actor will tell you that villains are the most fun characters to play. There are almost certainly some people who are unnaturally fixated on the character and would genuinely like to be like him, but they're the minority.