Re: virus: sentimemes

Bob Seals (bseal90@entergy.com)
Mon, 18 Aug 1997 14:03:14 -0500

Eva-Lise Carlstrom wrote:
>
> On Tue, 15 Jul 1997, Ken Pantheists wrote:
>
> > Following from the contact thread.
> >
> > The Director who did Contact also directed Forrest Gump
> >
> > There are two intersting memetic issues that can be drawn from this
> > guy's work.
> >
> > 1) Almost every American I know loved Gump and thought it was a real
> > feel good movie. Almost every Canadian I know thought Gump was okay, but
> > mostly syruppy.
> <second point, on video sampling, snipped>
>
> This is a belated response, but my reaction to both movies still gnaws at
> me. I would recommend Contact far above Gump, but they had a similar
> effect on me: I simultaneously had a warm-friendly reaction, and felt
> used and manipulated. I think the manipulation of emotion was less
> skillful in Gump, or maybe the rest of the content was just better in
> Contact, but there was an element of something 'tasting funny' for me in
> both. Anybody else feel this way, or care to discuss?
>
> Eva

Much of Great Britain hated it even despised the moronic
character of Gump. I can see their point. What a waste of celluloid
and time. Makes you feel like an idiot if you stood in line
and "paid" to see it. I have yet to see "Contact" and I hope is isn't
sentimental and syrupy as "Gump". That's why books are better
"you" create the "feeling" or imagine the emotion vs. a movie being led
visually by the director to have the ooey-gooey sumptious feeling that
everything is alright. As an American I can say with earnestness I
hated "Forrest Gump". I even despised my friends for weeks after I
endured the mental torture of the "fluff" when they dragged me along
saying come on it isn't going to kill you, Almost! The mental anguish
afterwards of hearing my friends say "Aww" and "Gee" and "Gee
whillickers" my name is "Forrest Gump" but you can call me
"Forrest Gump" about tipped the mental balance. If we had fire
departments as in Farenheit: 451 I would create a task force only
to burn syrupy memetic controlling celluloid fluff. What garbage.
Now I'm going to see "Spawn" with my niece since spawn is a rebellious
character from the depths of hell. Steal the fire for me Prometheous!
Later : "Mimic" and "StarShp Troopers"

Robert Seals