How To Attain Movie Watching Oneness: The Flickchart / Jeet Kune Do Way

30 Aug
2010
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I have encountered naysayers in the past who scoff at the notion that anything productive can arise from comparing movies from different genres or eras, or whatever else. “An Italian neorealist social drama vs. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen? Are you off your gourd, sir?!”, they might thoughtlessly jeer. How I pity those wretches and their sad, dark existence. In one of my previous User Showcase posts, Comments: Stepping Up Your Game, I discussed the insights than can be achieved by comparing and commenting on seemingly nonsensical matchups. What I didn’t consider at the time, though, was that doing so was but only one aspect of a greater philosophy geared toward attaining true cinematic enlightenment.

In the movie Enter the Dragon, Bruce Lee has the following exchange with his martial arts teacher:

Teacher: I see your talents have gone beyond the mere physical level. Your skills are now at the point of spiritual insight. What is the highest technique you hope to achieve ?

Lee: To have no technique.

From what I understand of Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do martial arts philosophy, it’s about adapting to each situation fluidly. Instead of being restricted to a particular technique, Jeet Kune Do cuts through the extraneous stuff and uses the most efficient and direct approach possible. The idea is, according to Bruce Lee, that “truth exists outside all molds.” You have to free your mind from following fixed patterns and embrace the truth that lies beyond. So versatile is the Jeet Kune Do philosophy, it can even be applied to ranking movies on Flickchart.

“But what truth am I supposed to be embracing, exactly?”, you might be wondering. “What molds must I transcend?” Well, for the unenlightened, movies are viewed through fixed patterns and molds all the time: Genre vs. Genre. Art vs. Trash. Foreign vs. Movies That Speak The Same Language You Do. Sadly, there are those who will spend their entire movie watching careers anchored to these narrow perspectives. If utilized properly, with an open mind, Flickchart can be a powerful tool for liberating ourselves from all the outmoded constraints. The ultimate goal, then, is to approach each movie matchup with complete clarity. To do away with extraneous distractions such as genre and critical consensus, so we too can make lightning fast matchup decisions in the same way Bruce Lee dispatches his opponents. It is only then, that we can achieve “Movie Watching Oneness”.

For those interested in following the path of Movie Watching Oneness, here are the various tenets of the Flickchart/Jeet Kune Do philosophy:

THERE IS NO GENRE

This may be the most difficult tenet for many Flickcharters to accept, but it is also the most important. Genre is a wall that separates movies, and is therefore an impediment to achieving Oneness. The Flickchart/Jeet Kune Do philosophy emphasizes understanding the characteristics that all movies share. Does not How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days have cinematography just as Lawrence of Arabia? Of course. Does genre change this fact? Most definitely not. While the quality and style of cinematography will vary from movie to movie, all movies make use of it to some extent. Remember, “Truth exists outside all molds.”

(NOTE: As the follower becomes more advanced, objective criteria for evaluating movies becomes less important. The higher levels of genre transcendence involve discovering esoteric similarities between movies that are not apparent to the beginner.)

THERE IS NO CANON

More often than not, it seems, movies like Citizen Kane and The Godfather end up taking the top spots on “Greatest Movie” lists. For some Flickcharters, seeing a critically revered motion picture in a matchup can be intimidating. They are torn between acknowledging the hallowed status of certain movies and choosing the film that they actually like more. On the path to Oneness, there are no “Greatest Films of All Time” aside from the ones you personally deem to be so. In a Flickchart matchup, there is only you and the two movies. Critics do not exist. Popular opinion does not exist. You must look within yourself for the correct choice.

GO FORTH AND DIVERSIFY

In order to truly achieve Oneness, the follower must possess a diverse pool of movies to rank on Flickchart. No motion picture is too obscure or too long or too old or whatever else. It is only when the Flickcharter has seen a vast array of movies from different cultures, eras, and levels of artistic quality that they will be able develop a deeper perspective. Because the follower’s goal is “To have no technique”, they cannot limit their expertise to only certain types of movies. They must be as confident and decisive with a Black Book vs. The Cow matchup as they would with Return of the Jedi vs. The Empire Strikes Back.

GO FORTH AND COMMENT

Commenting on Flickchart is just like training to be a better martial artist. Simply ranking movies will not allow the follower to attain the higher levels of enlightenment, just as reading a book on martial arts without practicing will offer minmal results. Not only must the follower view a wide range of movies, but they must also comment on a wide range of matchups as well. The more bizarre and nonsensical the matchup, the more determined that the follower should be to comment on it. Just as a skilled martial artist will learn little from sparring with a 6-year old, a follower on the path of Oneness cannot fully expand their minds by commenting on matchups with blazingly obvious connections. (For more on this, refer to Comments: Stepping Up Your Game.)

Because the Flickchart/Jeet Kune Do philosophy for attaining the path to Movie Watching Oneness is in its infancy, there is still much research to be done. In future blog posts, perhaps I will be able to offer a detailed description of what is required to achieve each stage of enlightenment. For those of you who choose to follow the path, feel free to share your experiences and suggestions. Together, we may one day create one of the world’s great philosophical movements.

This post is part of our User Showcase series. You can find Chad as kingofpain on Flickchart. If you’re interested to submit your own story or article describing your thoughts about movies and Flickchart, read our original post for how to become a guest writer here on the Flickchart Blog.

  • http://travismcclain.blogspot.com/ Travis McClain

    I’ve had the same thoughts, though you’ve articulated them more compellingly than I might have done. I confess that I’ve become disheartened about commenting, because it seems that the only time there’s any discussion is when it’s a Spielberg vs. a “Star Wars” match-up.

    It’s also tiresome to find consistent remarks about movies like “Batman & Robin” or “The Phantom Menace” that just continue to parrot the declaration that those movies “suck.” No one ever explains why they think they suck; they simply take it for granted that it’s an accepted truth.

    I touched on this in my first User Showcase piece, about how unhelpful it is to find reductive comments that simply declare one film “ftw” and/or another to be a “fail.” Is it that users don’t feel more compelled to articulate their thoughts, or is it perhaps that many of us simply aren’t evaluating films critically in the first place?

    One thing that might be helpful is if we could be notified when someone else comments on a discussion in which we’ve participated. It’s rare that anyone responds to anything I’ve said, but it has happened once or twice. I’m sure it’s happened to others, as well. I don’t know about this until that given pair re-appears for me. There’s a sense that I’m simply throwing remarks into an abyss, and I’m sure other potential comment-leavers feel the same sense of futility.

  • KingofPain

    Hey, Travis. I remember the editor from my high school newspaper once telling me “Write for yourself.” I’ve always followed that advice. I don’t really expect to get a response to most of my comments, because not a lot of people watch the same sorts of movies I do. When I make comments on popular matchups, I try to elaborate beyond “This sucks” by communicating my personal feelings as honestly as possible.

    At least by making comments, you can sort of track how your perception of movies evolve over time. I try to put down as much of my relevant thoughts on each matchup that I can. Later, when a similar sort of matchup appears, I can recall “Oh, yeah, that’s how I thought about the last one.” This helps me maintain a consistent record of my opinions. There’s a potential to uncover some sort of insight from every matchup if you think it through. Or maybe someone else will come across one of your comments and learn something.

    I just write how I honestly feel, and occasionally I learn from myself. The path to enlightenment might be lonely, but it can also be rewarding.

  • TheOnceHotCleckley

    Haven’t slept in 50+hrs. Fucked out of my skull. So there I am, or here I am…NO! I AM! Stumbling through one of my many non-pornographic, virtual haunts, looking to squander the hours of my life by posting inane comments on a film-fan-site that exists in a reality even more meaningless than my own. I’m not really sure if meaninglessness has different degrees. Scroll down and what do I see? BRUCE FUCKING LEE. My man Bruce!

    At first, I wasn’t sure if I was delirious or if it was genuinely him lookin’ at me all steely-eyed and disapproving like…
    Like, “Remy, you’ve become a bum. Shape up, boy. Man up before your face intercepts my fist, bitch. I thought I taught you to express that human body!”

    Then I figure it IS him because, well, I’m on a film site. Now it hits me that my webular pal Stench of Pain is blogging about my very own fallen idol. Man, I’m beginning to despise that motherfucker now. Ahhh-pllllt to you Bruce. But, I clicked and I read because the man has a vice-like, gung-fu grip on me.

    So I read and I agreed with most of it, smiling at the ‘free-your-mind-ness’ of it all. And of course I agreed with the premise, a movies is just a superficial glob of entertainment…designed for whatever the fuck the maker designed it for…BUT received by this here clown as nothing more than a medium of pleasure. I just wanna be entertained!

    AND then I disagreed some. Maybe with the analogy, maybe with the wording. Like here:
    “In order to truly achieve Oneness, the follower must possess a diverse pool of movies to rank on Flickchart.”

    To accept oneness one should not be blinded by the socially constructed laws about diversity. To truly accept oneness, the viewer must realize that there is NO diversity other than the degrees of pleasure movies can bring. You stare. ‘Shit’ happens on screen. You were pleasured to some level or not at all. The nature of the ‘shit’, this diversity of ‘shit’ should not even consciously register. Only your enjoyment matters.

    How does this factor into the JKD analogy? Ahh, allow me to wax delusional and intellectual.

    The fighter, in all his training, encounters three basic stages on his road to bad-assery.

    On stage the first, he knows nothing of defending himself. He reacts instinctively and chooses either ‘fight’ or ‘flight’ when confronted. If he chooses to fight he flails his body with whatever unskilled, lame technique ha has at his disposal…instincyively. Probably gets his ass kicked, unless confronted by someone on an equal or lower level of physical crapness.

    On stage the number two. Boy has been attending MA classes or otherwise practicing his moves of death. He knows of the system, the punch, the kick, the combination. He’s been working on conditioning too. Once confronted his instinctive ‘fight or flight’ response is overridden by thought. He’s thinking about his technique (how to ‘attack or contract’ as Bruce said in the dialogue you cited in your 12innnch piece). Boy might win fight. Or, his thinking and slow response will get his ass spanked rosy.

    Third stage. True Warrior. Oneness. Boy has been repeatedly sparring, and punching, and stretching, and kicking, and jogging. Little mofo has now built up ‘muscle memory’. When confronted there is a combination of stages 1 & 2. There is no ‘fight or flight’ response. There is no ‘thinking’ anout systems or combos either. He kicks ass using his tools, but he didn’t think about it. He just did it. Or as Lee put it in that same dialogue…”And when there is an opportunity, I do not hit. It hits all by itself.” Instinct!

    How does that apply to movies? I’m not sure. Oh, no I am.
    Stage one, Kid watches movies. Understands nothing but will either enjoy or hate.
    Stage two, kid’s seen a few more movies. Tries to rank, sequence or assess them on objective and subjective bases.
    Stage three, his movie knowledge has done its job. He wouldn’t even think to analyze his movies. He simply responds. I saw shit. I enjoyed shit.

    So umm yeah, the abstract links between various obscure movies are eventually disregarded for whatever. Reviewing and commenting is no longer to ‘teach yourself’ or gauge your own preferences, it’s just mental wanking or an easy way to squander the hours of your meaningless existence.

  • KingofPain

    I have many names and meaninglessness has many degrees depending on whether you’re looking out or in. One man’s wanking is another’s quest for meaning through meaninglessness.

    So, anyway, the diverse pool of movies thing was following the “no technique” idea. A guy can’t adapt fluidly to every Fickchart matchup situation if all he watches are 80s Action flicks and Romantic Comedies. In my bubble of meaningless that I gave meaning, I believe that the learning process continues on into infinity. So, everytime a new movie is added to the pool, infinity becomes a little bigger and my so does my range my understanding. When I took Kung Fu in college (Lion-style), the instructor told us that he walked around in cricles constantly as part of his training. Most people in the class thought it was tedious, but he believed it to be profound. I suppose if I did it enough, I’d eventually agree with him.

    All I know is, I get something out of my meaningless pursuits. Wanking is something I do to help me sleep better. (Of course, my post was not entirely serious and nobody probably took it that way.)

  • KingofPain

    I think the sentence “infinity becomes a little bigger and my so does my range my understanding” was supposed to be “infinity becomes a little bigger and so does my range of understanding.” I haven’t slept much, either.

  • TheOnceHotCleckley

    Dangerous thoughts such as these may only lead you to Bollywood. Course if you did start widening your horizons that much you would be at the natural disadvantage of not feeling the effects of crushing nostalgia… the only thing that BW has to offer.

    A deadly game you play, but I digress.

    Also, Walking Profoundly In Circles would make an excellent title/slogan/life affirming quote. Genous really, it’d be like a cross between Waking Life and My Diner With Andre.

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