MovieChat Forums > Blow-Up (1967) Discussion > 111 minutes of sheer boredom

111 minutes of sheer boredom


Never have I watched a mystery thriller (...wait a minute! is this actually a mystery thriller? *checks the genre of the film once again* oh yes!...) so boring.

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I was expecting this to be a masterpiece as many say it is. But I was as bored as the audience watching the Yardbirds...which was the most interesting thing in the film to me.

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Yup. This should be edited down to just The Yardbirds. Cool to see Jeff Beck, looking exactly as he does today.
There was no plot. I say that because nothing is resolved. Nada. I watch artsy films and this is just a calamity.

I love Jesus....but I drink a little.

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It's a 1966 London time capsule. How can that be boring?

--
LBJ's mistress on JFK:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcXeutDmuRA


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movies are first about entertaining. directors who are unable to do this resort to making time capsule, or delivering message. this garbage was boring as all hell. i got thru 21 minutes. made by an 8yo w a budget of 32bux, worst acting ever captured

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But if you didn't get beyond 21 minutes, you missed the remaining 80 minutes of the movie.

Don't you realize saying things like "directors ... making time capsule, or delivering message is garbage and boring as hell" makes you sound kind of, frankly, downmarket and dumb -- especially since you never saw the movie?

EDIT: after reading your posting history (where CRUISING is "the height of filmmaking" and CASABLANCA stinks) I realize you're doing this on purpose. Good job!

--
LBJ's mistress on JFK:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcXeutDmuRA


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regardless of medium used, it is very difficult to be entertaining. 2 of those movies failed , the 3rd is a masterpiece.
lets discuss cinematography, and acting

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BLOW UP and CASABLANCA "failed" while CRUSIING is "a masterpiece"?

You're funny. :D

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You're criticizing anyone? Come back when you've learned to write.

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> movies are first about entertaining

Yeah, for simpletons and squares maybe.

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You either hate or love it I'm the later it's a cult film from the 60s the fashion music art photography is wonderful the story' is cool and hip I'm a massive old films fans I only watch old films modern days films have nothing that's not been done before cgi has killed films for me

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yeah, the music, art, photography, the fashion is wonderful but you can't make a movie just on these things alone. I was expecting it to be a great film because I read of it being an important artistic film but the plot was so ill conceived and it is really slow moving and doesn't go anywhere and doesn't amount to anything in the end because they dont' ever solve the mystery in the end and getting there is so agonizingly boring and plotting and painfully boring.

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Another one who can't write! Apparently this film attracts illiterates, whether they like it or hate it.

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I can't begin to relate to anyone who feels BLOW-UP is boring. I've seen it more than a dozen times, and I'll likely watch it a dozen more. It's electrifying from start to finish. Stylish, intelligent, thought-provoking... I could go on showering it with praise. I've shown it to a good many people who shared my opinion about it.

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I fully agree with you. I only saw it for the first time a while ago, & I loved it. I found it completely fascinating, & I look forward to watching it again.

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I really liked the time capsule, and Peter Hemings (who I'm hooked on since The Long Days Dying) But felt the writer director didn't have enough story to go on for 111mins hence the long drawn out NUMEROUS clips of him walking, or getting a camera ready etc.. It's really all about that time and place for this vintage film.

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First off, Badlands1, great name. BADLANDS is one of my favorites of all time. Secondly, the man's name was David Hemmings, not "Peter Hemings". Just thought I'd clear that up. Third, I'm sorry you thought the "NUMEROUS clips of him (Hemmings) walking, or getting a camera ready etc.." bored you. Personally, I love the fact that the movie isn't jumping from key plot point to key plot point, or from visceral thrill to visceral thrill. The employing of real-time scenes enveloped me completely in the protagonist's world and I found the effect to be wholly immersive... but that's me.

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Oops forgive me!!! DAVID HEMMINGS! I guess I'm not that big of a fan lol, those shots didn't bore me, they build good suspense, but it's like a whodunnit, the second time around it loses interest, mainly they needed a soundtrack. Yes Badlands is the movie my name is after, a lot of people criticize Mallick for his narration, or "boring" scenes, but he uses great soundtrack, and they are very relevant movies to life, to make a whodunnit, is always a challenge, Psycho in that case uses great soundtrack, but mainly I just don't like long drawn out scenes, maybe even if they had a soundtrack of his heart beating it would entice me more. Great movie though, but I do prefer Blow Out, to this..

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A third illiterate! Instead of watching Blow-Up, you people should be studying basic writing.

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F--k you, ELIOT. This is a discussion board, not an essay contest. Go read The Elements of Style (again) and stop your faux-intellectual queefing. You're not convincing anyone that you're above average intelligence. Quite the opposite, as smart people can get on socially.

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My comments about illiteracy weren't aimed at you, but since you've taken such violent exception to them, my apologies to your family. I have a big scoop for you, buster. How you express yourself is as equally important as your content. We are in the midst of an epidemic of texting automatons who can't compose or punctuate a declarative sentence, with proper spelling, anymore. Why should that be acceptable? Because you think so?

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I don't give a rodent's rim who you were directing your high-handedness toward, "buster". Your hostility offended me, and with good reason. People don't come to IMDB to employ what you would deem acceptable punctuation and grammar. It's about interacting with fellow movie enthusiasts, not impressing snobby self-designated authorities on the English language. What's more is that you're using your arrogant remarks about the grammar of others to attack defenders of BLOWUP, probably because you're too much of a simp to deconstruct it and are threatened by those who are up to the challenge.

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I dare you to name somewhere where I had a typo? And last I checked Blow Up was an art movie, very far away from a technical English class, or grammar movie, you're a confused old codger.

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you get exactly the problem that I have with it, which is that it is long, it is meticulously paced, extremely slow paced, meandering aimlessly in a bad way and futilely. and in the end doesn't amount to anything good. it's all style and no substance and they never solve the mystery in the end and the whole mystery never amounts to anything interesting. and even the last scene after being really bored throughout most of this film is boring and way too stretched out. they play mime tennis for what seems like an eternity, now that scene would've been fine if it was 2 minutes long but that scene, like this whole pointless film is stretched out to about 5 minutes. geez, this film could've used a lot of editing but mostly some direction of this story and some meaning of this story.

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Try showing it to some people who don't share your opinion of it.

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it doesn't matter if a person watches it who doesn't like it or who does. all that matters is that it's a bad movie. so, either the people who like it say why they like it but are wrong in saying it's a good movie or the people who don't like it say why they don't like it and are right in saying it's a bad movie.

and it's not my opinion of it that I have. it's facts of this movie that I have.

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Wow, you're really a dope. Not because you don't understand anything about the film - Blow-Up cannot be grasped in one viewing - but because you don't understand it, and mock everyone who "gets" it and likes it. Only morons do that, in fact, that is the defining act of a moron. Only a moron thinks everything has to be one way (I.e. Straight narrative, story told from beginning to end, no meaning beneath the surface), and when something is different, and said moron (in this case, you) makes no effort to understand it, because morons don't like to think, it must be bad. If you weren't so dopey, you'd realize how funny you are. You are laughable. Laughably dense and idiotic.

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I watched the movie a few years ago and I don't really remember what happened in it. Wasn't that memorable.

If it's all the same to you, I'll have that drink now.-Loki (Marvel's Avengers)

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I agree. This movie was inane. I did enjoy seeing 60's London. But as fas as story goes, this movie is clearly overrated in my opinion. This is one of those creations (film, painting, short story, etc) that someone says is brilliant, then alot of other people jump on board, claiming to see the brilliance. I want those two hours of my life back.

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This is one of those creations (film, painting, short story, etc) that someone says is brilliant, then alot of other people jump on board, claiming to see the brilliance. I want those two hours of my life back.


Sorry, you can't have 'em. Just remember, some (actually, most) people-- and certainly most film directors-- come from different social/cultural/aesthetic backgrounds than you, so a movie just might have something of value that they're able to see but you don't. For example, if I never take a course in cinema I will never grasp the full value of what's up there on a movie screen. But even aside from that, the world of human culture is, to put it mildly, an extremely diverse one, and neither you nor I nor anyone could ever appreciate the merits of EVERY artistic work we encounter. It's just not possible.

But that doesn't mean the ones who do like it are faking their enthusiasm.

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no, every film should hold up to criticism no matter when it was made. so you can't just use the argument "it's of it's time." a movie has to entertain you and be made well and this film is way, way too meandering pointlessly and doesn't amount to anything with it's plot. you have to have deeper meaning beyond your artisticness.

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And here we have a fourth illiterate, and a long-winded one, to boot.

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And here we have a fourth illiterate, and a stupidly nonsensical one to boot.

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exactly, and I understand, clearly understand that there is time perspective and that movies that were made in the '30s, '40s, '50s, or '60s have a different look and feel and were made differently than movies made nowadays but there is no excuse for defending this ridiculously plotting, meandering aimlessly, pointlessly plotted, boring, and substance less film. it doesn't amount to anything. and I'm not that hard of a movie critic. I give credit where credit is due but you can't just say "it's of it's time" or "movies were made differently back then" to defend this film. you have to have some kind of story, in a movie like this where the story is essential, and you can't just rely on artisticness throughout the entire run time of your movie if it's made like this movie. movies that rely on artisticness need to have a deeperness to them than just being artistic.

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exactly, and I understand, clearly understand that there is time perspective and that movies that were made in the '30s, '40s, '50s, or '60s have a different look and feel and were made differently than movies made nowadays but there is no excuse for defending this ridiculously plotting, meandering aimlessly, pointlessly plotted, boring, and substance less film.


"No excuse" for defending it?

"No excuse"??

"No excuse"???

This sounds like someone berating one of their employees: "Bumstead, there is NO EXCUSE for missing yesterday's deadline!"

There's nothing WRONG with someone liking a movie for whatever reasons they have. There is nothing IMMORAL about it. Nothing UNFORGIVABLE. Nothing SHAMEFUL. No EXCUSES need be made.

YOU CANNOT PROVE THAT A WORK OF ART AND/OR ENTERTAINMENT HAS NO WORTH OF ANY KIND. YOU CANNOT PROVE THAT ANYONE WHO SEES ANY WORTH IN IT IS "WRONG". THESE ARE NOT OBJECTIVE FACTS THAT CAN BE PROVEN IN A LABORATORY.

PEOPLE'S TASTES ARE SUBJECTIVE. THERE WILL BE PEOPLE WHO CAN APPRECIATE THINGS THAT YOU DON'T. AND YOU CAN DO NOTHING TO STOP THEM.

NOTHING!

NUTH-THING!!

HAHAHAHAHAA!!!


Now get on with it.

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yes, no excuse. and while I do agree with you that there are things in art films that we don't understand that are artistic and are good for being artistic or are good for having substance beneath the artisticness of them, you saying that this film is good is wrong because it doesn't have a good enough plot to be good. even if this film didn't rely on it's plot it wouldn't be good because it's artisticness is not what gives it it's slow pace and times where nothing happens.

I didn't mean it's morally objectionable and I'm not saying that any one who likes it is wrong in a moral way. yes I can prove that this film is bad.

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you saying that this film is good is wrong because it doesn't have a good enough plot to be good. even if this film didn't rely on it's plot it wouldn't be good because it's artisticness is not what gives it it's slow pace and times where nothing happens.


AS A GENERAL RULE, a movie should have a "good" plot. But such rules are not iron-clad. We don't always have to judge every movie based on the same rigid, fixed set of criteria, like a quality-control test on a factory assembly line: "Okay, let's check them off, one by one: 1) sensible plot, 2) good characterization..." etc. (Except for people who want to imprison their minds between iron walls to give themselves the illusion of certainty.... Oh.)

As for "nothing happening"-- it depends on how one defines that. Many movies have shots or scenes in which nothing in particular is "happening" in a plot sense BUT IT DOESN'T MATTER because the imagery is so beautiful, or intriguing, or just interesting. What's the point in denying yourself enjoyment by thinking, "Gee, I wish I could enjoy this movie, but I'm not allowed to, because the plot is lacking, the characters aren't developed enough, so the rules say I can't like it"? Why lock yourself in a box like that? BE FREEE-E-E-E!

No, you can't "prove" a film is bad. Whether a film is "good", "bad" or "in-between" is NEVER A FACT. It is ALWAYS AN OPINION. There is no scientific test to confirm it, no CSI, no DNA, no EKG. NO.

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yeah it's true that not all movies have to have good plots but this movie relies on it's plot and doesn't deliver on it. and this film isn't interesting at all for the majority of it's running time. often times nothing is happening and nothing artistic is happening either. so it's dull and boring. and the other thing is the parts when nothing is happening is not only non engaging and not interesting because nothing is happening but these parts are bad also because they are not artistic either. it's not like this whole film is one giant artistic film where it constantly has artistic things going on at every moment. it's not a good film. and yes I can prove that a movie is a bad movie.

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I'm sure that on some unconscious level you must certainly realize that your whole "critique" of Blow-Up, as presented on this thread, is completely idiotic and that you have absolutely no idea of what you're babbling about... right? Because the only thing abundantly evident from your rantings is the fact that you haven't been able to meaningfully engage with the film and its themes on any level whatsoever and therefore couldn't possibly offer any reasonable or valid criticism of it.



"facts are stupid things" Ronald Reagan

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I'm sure that on some unconscious level you must certainly realize that your whole "critique" of my critique and well explained analysis and criticism of Blow up, not blow-up by the way, as presented on this thread(where else???), is completely idiotic and that you have absolutely n o idea of what you're babbling about...right? right. see, so you have not anymore credibility or any better of an argument than I do. so shut up. I'm not the only one who finds it impossible to like or enjoy this movie. this is one of the most boring, uninvolving and pointless movies that of course back in the '60s were unfairly given a pass and a glowing recommendation and praise from everyone just because well, "it's art." so because of that it's given this "oh, it's great and artistic and so the movie literally could get away with anything and be the worst movie ever made and still be a great, "misunderstood important, artistic film." but the fact is is this is the worst example of the artistic movie getting a pass for it's aimless meandering, not getting anywhere in terms of it's plot, and not artistic enough to make all of it's boring nothing happening scenes work or be ok.

fuc# you

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You are shockingly stupid. The plot of Blow-Up is fine, but film really doesn't have to have one, or at least a traditional one. Films are not books or short stories or even scripts - a film can depart from a script at any point, and still be legit. Films are visual - it shocks me the numbers who know these words, but don't understand what that means. Many of those would love to know, though. You seem to want to be right - without knowing what you're even talking about - than even admitting there might be more to a film than meets the first viewing.

If I didn't consider the things you've written on here so beyond merely stupid, I'd feel sorry for you.

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No, YOU don't understand what Antonioni was doing. Don't make the assumption others don't get it.

A wise man knows what he doesn't know. You and a few others on here (Eliot Templemam, LukeBurnette) don't understand what is really going on in Blow-Up, so you want it to be a case of TheEmperor's New Clothes, but it's not. Only the truly stupid think "If I don't understand it, everybody is lying about how good it is". Don't keep being stupid. You're only cheating yourself.

Remember, not getting a great work of art the first time doesn't make you stupid. It's lashing out at people who DO get it makes you stupid.

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exactly. that was the thing I thought when watching this movie. this is such a boring, boring movie. and it doesn't even have a purpose in an artistic way, it doesn't have direction or deeper meaning behind the artisticness and it doesn't leave you with any answers after it's last scene about the murder investigation and it doesn't leave you satisfied after you watch it. it's agonizingly boring to watch. the only thing which makes it kind of watchable are all the amazingly pretty and amazingly beautiful models.

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