astrakhan wrote:A Woman, A Gun and a Noodle Shop (Zhang Yimou) - nifty Chinese remake of Blood Simple, trailer available.
'Yeah, I was going to suspend my prejudice against subtitles and go see it (opened this week), but it's apparently a poor remake, even for those not bothered by subtitles.
What do you have against subtitles?
I'd personally be more prejudiced against a totally unneccesary remake.
TheDenizen wrote:You deftly avoided answering my question, though. What's wrong with subtitles?
This is my favourite summary: [Stewball, if you'd rather I removed this for any reason, just let me know.]
Stewball wrote:
Melvin Smif wrote: There are some really good films out there from "foreign" sources in "foreign" languages that I would urge you to watch even if you must suffer through subtitles. This isn't a slam against your tastes or calling you stupid for disliking subtitles, just me saying you're missing out.
I appreciate the latter but I'm not sure everyone here shares that sentiment. And they may have a point. I mean, I'll defend to the death my ability to appreciate a good film, acknowledging that tastes vary, and I think I can be as perceptive as anyone in the appreciation of the finer aspects of film making. And I think most would have to acknowledge that there is some anti-American/English prejudice out there. But (knowing I'm probably setting one up for Pickpocket) I may actually be deficient in whatever mental ability it takes to absorb film with subtitles while still focusing on the images.
Judging by the late hour at which subtitled films are often aired in prodominantly English-speaking/monoglot countries, those that are comfortable with them may well be in the minority.
Stewball wrote:I may actually be deficient in whatever mental ability it takes to absorb film with subtitles while still focusing on the images.
I guess that makes sense, but it's a foreign idea to me. I guess I just read really fast, I don't even think about the subs during a film and have no problems focusing on the images. I can understand not wanting to miss any of the visual action while reading subs, I've just never understood how it could actually be a problem for people. *shrugs* Not wanting to miss anything is a much better reason than "I don't want to read at the movies", though
I'm a big fan of foreign cinema, and I cannot stand dubbing. Bad dubbing is way worse than bad acting IMO, and dubbers usually seem to be more interested in matching up lip movements than actually trying to convey the meaning of what is being said. A poor dub has ruined several films for me, but poor quality subtitles rarely take much away from a good movie.