Are there any great films that you'd never watch again because of how depressing/intense they are?

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by acemachine26, Jan 10, 2018.

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  1. mmars982

    mmars982 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pittsburgh, PA
    Maybe The Deerhunter. I sat maybe because it's been a long time since I've seen it and I was pretty young. Probably should watch it again. But it's the only movie I can think of that undoubtedly fits in the "great" category that bothered me enough to not want to see again.
     
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  2. Jim B.

    Jim B. Senior Member

    Location:
    UK
    Help me understand you both picking No Country For Old Men?

    I think it's one of the best films of this century so far and I think it has massive rewatchability. So many great scenes that you want to see again and again. The characters are all great as well which means you want to see them again and again.
     
  3. Phil147

    Phil147 Forum Resident

    Location:
    York UK
    Everyone should see Schindler' List once. A devastating film emotionally and I watched this before I had kids, since when I've become even more susceptible to emotional moments in films. I don't think I could make it through Schindler's List now without having some kind of a breakdown... It tell such an important story though and when my kids are old enough I will be telling them they should watch this.
    One film I found really disturbing was Shutter Island, what a bleak and depressing film that was, IMHO of course.
     
  4. Jim B.

    Jim B. Senior Member

    Location:
    UK
    I'm not a big fan of Daniel Day Lewis and/or Paul Thomas Anderson :hide:

    I'd rather watch a Transformers film than sit through the Master again, and although I can appreciate There Will Be Blood I couldn't watch it again. I just don't like watching Lewis be so intense for nearly 3 hours.
     
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  5. Tim S

    Tim S Senior Member

    Location:
    East Tennessee
    I agree - I rewatched it the first time after a couple of weeks. I'm curious why someone would find it so disturbing. Is it just because you didn't like it, especially how it ended?
     
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  6. The Panda

    The Panda Forum Mutant

    Location:
    Marple, PA, USA
    I'm sure there are. I've been able to avoid them, after warnings here and from others. Never saw Private Ryan. No desire to see it
     
  7. Tim S

    Tim S Senior Member

    Location:
    East Tennessee
    I'm not sure if "Requiem for a Dream" is actually a great film, but I will say I rewatched it cause I happened on it one night on cable, and it's actually worse the second time around, as far as depressing, disturbing, and unnerving.
     
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  8. audiomixer

    audiomixer As Bald As The Beatles

    Correct, it's not available on home video. But, TCM showed it once last year in a very nice widescreen HD transfer.
    I just can't bring myself around to deleting it.
     
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  9. acemachine26

    acemachine26 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Bangalore, IN
    By great I don't mean enjoyable but great performances by the entire cast.
     
  10. mr. steak

    mr. steak Forum Resident

    Location:
    chandler az
    The Thing.

    Tried watching it again (for the 10th time) couple months back. Seeing the dog get shot at and thinking about what all was to come made me feel very anxious. Turned it off.
     
  11. Rocker

    Rocker Senior Member

    Location:
    Ontario, Canada
    Don't understand this mentality at all.
    If I like a movie, then I'll gladly watch it again, regardless of how it made me feel.
    A good film is a good film.
     
  12. Thwacko

    Thwacko Forum Resident

    Location:
    Peacham, Vermont
    Ooh, Crumb is rough. My wife was not happy with me after that one.
     
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  13. Thwacko

    Thwacko Forum Resident

    Location:
    Peacham, Vermont
    It's funny, I've seen Misery probably 3 times, and every time I'm cringing and I regret it. It's so great in the way it makes your skin crawl.
     
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  14. Spaghettiows

    Spaghettiows Forum Resident

    Location:
    Silver Creek, NY
    Midnight Express
    Se7ven

    I will re-watch The Deer Hunter about every 10 years.
     
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  15. Thwacko

    Thwacko Forum Resident

    Location:
    Peacham, Vermont
    Since Harvey Pekar died I can't bring myself to watch American Splendor again. Great film, though.

    Not a "great" film, though I'm sure some genre buffs think so, but Pet Semetary messed me up badly as a kid after seeing it in the theater, particularly the "Zelda" stuff. In the early 2000s the wife and I were on vacation and I made the mistake of watching some of it again on TV in the hotel room. Ruined my vacation.
     
  16. Lightworker

    Lightworker Forum Resident

    Location:
    Deep Texas
    Eraserhead
    The Passion Of The Christ
    200 Motels
    (ha-ha-ha-ha)
     
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  17. Rubber65

    Rubber65 Forum Resident

    Same here with Irreversible. The sexual assault scene was absolutely horrible. I literally felt sick afterwards. Just thinking about the scene is horrifying. Never again will I watch this movie.
     
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  18. SonOfAlerik

    SonOfAlerik Forum Resident

    Location:
    Westland, MI USA
  19. mr_spenalzo

    mr_spenalzo Forum Resident

    Irreversible... felt nasty and dirty after watching that
     
  20. audiomixer

    audiomixer As Bald As The Beatles

    And I'd rather eat crap than sit through another Transformer film...;)
     
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  21. Hot Ptah

    Hot Ptah Forum Resident In Memoriam

    Location:
    Kansas City, MO
    I found the violence, of a cold blooded killer shooting people in the head with no warning with an air device, to be something I do not care to see again. It is my personal preference, which I am entitled to. I do not share your enthusiasm for the characters, and do not agree that it has massive rewatchability. I will put my viewing history, from the entire history of film from the silent era to the present, up against anyone's.

    It is all right if we disagree, if our personal tastes and preferences do not match. That is what makes life interesting, in my view.

    I am glad that you find so much to like about the film.
     
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  22. Chris DeVoe

    Chris DeVoe RIP Vickie Mapes Williams (aka Equipoise)

    Yeah, I don't think I could handle that one again. Saw it in the theater, and it ripped my heart out. I can't imagine how much worse it would be if I had had children.
    The first time I saw it, I was in tears after. I'm a huge R. Crumb fan, and was mainly familiar with Charles via his fictional alter-ego Fuzzy the Bunny in Robert's work.

    [​IMG]
    Since then, and coming to terms with Charles' suicide, I've watched and enjoyed the film many times.

    I presume you mean The Elephant Man?

    It was the first film Vickie and I saw together. We were both emotionally wrecked afterwards, and she says that's when she knew we were meant for each other.
     
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  23. PonceDeLeroy

    PonceDeLeroy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Maryland
    Taxi Driver
    Cape Fear (1991)
    Wise Blood
     
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  24. Jim B.

    Jim B. Senior Member

    Location:
    UK
    That's cool if you don't like violence in film. I guess we assume everyone is ok with that but sensibilities are different. I guess I'm desensitized to it.
     
  25. Hot Ptah

    Hot Ptah Forum Resident In Memoriam

    Location:
    Kansas City, MO
    I don't mind violence per se. I just don't care to watch the specific violence in "No Country For Old Men'. Thinking about it some more, the extremely dark world view of that film is powerful, and I respect the artistic choice and skill with which it was presented, but I do not care to see it again.

    I find it not helpful to try to generalize about a person from knowing one thing that they think about one film, or other work of art. For example, I love 99 per cent of Ornette Coleman's music, but have never warmed up to his "Free Jazz" album. I like avant garde jazz, and large ensemble avant garde jazz, and music that the so-called average person would find noisy. It is just that one album that I do not particular care for, not the entire style of music. Same thing with "No Country for Old Men."
     
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