Sadistic Pleasures in Film

[Adora]

I watched The Day After Tomorrow yesterday and realised about halfway through what a sadistic thrill I was getting from it. I mean generally, I like disaster movies cos the US usually gets trashed in one way or another, and I've always had wonderings of how the world would be if that little part of North America just disappeared from the face of the planet one day. Deep Impact was a bit shit cos it only happened at the end. The Core was okay in this respect.

Day After... took the golden prize though, especially when New York and LA got destroyed. I was giggling like a mad girl all the way through it. When the tornado was starting to form, I was like "C'mon, touchdown, Touchdown, TOUCHDOWN! Yay! Touchdown! *dance*" The destruction of NY was particularly nice, not because of the graphics, but because I'm not one of these people who buys into all the bullshit mythos about NY being some sort of symbolic metropolis of the modern world. Well, okay, I don't buy into the positives. I think it's completely symbolic of everything that's wrong with this current Neo-liberal/conservative Western world we're stuck in. And yeah, apart from Jake Gyllenhaal, these were the reasons I enjoyed it. Okay, maybe not the entire reasons. It was funny to think the entire remains of the Northern hemisphere could just migrate south, because, oh y'know, IT'S NOT LIKE THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE IS OVERPOPULATED ANYWAY. And there goes world-debt, right? And a petroleum-based society? And I really liked how all Australia got was a cyclone, cos it's not like 3 giant hurricanes in the northern hemisphere would cause any repucussions in the southern one, right?

*cough* Anyway, I'm getting off-track. My point was, there are some movies I get sadistic thrills from, obviously, disaster movies where North America gets trashed rate pretty high on this scale.

So what's your sadistic thrill movie genre?

[Socratoad]

Throughout my lifetime I have sort of stood outside the proclivities of my fellow humans, and often wondered whether I was or am fully human because I am totally incapable of obtaining even a twinge of amusement from anything of a sadistic nature, which of course includes sadistic movies or even horror movies. I know that compared to the vast majority of my fellow humans I am the freak or at least far from the norm, and so I cannot help you with your list.

[freemonkey]

Throughout my lifetime I have sort of stood outside the proclivities of my fellow humans, and often wondered whether I was or am fully human because I am totally incapable of obtaining even a twinge of amusement from anything of a sadistic nature, which of course includes sadistic movies or even horror movies. I know that compared to the vast majority of my fellow humans I am the freak or at least far from the norm, and so I cannot help you with your list.
I don't think you're a freak, Socrotoad, not unless I believe I'm a freak. I don't take pleasure or amusement in those things either.

[Farren]

Freaks, both of you, I'm afraid. I can't help but feel sadistic pleasure at some things (no examples come to mind immediately I'm afraid, but I know I take sadistic pleasure at some things).

I just left the place of a friend who dislikes all competitive sports (including computer games, sad fucker) because he can't get any pleasure out of anyone trouncing anyone, at all, ever. I must admit, despite a generally compassionate disposition, to finding this bizarre.

[Socratoad]

But Farren, must competition necessarily be sadistic? Frankly I have seen more than enough violence to last me two lifetimes and so I heartily detest violent sports and violent video games or violent movies, violent sex videos, stupid Brits that will protest about fox hunts and any other such shit.

But if freak means unusual then yes, freemonkey and I are freaks

[Goliath]

When watching movies, I enjoy seeing characters who are assholes ending up getting killed or suffering some misfortune of some kind...no specific examples of this come to mind.

I also giggled like a little school girl during a lot of the violence during the Kill Bill movies--especially Volume 1.

[Socratoad]

Adora I'm truly sorry as I seem to have hi-jacked your thread right from the start. I really should have started a thread of my own regarding this subject, alas just now I realize that I'm far too tired to be posting.

[Adora]

Er, you don't have to apologise, really. The whole point of a thread is to create discussion. You created discussion. Therefore, you have done nothing wrong.

Edit: And I should probably mention, if you make me sit through shite like The Princess Diaries 2, I shall start having sadistic fantasies that involve the Aliens and the Predators in the cinema over either infecting the movie and tearing Julie Andrews to pieces (I really liked that one), or biting off the head of the people making me watch it. Either is good, because I adore those little bundles of acid spitting love.

[freemonkey]

I must be confused by what we're terming "sadistic pleasure". I don't think "sadistic" when I think of Goliath's examples, and I don't think I'm experiencing a a "sadistic pleasure" just because I'm entertained/amused watching Kill Bill . Although I'm far from a fan of it, I don't necessarily abhor violence in films - if its appropriate to the story.

I enjoy seeing characters who are assholes ending up getting killed or suffering some misfortune of some kind
Well, I do, too, sometimes. Still don't think it makes me sadistic. Vengeful, maybe.

[Socratoad]

I must be confused by what we're terming "sadistic pleasure". I don't think "sadistic" when I think of Goliath's examples, and I don't think I'm experiencing a a "sadistic pleasure" just because I'm entertained/amused watching Kill Bill . Although I'm far from a fan of it, I don't necessarily abhor violence in films - if its appropriate to the story.

I enjoy seeing characters who are assholes ending up getting killed or suffering some misfortune of some kind
Well, I do, too, sometimes. Still don't think it makes me sadistic. Vengeful, maybe.

Vengeful perhaps, or just maybe a certain satisfaction of seeing an example of fundamental justice. A subtle reassurance that good will in the end overcome bad/evil.

[Adora]

I'd say there's sadism in vengence, because, though it may be "for a good cause" *snort* you're still taking a certain amount of satisfasction from the pain of another.

[The Lone Ranger]

Throughout my lifetime I have sort of stood outside the proclivities of my fellow humans, and often wondered whether I was or am fully human because I am totally incapable of obtaining even a twinge of amusement from anything of a sadistic nature, which of course includes sadistic movies or even horror movies. I know that compared to the vast majority of my fellow humans I am the freak or at least far from the norm, and so I cannot help you with your list.

I suppose it depends on what is meant by "sadistic."

As a rule, I find horror and disaster films boring, and I seem to be completely incapable of finding anything funny in watching someone getting injured or killed.

On the other hand, I quite enjoyed The Day After Tomorrow because it was so danged funny! The entire movie was so utterly absurd that it was all I could do not to laugh out loud through the entire thing.

It can be quite satisfying when the Bad Guy gets what's coming to him (think of the death of Paul Reiser's character in Aliens -- according to Reiser, his own mother cheered at that scene, so thoroughly despicable was the character), but that's more out of wanting to see justice served than taking delight in pain and death. When I watch horror movies, I'm generally much more interested in how (or if) the characters are going to manage to survive than in seeing gore, though I'm not at all squeamish about such things.


Anyway, maybe I'm a "freak" too, since I've never been able to see anything remotely funny about somebody being injured or killed -- even if they "deserve" it. For instance, I've noticed that it's relatively common in the movies for one character to kick another in the testicles -- and it seems to almost-always be played for laughs. Why, I can't imagine, since I've never been able to understand why anyone would think that's funny.

Cheers,

Michael

[Roygbiv]

So what's your sadistic thrill movie genre?

Easy, it's kung fu movies. I just love a nice, creative beatdown on film.

I'm in no way, shape or form an expert on the genre -- my local video stores are nice, but they don't carry a lot of the ones I really want to see -- but I definitely love watching Iron Monkey on a rainy day.

[Adora]

Oh fuck yes. Anyone who says they don't like watching the Injury-Outtakes in Jackie-Chan movies is just nuts.

[Megatron]

Two words: Cheesy Horror.

Yes, I'm the guy that says stuff like, "Whoa, look at all the blood!!"

:fkr: :jason: :pinhead:

*edited just to add the ubarnifty new smilies*

[Roygbiv]

Oh fuck yes. Anyone who says they don't like watching the Injury-Outtakes in Jackie-Chan movies is just nuts.

Ooh, yeah. I have to say, I'm generally partial to Donnie Yen. Even in his worst movies (and believe me, he's done some bad ones), he usually busts out one or two jaw-dropping moves. (Still, don't ever be fooled into renting Cheetah on Fire or Iron Monkey 2. They SUCKED.)

[livius drusus]

I like comedy beatings, like the Black Knight gets in Holy Grail or Stephen Chow gets in The God of Cookery. I could watch those saps wallow in pools of their own blood a hundred times a day and never get bored of it.

[Megatron]

I like comedy beatings, like the Black Knight gets in Holy Grail

"What are you gonna do, bleed on me??" :D