How REAL are movies?

How REAL are movies?

Let's suppose... there's this guy...

He's never been to USA, but he's watched thousands of Holywood movies from B&W to most recent blockbuster.

He watches movies like 'Thelma & Louise', and sees how the American landscape looks like...

He watches movies like 'American Gangster' and sees what goes on...

He watches movies like 'Runaway Bride' and learn a thing or two about the American weddings.

He watches movies like 'Charlie Bartlette' and see how the teenagers are in America...

I mean, there are so many movies about so many things, one could learn A LOT about America without having to set a foot in it.

But,

How accurate are the movies? How REAL are they?

Well... since all those movies mentioned above are fictional/non-documentary then I would say that you have to be careful about expecting what you see there to be "real". Though most writers do use their own experiences.

Even in docs everyone knows they are being filmed (usually) and it takes a very special videographer to shoot unaware... and edit without bias... so, again to be taken with a grain of salt.

I always wondered why movies almost never have toilet scenes... I mean, everyone uses the toilet a couple times a day, right???

Check out Avatar....you can see an accurate portrayal of America

Is it true that in American high schools, students smoke cigarettes in the toilets, and even when caught, they get away with it?

Probably true about smoking in the toilets but depends on the teacher on the punishment.

Originally Posted by eastofeden

Check out Avatar....you can see an accurate portrayal of America

In which world?

Originally Posted by marshlander

In which world?

The humans' world, I presume.

The Pandora world would be more like... the Aborigins of Austrailia or something like that... IDK...

One thing that amazes me, is the way American children talk to their parents in the movies.

Sometimes it comes off as sounding rude and disrespectful but on the other hand, they are so open with their parents.

Well, the answer would be yes and no to your question.

It depends on the movie and it depends on what aspects of the U.S. you are talking about at a given time. For instance, if you went with what they showed in films and on T.V. you would think that there are thousands and thousands of serial killers in the United States. Well, that is far from being anywhere near true. There have been less than 100 in U.S. history vs. a U.S. population of more than 300,000,000. If anything, it may tell you that there is a common fascination with the macabre in the U.S.

Also, you have to realize that they are trying to tell very engaging and extraordinary stories. Ordinary life in the U.S. consists of going to work and coming home, going to work and coming home with education, romance, and kids thrown in between.

Culturally, you cannot say there is only one thing in the U.S. There are regional and even subcultural differences. For instance, you might say that for dominant American culture, burgers are a major staple. Yet, depending on region and subculture, this may not hold true. Chitterlings and grits may be a staple in the south, duck pontchartrain and shrimp etouffee in Louisiana, poi in Hawaii, and among the Inuit of Alaska, blubber in fermented whale blood. In parts of the south, children often refer to their parents in the formal sir and mam and would never think about talking back to their parents. In other places, children and parents have less formal and more open and friendly relationships.

As far as how America looks, I don't think that Thelma and Louise is necessarily a great reference for knowing American landscapes. Yes, it accurately gives an indication of the deserts of the American south west. Just to give you an indicator, the largest desert in the U.S. is about 190,000 square miles and there are several more large desserts. Yet, most of the U.S. is not dessert. It consists of huge grasslands in the Midwest, the great eastern deciduous forests, tundra, enormous swamps in the south east, the mountain regions of the west, and tropical and temperate rain forests in Hawaii and the Pacific North West respectively and that is not taking into consideration the large population centers scattered about America.

I think "Into the Wild" gives a good indication of what the American west from the great plains to the Pacific coast and Alaska:

[Only registered members can see links. ]

But even that largely excludes the North and South East, much of the Midwest, and the Pacific North West.

New England is famous for its autumns:

[Only registered members can see links. ]

Florida (besides the beaches) and Louisiana are famous for their swamps (the Florida Everglades and the Louisiana Baiu:

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[Only registered members can see links. ]

The Pacific North West is known for rugged coast, mountains, and rain forests. Here is some random person's hike into Olympic National Park:

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and Hawaii:

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[albabonzai]

Originally Posted by Wintereis

I think "Into the Wild" gives a good indication of what the American west from the great plains to the Pacific coast and Alaska:

My fave film!

[fredv3b]

I have to admit that I really did not like 'Into the Wild' at all. But I can't clearly say why.

I'd love to spend travelling round America to see the variety of places, but then I think that there is so much in my own country that I haven't visited yet. One advantage of Britain is that is so compact, so in a days walk you can often move from one place to a quite different one.

Originally Posted by marshlander

In which world?

The aggressive capitalist human world though you can find pockets of Pandora sensibility in a few places.

I am not sure about reality, although they can give a reasonable depiction of the fashion, culture and relationship values of the period...

EG:-

"Oliver Twist"
"The Patriot.."
"To Sir with love.."
"Saturday Night Fever"


I certainly hope 2012 is 100% hogwash...

X-tra

Originally Posted by fredv3b

I'd love to spend travelling round America to see the variety of places, but then I think that there is so much in my own country that I haven't visited yet. One advantage of Britain is that is so compact, so in a days walk you can often move from one place to a quite different one.

I think that is a fairly common sentiment any place in the world one goes: one would like to see one's own country first.

I, for instance, used to want to go to Britain, France, and Italy when I was a child. But, as I have matured, I realized that there are far more things to see in the U.S. than in most countries (not all, but most). That, I think, is due to the fact that the U.S. is so very large, and its size enables a vast array of landscapes and ecological systems . . . that, and we've made a conscious effort to preserve large swaths of wilderness. Certainly, there are more ruins in other areas of the world, but to me, that is mostly what they are, ruins. This is also why I have never been all that fond of living in major cities. There is nothing a human can do that even comes close to that which nature itself can accomplish. There are only so many art galleries, old buildings, and concert halls once can see before they become routine, and I’ve seen enough of these already to know it.

As it is, I have whittled my bucket list down to a few essentials outside of the U.S.: Machu Picchu and the Galapagos Islands, Kilimanjaro and the African Savanna, Tibet and India, New Zealand, Brazil, and--time permitting--Ireland and Tuscany.

Originally Posted by fredv3b

I have to admit that I really did not like 'Into the Wild' at all. But I can't clearly say why...

That film just made me very angry