How much are we "conditioned" by Hollywood movies?

I didn't mean to single out American productions specifically; I was referring to films in English more broadly.
To be specific... a friend of mine couldn't bring himself to watch an elite group film because, regardless of what 👍 or 🙏 might be, "it wasn't in English, and he's used to watching movies in English" 😁...
I'll admit that even for me, it can occasionally be a slight hurdle since my English is excellent while my knowledge of other languages is almost non-existent. However, it never occurs to me to skip a movie just because it isn't in English... in fact, I often find them easier to follow, and there are many times I simply turn off the subtitles to listen to the dialogue directly 🙂

I will confess, though, that I struggle with Asian cinema. If I'm not paying extremely close attention, I can easily lose track of who is who 😁; the character names don't feel familiar to me, and at times, the actors all seem quite similar 😁

I guess I’ve been thinking...

For some reason, those high-brow French and Italian movies just don't sit right with me—they always feel a bit much... Spanish films are alright, I suppose...

And then there's Chinese cinema—it feels like they can't make anything without throwing in those martial arts tropes, though sometimes the plot twists and emotional beats actually catch you off guard... honestly, I really enjoyed that one "In the Mood for Love"...

I actually checked out "elite group" mostly because I think the Portuguese language sounds pretty cool... 🙂

silentpilot6 said:Maybe I just don't connect with the characters' names, and honestly, I sometimes find all those Asian actors look pretty much alike to me.😁

It really just comes down to getting used to it. If you keep watching, you'll start remembering them. I struggle with memorizing names too, if I'm being honest.

My bad 🙈

Look, it’s not like I’m physically incapable of watching a movie if it isn’t in English, but man, some other languages just sound incredibly bizarre to my ears. Plus, I find it impossible to actually lock in and get lost in the story when I have to spend the whole time squinting at subtitles just to follow what's happening...

It works both ways, too. For instance, I’ve definitely found myself giving more attention to French or Spanish films—probably because they're the most common—and even rating them higher just because they aren't in English. That isn't exactly fair, either.
Edit, and I'm still doing the same thing with German cinema. It's just another bias on my part. 😢

We’ve been conditioned by the way Americans tell their cinematic stories—it's almost baked into our brains at this point. I can't quite put my finger on the exact formula for what makes a movie feel "American," but it's there.
It’s pretty obvious, though—when you see an American or a German trying their hand at that classic Hollywood style, those movies just feel "easier" to sit through. They feel more grounded, somehow... and they almost always pull better numbers than when Europeans try to make something that feels strictly "European."

Honestly, I’ve never once thought that anyone could feel "conditioned" by the language or the way someone talks 🤷
A great movie is a great movie, no matter what language it's in 😁—whether it's a series or whatever else.
I mean, sure, maybe if you're totally wiped out after a long day at work, it might feel "easier" to just put on something in English, but I would never, ever pass up a good film just because it isn't in English

it looks like I might have been a little off when I called my absolute favorite movie "against the wall"... 🙂

What can I say... personally, they're in my top tier. Maybe not top 5, but definitely top 10. 🙂Elite Group and Downfall are absolute classics. 🙏

Morgan Rodriguez57 said:I guess I wasn't quite right when I called "Against the Wall" my favorite movie... 🙂

Well, one single thing doesn't make the whole season. Since about 90% of our TV programming is in English anyway, we shouldn't be surprised. At least a huge chunk of us can understand English because of it, even if it's just passive listening..

Man, you basically just hit the nail on the head regarding my whole "problem" with watching movies...

I just can't force myself to watch anything that isn't in English. I really can't. It doesn't matter if someone spends the entire day hovering over my shoulder trying to convince me...

So far, the only ones I've actually managed to get through (and I don't regret it for a second) were The Victory, Bella, and Das Boot. They're the only non-English films I've checked out, and honestly, I'm kind of craving more like them right now...

Go ahead, roast me... 🙂

🙈

look ruggedfox28 you're missing out on some of the best movies being made right now... and they aren't coming out of Hollywood or any English-speaking territory. how conditioned are we? I guess I'd say almost 100% if I look at what's on TV, in theaters, or even just rental collections—it's mostly just US films and the English language. luckily we have the internet so we don't have to be slaves to American popcorn culture. missing a single The Life Of The Others (German), Oldboy (South Korean), or City of God (Brazilian)—not to mention hundreds of others I won't bother listing—would be pretty damn bad if you actually consider yourself a film buff...

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ruggedfox28 said:Go ahead, punish me! I'm ready!

Honestly, you’re only punishing yourself when you skip over the good movies! Seriously, don't be that person. You're missing out on all the magic! 😛

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rustyscout34 said:The Life of the Others German,

👍🙏🙏

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rustyscout34 said:Oldboy (S. KOR)

👍 You seriously gotta check out the other two movies in the trilogy! Seriously, don't stop now! 😉

Sophia Evans82 said:👍 - you should probably check out the other two in the trilogy too 😉

Why would I not have, lol? I guess just based on personal taste, Oldboy was my favorite, then maybe the revenge plot in Mr., and finally Lady, which had the best style of the three. 👍

P.S.
Cowboy Bebop is pretty much the peak when it comes to anime (I wonder when Shinichiro Watanabe will actually roll up his sleeves and make something new...)

rustyscout34 said:man, ruggedfox28 you're totally missing out on some of the best movies being made right now... (and I don't mean the stuff coming out of Hollywood or English-speaking countries).

I know.. 😢

rustyscout34 said:missing one ... City of God (BRAZIL)...

and I already saw that one 😬

Language, genre, black and white versus color... honestly, I don't care. It doesn't matter to me. I'll watch just about anything. The only thing that actually makes me turn a movie off is the subject matter. If the theme is garbage, I'm out.

William Roberts2 said:Genre, language, black and white—it doesn't matter to me, I'll watch anything. The only thing that can really turn me off from a movie is the subject matter.

Exactly—and honestly, bad themes can definitely push me away for a while—but at the end of the day, the topic is the only thing that truly stops me... everything else is just secondary!

I’m honestly just scrolling through everything without any filter at all—total pig behavior on my part.

For me, my mood and the time of day are the biggest factors when deciding what to watch. Sometimes I get a sudden craving for horror movies and binge them all week, and other times I won't touch one for an entire month. I generally try to steer clear of heavy dramas in the evenings.

I had quite the ordeal yesterday trying to sit through a Costa Gavras film with English subtitles—you know, for those of us who aren't fluent in French. It was honestly a bit of a headache; I found myself constantly rewinding scenes just to grasp the nuance of what was actually happening. I don't run into that particular frustration when I'm watching something from an English-speaking production... it just flows much more naturally.