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Ughhhh. Ok. Here's what apparently passes for a Hot Take now on Twitter: CITIZEN KANE is my favorite movie of all-time. Not cuz it's gives me some kind of cinephile cred, but because I genuinely, honestly think it's one of the most entertaining films I've ever seen. Thread...
So I'm 11 yrs old and "Video Review" airs on Animaniacs where they mention CITIZEN KANE. I had just heard Roger Ebert talk about this movie somewhere and then, weirdly, it airs on TCM so I watch it. And I'm mesmerized. 11 yrs old and this thing has me completely enthralled.
A few years later I get myself a copy of Robert Carringer's "The Making of Citizen Kane." That book stayed with me in my locker through high school. I was fascinated. I had to know everything.
A few years after that, I get a copy of the movie on DVD for Christmas. This is the first time I hear Roger Ebert's full commentary track and I fell even more in love with the film. I ended up watching it every year.
When they showed it in my wife's film appreciation class in college, I went with her so I could see the film in 16mm. If they played it in the theater, I saw it. I've even seen it played with a full house with Roger's commentary playing at Ebertfest. I. LOVE. THIS. MOVIE.
Listen, you don't need to love it. I get that for years it was presented as the pinnacle of filmmaking and that's going to put a target on its back for a lot of people because film opinions are like ass holes. But it should be known that there are people that genuinely do love it
I am one of them. It opened my eyes to the narrative power of cinema. It showed me what was possible. It was one of the first *serious* films I remember being captivated by and was SO easily re-watchable. And as an 11-yr old kid it actually showed me what a director was.
When people ask me what my favorite movie is, I choke up and I don't know what to say because I know if I say CITIZEN KANE they'll roll their eyes and never take me seriously again, so this actually feels like a weird confession, but it's completely true. Sorry.
I don't really know what the point of this thread is, other than I'm just exhausted looking through Twitter at the mounds of jerks who get off on proclaiming how "boring" they think this movie is. As if it gives them some kind of supernatural power.
In some weird way, it almost seems like saying this is actually LESS pretentious than coming on here and trying to prove how important you are by claiming that you don't like the film. Great. Congratulations. It's still a REALLY fucking meaningful film to people. I'm one of them.
