How to be a Proper Film Snob

Never watch foreign films dubbed. Only subtitles with the original language spoken is acceptable. Anything else is sacrilegious.

Any film that makes over 150 million dollars at the box office is shit no matter how much you secretly like it. Admitting you like it is equivalent to killing your first born child.

You must register to sites like DVDAficionado and IMDB bragging about how big your DVD collection is as if the movies you owned were the personal accomplishments you created.

Upon registering to IMDB you must argue incessantly to other people's "shitty" tastes and use words like overrated, underrated, genius and hack constantly.

You must then make a cool username like a movie name + birth year = Heat84. No matter how many people do this the fact YOU are doing this makes it original.

Widescreen format is the only acceptable standard to watch movies. Fullscreen is for simpletons. Fullscreen cuts 20% of the physical movie.

It is called a film and not a movie.

Remakes are all shit, regardless of the few like Insomnia and Bram Stoker's Dracula that surpass the originals.

Define who you are by your artistic likes rather than by your own personal accomplishments.

Alphabetize your DVD collection by director name, genre, actor name or medium format. This is absolutely crucial to any film snob apprentice.

Scoff at anyone who watches movies on PMP, MP3 Player or other similar device.

Claim to love and appreciate film despite stealing thousands of dollars in copyright infringements.

Everything from the 1980s was shit - fashion, music, film and architecture. (Actually these are all true.)

Recognize that the 1970s was the golden age of cinema. It was all downhill from then. Even though the 1960s were far superior.

Criterion DVDs are the only way to go.

The more obscure and random your favorite films and countries of origin that make them the better. Italian Neo-Realism is for beginners. Czechoslovakian New Wave is for pros.

Always arrive at the movies 30 minutes before the starting time. Missing the first 5 minutes is unacceptable as the crucial plot setup has been missed.

Never say the English translation of the title. Always use the native movie title.

Watching DVD director commentaries and having film books are the equivalent of film school.

Recognize Netflix was the greatest invention since the car, computer or wheel.

Be a complete pain-in-the-ass to go to a movie because nothing is good enough. Expect to have to take someone to a independent theater and expect to have to buy their ticket so they can watch your arthouse film. Also expect the person you are taking will never go to a movie with you again. Your friend just won't "get" Strangers With Candy.

Watching independent films doesn't cut it anymore. You have to watch local films.

You must follow the political leanings of your favorite artists no matter how obnoxious and self righteous they are. You look past their abuse of power in influencing weak minded people.

Watch every film from the AFI top 100 lists. This takes time and effort. Completing it should merit a medal or celebration as these lists are are updated.

Meeting other film snobs can be a blessing or a curse. The one who memorizes meaningless trivia and factoids to impress you at the dinner table are the most poisonous. They use their knowledge to to try to outdo you rather than to share a common interest. The more mature film snob gives you a lot of creative energy where you feed off of each other and complement each others styles. Tread lightly.

Being a film snob takes years of effort and must evolve to a personal style of your own - one that no longer emulates others but yearns to seek something you truly enjoy. Good luck film snob apprentices.

Atom Egoyan: The Architect of the Soul

"Young man, do you know what still causes so much pain? It's not the people we lost, or the land. It's to know that we could be so hated. Who are these people, who could hate us so much? How can they still deny their hatred? And so hate us... hate us even more?" Edward Saroyan


Ararat reflect on one the 20th centuries most unobserved genocides in history, one that took over 1 million lives of Armenians by the Ottoman Turks. What Egoyan does masterfully in his film is using a film within a film as a confessional of his pain and reflections of this part in history. We see this most when the character of Martin Harcourt breaks out of character during filming by an upset Ani played by Arsinee Khanjian when she finds out that parts of the films might not be historically accurate. Egoyan here is asking the audience to sacrifice technical detail for the gravity of the Armenian genocide where Mount Ararat is closer than what might be accurate during the film set. Mount Ararat believed to be the origin of Armenian people is interesting in itself for symbolic reasons. It is so because it is the largest physical peak in Turkey similar to how the Armenian genocide is the biggest physical atrocity to Armenians. This can be shown in the scene where the director's assistant justifies the set backdrop appear closer than what is historically accurate. It brings the pain into focus so people do not forget. It says this is who we are and where we come from.

What is one of the many themes in the film is the subjectivity of truth. Did the Turks relocate the Armenians or were they systemically killed in a planned fashion? Raffi the main protagonist and Ali the Turkish actor playing in the film within a film discuss the Armenian genocide and whether it really was a genocide or not. Ali sensitive to Raffi just wants to be civil but we see his hesitation to fully admit it ever happened. He admits the Armenians were moved but can't bring himself to say they were purposely killed. Being Turkish within an Armenian evironnment of this historical film brings him to question his own beliefs and whether he is betraying his people by associating with such an unfortunate event. It is like damning his own people by admitting guilt. Other instances of this include the purpose of a cause to solidify a a larger truth. That in which Ani says that her husband jumped off a cliff whereas her step-daughter is convinced Ani pushed her step-father off a cliff. It is hard to believe that Ani would do this but we are not sure. She is strangely intuitive and controlling of her son who may be the only person who can bring her closure. For her he is a confessional to which no sins are admitted. Her job as an art professor makes her interesting in the sense that maybe her interpretations of other peoples' art such as Arshile Gorky has sophisticated her own talent in manipulating the truth of the the death of her husband more bearable and manageable. We want to believe she is innocent like Raffi is when questioned by the customs agent but we are not fully sold.

Raffi strangely enough is the most interesting character in the film because of the complex way everyone seems to use and manipulate him to get emotional revenge on others. Although he is ultimately weak and passive he holds a lot of innocent charm that makes him trustworthy and somewhat endearing. He seeks his own version of the truth by going to Turkey to make sense of his father's death as a political fighter. To make the past events of the genocide clearer and perhaps gain a purpose like what his father had. Unfortunately none of this came true and he is more lost than ever. He has conviction but not enough drive to unravel his issues and the projections other people put on him to alleviate their own emotional burdens. This is shown when his mother has a strange jealousy of his girlfriend and vice-versa of his girlfriend using him to infuriate his mother. She does so because she believes his mother pushed her father off a cliff. He is just a tool who is passive and unclear about what he wants and how to achieve it. The absence of a father figure has obviously emasculated him and not given him that male strength to be assertive and this is shown when he is submissive to both his girlfriend and mother. The girlfriend, Cecilia wants to read his book but he tells her she can't read it because he promised him mother. If he had a male rolemodel he most likely would have just told her he didn't want her to read it and not have to justify why.


Christopher Plummer's character David who is a customs officer is a god-like character not judgemental, patient and never emotional. He is like St. Peter to Raffi's ultimate fate. David never antagonises or pushes Raffi too hard. He lets time and Raffi's own anxiety destroy him. He watches him like an unseeing eye. But his position is reversed as he has to deal with his son's questioning as he drills him about not accepting his lifestyle. Here he buckles under pressure and sees the pain of his son to be accepted. This in turn makes him give Raffi the benefit of the doubt during customs to whether or not Raffi was smuggling heroin.

The strongest and most dynamic character is that of Edward Saroyan played by Charles Aznavour. He is unapologetic in his mission as the director in the film working with Ani and Ali in his artistic choices. When Ali (Elias Koteas) who as a Turk in the film asks him what Edward thought of his opinion about the Armenian Genocide Edward just looks at him unwavering and says, "It doesn't matter what you think." He then buys him some champagne to set aside the harsh feelings. Ani also argues about the historical inaccuracy in the film but Saroyan is a vigilant and civil as possible. He appreciates her opinion but doesn't need it. His mind is decided and he doesn't bend or break for anyone.

The depictions of the Armenian genocide within the film include rape, torture and death but the characters themselves are the most tragic. They are heavily flawed, complex individuals who have much shame and turmoil in who they are and how they live. What can be most positively said about this film is that no character is a foil. They all serve equally important roles and complement and expand each other's complex natures even more.

What is best about the film is that it is not over dramatic and heavy handed. It lets you decide for yourself who is ethical and what to believe. Is Raffi innocent? The real tragedy in the movie is when we lose faith in Raffi as he is interrogated by the customs official.

The ending like the photograph the mother gives to her son says it all. Never forget who you are and never forget where you came from.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmNw_7NoWms