A Serious Discussion of Drugs and Film, or: Why I Don't Smoke Weed Anymore

heh yes i agree about apatow, it’s often like cheech & chong comedy, i tried watching pineapple express and couldn’t even finish it

Toke up and watch Vertigo. That is all.

But alcohol, in my opinion, never, ever goes well with film. And believe me, I’ve tried.

And I agree with the previous poster, generally if I am to watch a film stoned, it is one I’ve already seen sober.

Really, the films that feel designed for being high don’t really work for me. I find that just watching exceptional cinema of any kind is better, whether it be action or serious drama.

^DAZED AND CONFUSED is nice with a buzz in my experience

Apollonian vs. Dionysian: The trick is to synthesize the two states. Most people are too much one or the other.

It’s too dark to put the keys in my ignition . . .

@Matt

Good answer.

I try to have a beer or a mixed drink or two whenever I watch a stupid comedy. Ever think Saturday Night Live is boring, cliched, repetitive crap? You’re right! But try watching it buzzed. It’s hilarious.

You think there aren’t any movies that go well with beer? Ben Stiller begs to differ. A lot of his movies become magically watchable after a couple.

i believe all facets of life, especially art, deserve to be experienced in the altered mindset every now and then

strolling around an art gallery stoned out of my mind one rainy afternoon was one of the most inspiring experiences i’ve ever had

& unfortunately most people who are 100% against intellectual drug use are inexperienced and/or boring

“’The colors, man!”’

alright, here is my answer to the original post before I dive into the replies.

Thanks for starting this topic by the way, there are not enough topics about drugs/psychedelics in my opinion.

I think you might be looking at this in the wrong way. Your post presents itself as being an ‘either/or’ type of thing when I really think it’s simply an ‘addition-to’ sort of thing. You said you realized you didn’t need weed to understand the films you watched anymore. Well, you don’t NEED weed at all, it’s simply a flower that makes things more fun. That’s really it, it simply adds fun to whatever you’re doing. It’s not necessary but if you want to have more fun while you’re doing something, it helps!

You talk about your “critical analysis” when you’re watching a film while high. Personally, I wouldn’t try to get into any sort of analysis if you’re super blazed. To me, that’s not really the focus. I don’t take 3 hits from my vaporizer and think “Alright, can’t wait to pick this film apart!”. You’re right, you tend to forget a lot about a film when you’re stoned. And to me, that’s one of the ADVANTAGES. I watch a movie when I’m high and even though I love the shit out of it, I can’t remember every single part. So when I watch it AGAIN, it still feels pretty fresh and new!

If you have incredibly complex interpretations of a film while stoned, then even better! Why would you dismiss that? There may be something there to what you’re thinking! And if you’re so worried about forgetting stuff, WRITE IT DOWN! Maybe not during the film but when it’s over, jot down your thoughts and ideas! You will be amazed the next day when you’re like “Whoa! That’s awesome!”.

I think you’re placing way too much emphasis on analyzing and evaluating films while high. That’s not its purpose in my opinion. If you REALLY want to evaluate a movie, I would probably watch it sober. And by evaluate, I’m thinking of reviewing a movie or doing some sort of critical analysis. But why are you trying to do that for every film? Why are you wanting a critical analysis and evaluation of Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Great Job? See what I mean?

Use it when you simply want to have fun and can turn off your over-analytical part of your brain. Smoke a bowl, let that goofy smile spread across your face and just ENJOY the movie! To elaborate on your questions, if you love a movie when you’re high but not when you’re sober then it may not be “good” technically but that doesn’t mean you can’t still like it/enjoy it! I watched Cobra while I was stoned and even when I was high, I realized it wasn’t that great of a film. But you know what? I enjoyed the SHIT out of it and would easily watch it again! It was hilarious and just…entertaining! But I would never rate it more than 2 stars.

Yes, weed has a place in cinephilia and yes, it is a worthwhile tool. I would just stop looking at it as a way of analyzing films and just use it when you want to simply enjoy a film. Dude, RELAAAAX!

Hah, it’s funny I liked Pink Floyd’s The Wall better now that I’m sober.
I wished I’m on something everytime stucked watching a chick flick.

House of Leaves, that art is amazing! Message me some links to more of that shit, I love psychedelic art like that!

And for the rest of you druggies, if you have a spare 45 seconds, toke up/munch your shrooms and watch this!

This is a trailer for my psychedelic comedy web series Random Acts of Randomness. I cut this trailer and made all of the music while I was super blazed. Would I have made the same creative choices if I was sober? YOU DECIDE

I thought I said this was supposed to be serious!! :P

yes i tried to go into that earlier. ^ rimbaud’s stated philosophy was the derangement of the senses, no? i admired it a lot as a teenager heh. i’m sure i still have a season in hell somewhere

and before him there was this guy

That’s the quote, Rubes.

Did you ever read Illuminations? I’ve always preferred that one.

yes, i had that one too. and rimbaud was a huge influence on the surrealist, dadaist and symbolist movements, despite a limited output and his death at a relatively young age. coleridge was a lifelong opium addict and a founder of the romantic movement, also a big influence on the american transcendentalist movement. so it’s hard to argue drugs haven’t had an influence

“limited output and his death at a relatively young age”

Well, that’s how it’s done, classically.

And don’t forget the Beats(plus Dylan, Jim Morrison, and Patti S.) when it comes to Rimbaud’s successors.

I should read more Coleridge.

Ryan—Just do a google on Yes Cover Art—all of those are Yes album covers done by the same artist, whose name I can’t remember.

right, wasn’t on the road actually written on one long amphetamine blast? jus sayin

I think the story goes that On The Road took about two weeks to write, with sizable amphetamine and caffeine usage therein. Yet Kerouac had already written and compiled loads of the material beforehand(and had already written Visions of Cody, which was essentially a prolonged, even more detailed version of the same trip), so to understanding it was essentially just the typing rather than pure composition that the substances fueled.

But then there is his The Subterraneans , which was indeed written in two nights on a Benzedrine kick.

ahh that’s what i was thinking of! ^ lol

and then there’s burroughs. anyway i don’t advocate drug use. i’ve seen too many addicts to do that. but i don’t demonize it either. everybody is different

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yeah i don’t even feel we can enter the realm of popular music on this topic. it’s overwhelming. ok i feel like a pusher now

And mostly overplayed.

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Where’s that Chris Kattan rimshot vid?

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I think people who say weed makes them more creative are really reaching. I believe that while you’re high, you may feel like you understand things better, but anyone I’ve ever heard run an empirical experiment to prove it was disappointed.

The logic people use to support this argument is usually along the lines of “I feel like I understand art so much better while I’m high.” But, actual controlled studies aside, I know some people who’ve gotten high and tried to write down what they thought to prove how much more creative they were, and ended up writing things that seemed nonsensical after.

Weed is for recreation, just like tobacco and looking at porn. Creativity arguments are really just rationalizations for that.

People who got high produced great works of art, therefore drugs make you produce great art? That’s A & B → (A → B). A huge logical reach. Every musician in the 60s was on amphetamines, great or not.

“Where’s that Chris Kattan rimshot vid?”

Thanks, Matt. Thanks.

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