I've been squicked

[51stcenturyfox]

We don't see many movies in the theatre anymore. I think the last one was the latest Indiana Jones flick.  (Which was worth it because the poor staff decorated the entrance to the screening with vines and had to dress up in costumes and we had LOLZ along with our greasy butter-hands.)

So the spouse brought some DVDs home: The Bank Job and Transsiberian.

BOTH had some surprise shit I just hate in them because it SQUICKS me out but I'm only going to spoil Transsiberian under the cut.



First, The Bank Job. Decent flick. An elaborated-upon true story. Soundtrack was good. Loved the period (early 70s) styling and the look of the film. Not a huge standout but not bad either. Jason Statham is hot and Peter de Jersey turned in a great performance as Michael X. I don't have any good review wordiness to put in here but it definitely didn't suck.

Second: Transsiberian.  Started out great, though I'm not a Woody Harrelson fan, but I'm liking Emily Mortimer and Kate Mara's characters. (Woody and Emily play a couple traveling from China to Moscow and they meet Kate's char- she's a boho type travelling with her Spanish boyfriend -  played by Eduardo Noriega.) 

Not only was I pissed not to see Eduardo nekkid, because he and ol' Emily's character were USTING LIEK WHOA but then we end up with...

innocent tourists implicated in drug-smuggling plot.

Innocent tourists implicated in drug-smuggling is my squick!

Brokedown Palace? Fuck that, I am not watching it. They even popped  that evil scenario into Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. That was a comedy, but surprise innocent tourists implicated in drug-smuggling pisses me right off. I don't want to see helpless, frantic people freaking out over being used by some heartless and gutless smuggler and beaten by cops. Or threatened with the Gulag. Or the many other things that can happen to you when you lose your American Express card and your passport on the same day and some asshole plants horse in your luggage.  Run on sentence. Sorry.

I know it's stupid but it's my squick and I'm owning it. 

Another thing I despise: Creepy (often apparently inbred) freaks terrorizing stranded/lost travelers. 

Do you have any unusual squicks related to films you wish they'd warn about?  Surprise clowns, something like that?

By the way, I saw this product in a GIANT bottle at the supermarket today and it made me larf.  Head Lube. It's glossy!

Comments

[copperbadge.livejournal.com]

It's not unusual, I suppose, but: Public humiliation. To be fair this extends to TV, books, and theatre as well. It's almost ubiquitous in cinematic comedies these days, which is why I don't go to the cinema much (I also am not fond of: explosions, shakycam, or bad writing, which narrows my field basically to Pixar and after Wall-E I'm not even sure about them).

It's that moment where the hero is in front of a crowd of judgmental strangers and has just done something for which they are being Judged. It's meant, archetypally, to reinforce collective social values, but I hate the sense of comform-or-die it inflicts on me and the cringe of shame I feel on behalf of the hero.

This is also the reason that there are only about forty seconds of "Something Borrowed" that I'm willing to watch, and the reason I can't adore "Captain Jack Harkness" as much as most of my friends. Because dude just kissed a guy in the middle of a room full of HOMOPHOBIC SOLDIERS UNDER HIS COMMAND, judgmental 1940s are judgmental! And that's probably the reason he dies the next day.

Uh. You may have hit a hot-button issue with me. Disregard as Cranky Sam Hates Cinema. :D

[51stcenturyfox.livejournal.com]

I hate the sense of comform-or-die it inflicts on me and the cringe of shame I feel on behalf of the hero.

I do feel that too. We're supposed to (and maybe it's a cheap reaction grab) but it doesn't technically squick me.

The Captain Jack Harkness moment is utterly bewildering to me. I have to rationalize it as Rift Magic with nobody in the dance hall remembering the period before Jack and Tosh were sucked backed to the present.

[copperbadge.livejournal.com]

Perhaps we're on a different definition of squick from each other? Are we talking a visceral sensation of discomfort, or more of an intense "oh god, that's disgusting" reaction? For me, squick is the former, but I can see how it would be defined as the latter too.

I wince a little with stuff like Gwen walking in on sex, or Ianto getting head-patted when he protests the wedding dress isn't for him, but that's one-on-one and for some reason that's okay. When it's a crowd of people, whether they know the hero or not, I find it almost unbearable -- I've left/muted/skipped it when I've seen it coming, and when I don't see it coming I find I often can't enjoy the rest of the film/show. When I lived at home it made my parents absolutely nuts, because it was very hard to find a film the entire family wants to see. We finally called a compromise whereby I no longer got input in video rental and they no longer objected to my ignoring the film in favour of my laptop. :D

[51stcenturyfox.livejournal.com]

To me, a visceral sensation of discomfort = squick. So I'm getting your reaction here.

I'd classify some things as "minor squicks", I suppose.

Torture, to me, is a full-on squick. I have to cover my ears and screw my eyes shut when surprise torture shows up onscreen.

Prison rape, too. I won't even see films which could conceivably have prison rape scenes in them - unless I've read the book first and know they won't.

[copperbadge.livejournal.com]

See, and I'm -- well, not okay with those, I'd prefer not to see them, but they don't make me squirm the way humiliation does. They're easier for me to cope with, perhaps because I have no personal experience with them. Whereas I have done stupid, self-humiliating things a lot. :D

[51stcenturyfox.livejournal.com]

Whereas I have done stupid, self-humiliating things a lot.

Meeee tooooo.

I had to learn to either laugh at those or mentally block them out or I'd never go out in public again. :)

[copperbadge.livejournal.com]

It may be noted, I do not go out in public much. :D

[51stcenturyfox.livejournal.com]

The light. It burns us!

[copperbadge.livejournal.com]

People are looking at me! MAKE THEM STOP! :D

[51stcenturyfox.livejournal.com]

Wait. I need to use a cool username icon. You have outcooled me.

That's twice on one thread. Andreth is wearing shades and leather and has a pickup like Corky in Bound.

STOP GAWKING AT SAM. :D

[copperbadge.livejournal.com]

This is my first ever icon *polishes it* I think if I changed it people would be LOST.

[apiphile.livejournal.com]

It's not unusual, I suppose, but: Public humiliation.

Butting in to hardcore agree, I absolutely HATE Cringe Comedy.

[51stcenturyfox.livejournal.com]

I absolutely HATE Cringe Comedy.

David Brent-style?

[apiphile.livejournal.com]

RICKY GERVAIS MUST DIE. DIE. IN THE MOST PAINFULLY PROTRACTED FASHION IMAGINABLE AND AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. DIE. OH GOD.

I FUCKING HATE RICKY FUCKING GERVAIS

... yes. Essentially.

[51stcenturyfox.livejournal.com]

Don't hold back, Del.

The David Brent character doesn't make me cringe so much as want to get a running start and kick him square in the ass. Or in the arse. So hard that he'll land in a country where we spell it "ass". Too unlikable to make me cringe, even.

Ricky himself?



I sort of liked Extras.

[qthelights.livejournal.com]

Oh humiliation squicks me BIG TIME. Interestingly, i've never found that with Torchwood though.. I guess because there are competing emotions that overtake me at the time..

but, Mr Bean? I cannot watch. At all. Radio contests on the phone with some person - even when the humiliation might just be them getting the answer wrong? Have to change the station.

Almost any movie these days with stupid characters... oh wait yes, i mean "comedies".. not a chance. Jim Carrey... Adam Sandler... Those recent movies that I make myself sit through watching between my fingers because I want to see Paul Rudd.. blech. Most 'funny' things with steve carrel, or will ferell. something about mary. god no.

[51stcenturyfox.livejournal.com]

Mr Bean makes me cringe too. We found one!

When it comes to comedies like those you mention, if the the written dialogue is solid and funny, I like them.

But if they depend on mugging and repetitive character tics (OHAI Jim Carrey!), I don't.

However, I love Steve Martin in The Jerk. The script is funny.

[xtricks.livejournal.com]

It's funny, hanging around in the kink community has sub-defined 'humilation' for me. I cannot stand to watch all those 'comedies' out there that basically depend on the unwiling embarassment/humilation of a character for humor/effect or whatever. I often have to leave the room when that sort of stuff comes on.

I don't mind, so much the hero being judged because I figure she's going to go 'fucke off, I'm right' and get on with it. (since I pretty much do that myself when people try and judge me). I also didn't mind Capt. JH because the guy chose to do that himself (Jack didn't instigate it), so he knew the concequences/felt it was worth it. I think it some way, that was kinda the point of that part of the episode; how exhausting and de-humanizing it is to live a life in the closet and how good it feels to finally stop.

What I've ended up with is ... I can't *stand* when someone is publicly (or even privately) embarassed or humiliated against their will or 'accidentally' or, basically, without consent.

People who consent to it (even if they're not aware of the details) and enjoy it (or feel its worthwhile) - that's a whole different thing, to me. And potentially quite enjoyable.

[51stcenturyfox.livejournal.com]

I think it some way, that was kinda the point of that part of the episode; how exhausting and de-humanizing it is to live a life in the closet and how good it feels to finally stop.

A deep and good point.

So many people are closeted in terms of... everything. Other things. Sexuality, points of view, etc. It's freeing to just hang it out there.

But yes, being exposed/embarrassed sans consent? Horrible.

[copperbadge.livejournal.com]

Oh yes -- I was speaking of mainstream film there, and you don't see much voluntary enjoyable humiliation outside of pornography. In a sexualised setting it is different. Mind you, for me it's also situational; spanking does nothing for me, and seems so...not undignified, that's not the right word, but unnecessary. Caveat: Personal Opinion, Not My Kink, I'm not gonna judge others. I'm not kinky in the slightest, but I know a lot about it because I have friends in the lifestyle and there are certain humiliation-related kinks I do find interesting, and I understand them on an intellectual level.

Am I hallucinating, or did you write that fic where Jack takes Ianto to a sex club and they have sex in a booth in front of a TV camera? I can't find it on your journal, so perhaps I'm mixing you up with someone else, but it's a good example -- the spanking made me skim on, but the public sex I was a-ok with. Which is not necessarily humiliation, but it definitely had aspects of it.

Involuntary humiliation, especially in a mainstream film, just...rasps against me. Perhaps because I can say "fuck off, I'm right," but I still squirm on the inside -- self-esteem is very much a learned behaviour with me :D

[xtricks.livejournal.com]

Yup. I did a sex club one: http://xtricks.insanejournal.com/13621.html

I have an Insane Journal where much of my fic and longer pieces go since the strikeout, I just link to it from there.

And, yes, I think much mainstream stuff (including reality shows) bother me so much because they are both 'non-con' and also ... so clearly meant as social control/social programming. So many things presented as 'humilating' or embarassing are actually just things that violate norms, especially sex and gender norms (men in drag in most mainstream movies for example).

On re-read, I think some of the fun of writing the sex club story was in the *lack* of (significant) embarassment or humilation in parts of it. Ianto had internal monologue about how seeing other people do what he and Jack did silenced is internal critic for a bit. WHich I think helped frame the public sex as pleasureable exposure rather than unpleasant humiliation.

[copperbadge.livejournal.com]

Ah! That's the one. Liked it a lot, just had to skip the spanking bit. And yeah -- I also liked that moment where he thought, he could really be with Jack there because everyone else was obviously enjoying sex of all stripes and shades.

I think you've hit it on the head with social controls and programming -- I'm pretty sensitive to that stuff because I don't understand it very well, so I tend to violate it kind of a lot without meaning to :D