When do you stop being an expert, or even a “buff”?
I feel like I’ve lost my enthusiasm for movies, and even worse (to me, anyway), I feel I know less and less about the areas of movies I used to feel I understood. I haven’t seen any of the new big Chinese releases (like 2046 or Kung Fu Hustle). I guess there might be different reasons for this. One might be the general malaise I’m going through. Another might be a lingering, post-grad school sense of futility. I also tend to give up on things when I’m overwhelmed at how much there is – there are so many films out there, and it seems like there’s no way to watch them all so you can really be up to date on what’s been released. I’ve been wondering if movies are just something I loved at one time, and now the feeling’s gone, kind of how I thought I’d always like punk rock, or always want big new wave style hair.