filmmakers who are like “i don’t watch old movies” are the most narcissistic people around and yet they are also reflective of the kind of people who go into film production and lack any curiosity about filmmaking that stretches beyond their narrow existing perspective

it’s the same issue i have with a lot of writers today who pretty much cruise along by writing about themselves rather than the work they’re supposedly engaging with. there’s a way to reflect on art that blends both well, but most people can’t actually do that.

a lot of this comes from the culture of wanting to be “the first” or “the best” at something. if you don’t know or engage with your history beyond what is recent, it’s easy to make grandiose claims about yourself or about the contemporary art that you’ve discovered.