# I Can't Believe You've Never Seen/Read That! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 28, 2000, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-believe-youve-never-seen-read-that/43108 "2000-11-28T23:34:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2000, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-believe-youve-never-seen-read-that/43108/21 "2000-11-29T06:37:52Z")
I never saw Titanic and didn’t want to. Media hype drove me friggin’ nuts! I’ve only seen half of the first Star Wars movie - _SNORE_ - and none of the others. I also never saw Bambi, E.T., or Gone with the Wind. My dad had never heard of Prozac until I told him I was on it about 4 months ago. (I’m off it now. Can’t afford the damn stuff. Gotta say, though, that the month and a half that I did take it seemed to make a noticable and permanent difference in my mood - in a good way!) ---
**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2000, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-believe-youve-never-seen-read-that/43108/22 "2000-11-29T12:49:10Z")
I have never read any Dickens, though I have seen bits and pieces of film adaptations and am pretty familiar with the basic plots of his more popular works. I haven’t seen more than bits (a minute or two) of the ‘Godfather’ trilogy, ‘Citizen Kane’, ‘Rocky’, ‘Annie Hall’, ‘Singing in the Rain’, or ‘Beauty and the Beast’. I have never seen more than a minute or two of ‘Saved by the Bell’ or any black comedy on UPN or Fox (not racist, they just don’t appeal to me). Up until a couple of months ago I had never watched ‘Seventh Heaven’, now I am hooked - for some reason it’s one of my favorite shows to watch high on pot. ---
**Author:** ![Globe-trotter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cab0a1/32.png) [@Globe-trotter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Globe-trotter)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2000, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-believe-youve-never-seen-read-that/43108/23 "2000-11-29T13:18:38Z")
I haven’t seen Titanic either. Yep, I resisted the hype. It was on TV Sunday night and I read instead. It helps that I can’t stand James Cameron and Leonardo. What I want to know is this : did it deserve to win that many Oscars? I haven’t seen The Phantom Menace, although I’ve seen the other three. I’ve never seen any of the Star Trek movies. However, to increase my weirdness quotient, I’ve read most of Dickens’ books and loved them. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2000, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-believe-youve-never-seen-read-that/43108/24 "2000-11-29T13:44:37Z")
It’s silly and snobbish to avoid watching any movie just because it had a lot of hype. It strikes me as just an excuse to prove You Are Above That Sort Of Thing. I’ve actually seen all the films on Gadarene’s list. Some are undeniably great (Citizen Kane, Singin’ in the Rain) some are OK (Titanic, It’s a Wonderful Life) and some are terrible (Alien). You’re not doing yourself any favors by deliberately skipping them. It’s nothing to be proud of. The biggest name of important books I’ve never read is probably _Catcher in the Rye_, though sooner or later I’ll probably pick it up to see what all the fuss is about. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2000, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-believe-youve-never-seen-read-that/43108/25 "2000-11-29T14:10:27Z")
I refuse to see Titanic - partly because of the hype, partly because of some of the stuff I read about it before it came out. The snippets I’ve caught because hubby stopped on it while channel surfing convinced me I was right. Never watched any of the Godfather and I don’t think I watched any of the Rocky things all the way thru - I only saw what I saw because hubby watched 'em. Also avoided most of the Star Trek movies and shows. I’ve seen exactly one episode of the X Files and thought it was stupid. I’ve caught snippets of Seinfeld and Friends - also stupid. As for books - I’m working my way thru the classics that most folks read in school - as my daughter finishes them, I read 'em… ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2000, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-believe-youve-never-seen-read-that/43108/26 "2000-11-29T14:13:53Z")
> [@](#): > > It’s silly and snobbish to avoid watching any movie just because it had a lot of hype. It strikes me as just an excuse to prove You Are Above That Sort Of Thing. That’s not what I meant at all. I had heard about the damn thing _so_ many times on television that I had _negative_ desire to see it. If fact, because of all the commercials and all the parodies, I almost felt like I had seen it anyway. It’s called getting completely burned out on a subject and has nothing to do with snobbery. Besides, if I was an anti-pop culture snob, I probably wouldn’t have read every book Michael Crichton and John Grisham ever wrote. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Bottle\_of\_Smoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Bottle\_of\_Smoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bottle_of_Smoke)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2000, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-believe-youve-never-seen-read-that/43108/27 "2000-11-29T15:23:37Z")
I’ve seen most of the movies on the OP’s list with the exception of _Gone With the Wind_. For some reason people (women especially) are downright shocked that I have never seen it and have no desire to see it. And I feel the same way about people saying “You’ve GOT to see this movie.” It puts me off the idea. I know this is silly and childish, but I just dig my heels in when I hear this. That said, you simply have GOT to see _Singing in the Rain_. ---
**Author:** ![NicePete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ee7513/32.png) [@NicePete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NicePete)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2000, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-believe-youve-never-seen-read-that/43108/28 "2000-11-29T15:46:56Z")
Haven’t seen _Titanic_ don’t intend to. My perception, which may be flawed, is that it’s essentially a romance with some incidental special effects. Allow me to plug the _Godfather_ movies – especially the first two. More than anything else I’ve seen listed here, these are absolutely worth renting. ---
**Author:** ![HelloKitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecccb3/32.png) [@HelloKitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelloKitty)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2000, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-believe-youve-never-seen-read-that/43108/29 "2000-11-29T16:32:35Z")
I haven’t seen _Titanic_ either, and don’t plan to. It just never interested me. Other movies I’ve never seen are _Shakespeare in Love_ and _The English Patient_, and I usually make it a point to see the Best Picture Winners every year. The last few years the movies I really wanted to win were shut out. I am a major Star Trek fan of both the classic and Next Generation series, however, I have never seen _Star Trek: Insurrection_. I even rented it one day and never watched it! Dunno why… I have never watched _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ and it’s probably too late now to start. Plus, I really don’t like vampire type movies/shows. ---
**Author:** ![Tamex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Tamex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamex)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2000, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-believe-youve-never-seen-read-that/43108/30 "2000-11-29T16:59:08Z")
I’ve never seen _Titanic_ either. When it came out in the theater, my kid was still pretty young, and we just didn’t go out to movies that much. That, and I just don’t like really long movies. The last really long movie I saw was _JFK_–ugh! Definitely needed an intermission. (I’ve heard that some theaters showed it with an intermission, but the one I went to didn’t.) Why haven’t I seen it on video? Inertia, probably. That, and there was enough hype, commercials, parodies, Celine Dion songs on the radio, etc., that I think I’ve seen most of it already. Forgot that it was going to be on TV on Sunday, too. I haven’t make a conscious effort to avoid the movie, but I really have no desire to see it at the present time. ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2000, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-believe-youve-never-seen-read-that/43108/31 "2000-11-29T17:07:00Z")
(Slight hijack.) David Lodge _rocks_! I’ve never seen _Titanic_ either, which frankly doesn’t bother me a whole lot. OTOH, I feel really bad that I’ve never seen _Taxi Driver_ or _Goodfellas_. And I have never read _Paradise Lost_ – which would be about par for the course for most people, but I’m a _PhD student in English Renaissance literature_. Please, please don’t tell my advisor… ---
**Author:** ![Bottle\_of\_Smoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Bottle\_of\_Smoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bottle_of_Smoke)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2000, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-believe-youve-never-seen-read-that/43108/32 "2000-11-29T17:10:26Z")
Fretful – not reading Milton when you should is nothing to be ashamed of. I wish I had those 80 hours back. ---
**Author:** ![Tzel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Tzel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tzel)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2000, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-believe-youve-never-seen-read-that/43108/33 "2000-11-29T18:23:58Z")
Until a few weeks ago, I’d never seen any of the Star Wars movies either. However, I don’t live in a cave, so I already knew most of the plot. Some friends were going to throw in Empire Strikes Back, and I mentioned that I had never seen any of the SW movies. They were aghast, and we watched Star Wars instead of Empire. Two nights later we watched Empire, and we watched Episode I a few days later. I still haven’t seen Jedi. I had hoped to see all 6 in correct order, but that plan is shot. I have another friend who has only seen Episode I and is following this plan. Some of the comments I have received upon telling people that I haven’t seen Star Wars: “Where are you from??” “You’re a sick man.” “Are you from America?” etc. I’ve also never seen Titanic, and I never will. I refuse to be a part of the hype. ---
**Author:** ![Stuffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@Stuffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stuffy)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2000, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-believe-youve-never-seen-read-that/43108/34 "2000-11-29T18:50:14Z")
Hey I’m in great company. Ive never seen: Any Bogart Movie It’s a Wonderful Life (though Ive been intending to for 10 years or so) Taxi Driver Beverly HIlls 90210 (or any of it’s clones) Buffy TVS (the show, I saw the movie) Friends Seinfield Survivor GWTH Braveheart (that’s that Mel Gibson one right?) The Sound of Music (I think Ive been meaning to see this one, Julie Andrews right?) Not a single WB show Only shows on UPN Ive seen are 7 Days and Voyager My wife tried to make me watch Titanic (I fell asleep on it) ---
**Author:** ![broccoli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@broccoli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/broccoli)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2000, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-believe-youve-never-seen-read-that/43108/35 "2000-11-29T19:15:14Z")
All the time I will quote something from a movie or what not and I’ll get a person who just stares at me. At first I think, “It must be the septum piercing” and then I realize they have no clue what i’m talking about. As stupid as it sounds I pity these people and feel that they are not my ‘equals’ because they spent their time probably doing something worthwhile whereas I spent my entire high school (and longer) education quoteing Monty Python and other crap. The worst part of it is now it’s at a point where when people quote the crap _everyone_ knows I get disgusted, because it’s like “Christ, haven’t you moved past that yet?”. What also drives me nuts is where people almost get the quote right, but it’s just a little bit off. I need therapy. I started a “Bad movie night” club that shows two or three bad movies each friday and saturday night. It’s been running steady for three years now, but I don’t go anymore because they don’t have movies I haven’t seen at the rental stores. And I live in decent sized city (Tampa) Someone kill me please, I probably could have been a Brain Surgeon, but no I’m a T.V. Casualty punk snot dead, broccoli! ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2000, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-believe-youve-never-seen-read-that/43108/36 "2000-11-29T19:25:24Z")
stuffinb, are you sure your not Houseman? You know the SDMB has rules about using 2 usernames. It’s just that you are _so much_ like my husband. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2000, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-believe-youve-never-seen-read-that/43108/37 "2000-11-29T19:36:26Z")
I pretty much agree with everything **RealityChuck** said. I’ve always disliked that “elitist” point of view (thats one of the reasons ive never been a full-fledged punk rocker, punks are assholes) if i haven’t seen a movie its probably because i haven’t gotten around to it, not because of what i heard about it or how much hype surrounded it. Take **Titanic** for example, everyone is saying how proud they are to have not seen it but why? I personally didn’t like it because i felt that it had bad cinematography and bad acting, it made me feel like i was watching a made for tv movie, but i wasn’t going to dismiss it without watching it just because it made 400million+ or because i have some vendetta against leonardo dicaprio (who is a good actor by the way, even though i dont like most of the movies he is in). And im appalled at how many people saying they are PROUD to have not seen **Good Will Hunting** and **Braveheart**! WTF!! I watch ALOT of movies and these are two of the best movies ive ever seen in my life! It’s one thing to have simply never seen a movie (ive never seen citizen kane) or to disklike a movie after you’ve seen it (i absolutely loathe taxi driver), but to dismiss a movie (or anything, for that matter) before you’ve even seen it and say you are “proud” to have not seen it is ridiculous. Open up your minds people, get some culture. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2000, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-believe-youve-never-seen-read-that/43108/38 "2000-11-29T19:54:50Z")
WOW. I’m a tv and movie junky so I’ve no place in this thread but this thread has surpised me. I too use lots of tv/movie ref’s. and a lot of you wouldn’t have a clue what I was talking about half the time. ---
**Author:** ![Stuffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@Stuffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stuffy)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2000, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-believe-youve-never-seen-read-that/43108/39 "2000-11-29T20:02:22Z")
> [@](#): > > stuffinb, are you sure your not Houseman? You know the SDMB has rules about using 2 usernames. > > It’s just that you are so much like my husband I hope that’s a compliment 😃 BTW, Is Houseman another poster? Cisco, I don’t know about the other posters, but for me I didn’t actively see the movie (Titanic), as I know the ship sunk and aren’t very prone to watch romance stories. ---
**Author:** ![TVeblen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@TVeblen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVeblen)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2000, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-believe-youve-never-seen-read-that/43108/40 "2000-11-29T20:32:35Z")
Now take a deep breath, **Cisco** and **Reality Chuck**. Speaking only for myself, being a pop culture misfit sure isn’t deliberate or a point of pride. As **yojimbo** pointed out, it can be a huge liability missing commonly shared references. Look, it isn’t elitism. I love some of the stupidest, forgettable, grade-B hack movies ever made. Not funky-hip cult classic stuff; really _bad_, inane movies. I don’t have any patience with “if the masses love it I’ll hate it” mindset either. It’s more a matter of time–specifically not enough of it. Some of the pop stuff I just haven’t carved out time to try out. Others I’ve tried, but they just didn’t grab me–or I didn’t invest enough time to develop the taste. Being a dweeb wasn’t the goal, just the unintentioned outcome. On the _Titanic_ issue, I really have been obsessed with the wreck for years. (Hey, some people collect thimbles; I’m big on shipwrecks.) I bought the tapes of Ballard’s discovery, and have seen most of the earlier movies based on the wreck. But for some reason I didn’t want the overlay of the recent movie. Can’t say that makes sense, but there ya are. Veb [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-believe-youve-never-seen-read-that/43108.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-believe-youve-never-seen-read-that/43108.md?page=3)