The gravitational pull of the canon

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I’m going to start by handwaving the definition of “the canon.” This part should hopefully be uncontroversial. In film, there are movies and filmmakers that we know are generally considered to be great; in music, there are albums and musicians that we know are generally considered to be great. It’s not that these movies/albums/etc are automatically great, but that we are aware of the general consensus about them. This isn’t intended to be a #HOTTAKE; I didn’t call this “FUCK THE CANON” or “12 reasons why Shawshank Redemption really is as good as everyone says it is (I CAN’T BELIEVE #7 IS LEGAL IN CANADA).” (1)

Ok, so. Although we are all aware of the canon, we might be less aware of the gravitational pull the canon has on our reactions to art. That is: we are more likely to give the benefit of the doubt to a canonical piece of art, and conversely we are less likely to consider the merits of an “anticanonical” piece of art. This is not so good! Some personal examples:

  • I do not like the current phase of Cronenberg’s career, which coincides with his crowning as a canonical modern master of film. I tried very hard to find in A Dangerous Method and Maps to The Stars the hand of the same filmmaker who made Videodrome. This was wasted effort.
  • I like some music that is firmly canonical (Yo La Tengo, Sonic Youth, Aphex Twin) and some music that is not (Justin Bieber’s “Boyfriend,” blaaarghy death metal, esoteric electronic music).
  • Uwe Boll has made two movies (1968 Tunnel Rats and Postal) that I legitimately – unironically – enjoyed.
  • I bought The Devil Inside on Blu-Ray (you might not be surprised to hear it was quite cheap) and have watched it many times. I like that movie a lot.(2)

I’m not arguing in favor of being a contrarian. If you like late-period Cronenberg, more power to you. Rather, inclusiveness is the key here: die-hard film nerdery could benefit from a more acute awareness of how other peoples’ opinions can influence ours. And perhaps the next time Uwe Boll puts out a movie, you might just give it a shot.

(1) I want to write this now. THE SOLUTE TURNED INTO BUZZFEED SO SLOWLY WE DIDN’T EVEN NOTICE

(2) I like it more than The Exorcist. I also like Renny Harlin’s Exorcist: The Beginning more than The Exorcist. God, it feels good to bare my soul down here.