I'm into this kind of stuff, but, man, dull, dull, dull. It starts off with some promise, but gets slower and slower and more and more boring as it goes along. The talking heads (some of whom are quite famous) get more and more full of themselves as the agony progresses, although, surprisingly, there aren't quite as many skinny jeans and narrow rectangular glass frames as expected (and where were all of the black tee shirts?). On the bright side, this film may be perfect for the hipster-in-training. There were hardly any actual objects of interesting industrial design (really hardly any objects at all), a deficiency, I guess, that was supposed to be compensated by the rich and sumptuous feast of self-important blather. I occasionally subscribe to "Dwell" and "Architectural Record", as much for the cool things, as for the entertainingly complex, pseudo-intellectual claptrap that "designers" and architects spout. Unfortunately, this program has few very few cool things, but an awful lot of very tedious designers (!!!) very tediously elucidating their very tedious design philosophies. (I'm pretty sure that after most of the interviews were finished the subjects lay back, cuddled with their laptops, and smoked a cigarette.) In the end, it just became all too much (or is that, too little?), so I didn't quite make it to the bitter end--I had to do the dishes. On the other hand, if you're having trouble falling asleep...
... View MoreI thought this was a brilliant documentary on design. I have been a software designer for decades and appreciated the professionalism and abilities of those interviewed. I must admit that I learned a bit about design as well - some ideas were totally new to me. I believe someone who does not do design for a living would find it interesting as well. It would help people appreciate why a good design is a good design and understand a little bit more about what the people who do good designs are like. Watching the film made me think about what good design was and gave me a greater appreciation for things I like. It also gave me some ideas on how to challenge some of the designs I do.Besides being a good learning film, I just found it enjoyable.Highly recommend.
... View MoreFirst off, just to let you know, I'm a designer. I say that because it may mean that I have more interest in the subject than most. Objectified however really points to the fact that we are ALL interested in this stuff. Far more than most consciously realize, and for those who do, probably more than we care to admit.Gary Hustwit's previous, "Helvetica" is on my rack and gets viewed probably about once a year. It's just that kinda documentary. Objectified is, in my 'subjectified' opinion, not quite so good, not quite as thoroughly followed through but Hustwit remains one of my favorite documentarians.Objectified is certainly engaging enough to pull you into the designing backstage of our world; the depth of thinking that goes behind much of what we take for granted. If you like "stuff" you'll like this movie. Even if you don't particularly care, then I still recommend it. Hustwit is again able to show just how powerful a pull we give to the things around us, what goes into them, and what we get out. You may find you care a lot more than you think you do. We really have a materialistic mindset and this is a good first step to seeing it clearly ... and maybe finding a way out.
... View MoreWell edited and composed, Objectified is neither groundbreaking nor earth-shatteringly enlightening, but it holds the interest of the audience. The transitions from subject to subject and interview to interview are smooth and unobtrusive, and the content of the documentary is interesting and cool. Form really does follow function in terms of the composition of this film, but given that it deals with the means by which design integrates itself seamlessly into our experience, the lack of bold choices becomes pertinent and is therefore less troublesome. If one is to be generous, it could even be supposed that this kind of difficult-to-notice editing is some kind of implicit statement of philosophy with regards to the role of design in the life of the individual.An interesting film. Worth seeing.
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