In books, TV and Movies, do you prefer realism or escapism?

Contributor: spiced spiced
Do you like gritty, realistic movies, TV shows and/or books? Or do you prefer fantastic escapism instead?
Answers (public voting - your screen name will appear in the results):
Realism. I like to feel like I'm THERE.
Ansley , spiced , Lildrummrgurl7 , Toy Fiend , rihanne , jennifur77 , The Vixen , Stagger13 , Mrs.Tee , Roman Petrosyan
10  (34%)
Escapism. Because reality bites enough as it is.
deltalima , Sammi , Fenneced , GONE!
4  (14%)
Other. Because it's complicated and I'll explain below.
Trysexual , El-Jaro , ththpup , chicmichiw , Rossie , big b , G.L. Morrison , gsfanatic , XxFallenAngelxX , TheirPet , Raymaker , SecondStory , Aubrey M , Virgingasms , Leather & Lace
15  (52%)
Total votes: 29
Poll is closed
03/01/2013
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Contributor: Ansley Ansley
Suspension of disbelief escapes me when it comes to escapism.
03/01/2013
Contributor: Trysexual Trysexual
Quote:
Originally posted by Ansley
Suspension of disbelief escapes me when it comes to escapism.
It has to be done right, believable to some extent, but I know what you mean.

I like movies with both, but lean to realism.

I think of something like 2001 A space oddyssey as a great example that has both. Everything is within the realm of possibility and the laws of physics are obeyed, but there is an escapism element, as well. Or even Contact.

Something like Promethius or that TV show Revolution are beyond the suspension of disbelief and/or have silly premises that could never happen.
03/01/2013
Contributor: Ansley Ansley
Quote:
Originally posted by Trysexual
It has to be done right, believable to some extent, but I know what you mean.

I like movies with both, but lean to realism.

I think of something like 2001 A space oddyssey as a great example that has both. Everything is within the ... more
Precisely. I do love a good sci-fi flick, but stuff like the Matrix and the Alien Trilogy? It's really hard for me to believe that any of that would happen.

I also have some of the same problems with over-the-top-frat-boy- humor movies. I don't think a lot of it is very funny. It's not amusing to me to see people fart and disgust a room full of people or drink so much they vomit everywhere. Where's the fun in that?
03/01/2013
Contributor: Lildrummrgurl7 Lildrummrgurl7
I prefer realism or a nice mix between the two.

Harry Potter is perfect to me. Aside from the whole magic aspect, everything is completely realistic
03/01/2013
Contributor: Trysexual Trysexual
Quote:
Originally posted by Ansley
Precisely. I do love a good sci-fi flick, but stuff like the Matrix and the Alien Trilogy? It's really hard for me to believe that any of that would happen.

I also have some of the same problems with over-the-top-frat-boy- humor movies. I ... more
I have to look away or flip channels when puking is shown. I can't stand it. I like Tosh-0, but whenever there is a puke scene, I'm out.

Oh yeah. How about Kill Bill kinda stuff. Using swords when guns are readily available? This might be Deja vu. I don't think I got past Matrix 1 or Alien 2. Though I did like Alien/Aliens overall, but It does irk me when they ignore zero gravity in sci fi. Armageddon...worst ever.
03/01/2013
Contributor: Ansley Ansley
Quote:
Originally posted by Trysexual
I have to look away or flip channels when puking is shown. I can't stand it. I like Tosh-0, but whenever there is a puke scene, I'm out.

Oh yeah. How about Kill Bill kinda stuff. Using swords when guns are readily available? This ... more
Exactly. But I am a huge Tarantino fan so that kind of slips off my radar. Four Rooms is my favorite.
03/01/2013
Contributor: deltalima deltalima
Quote:
Originally posted by spiced
Do you like gritty, realistic movies, TV shows and/or books? Or do you prefer fantastic escapism instead?
Escapism. That's exactly what I say.
03/01/2013
Contributor: Sammi Sammi
If they're done well, I can suspend a lot of disbelief and nicely escape.
03/01/2013
Contributor: ththpup ththpup
I prefer to watch stories in a world that is notably different from our reality but that deals with similar issues. Mad Men, for instance, is a great example of this. It's 1960s America, which is very different from the America of today, but they're dealing with issues that develop into and define our time. Further, the way they deal with their issues, both historical and personal, feel very true.

Perhaps a better example is Battlestar Galactica. The writers have created a very well defined world that is most definitely not ours, but they involve conflicts that are recognizable to the viewer both as people and as citizens of early 21st century America. It's not just the Iraqi War in space, but it deals with themes such as religion and insurgency in its own context.

Basically, believability and relatability are more important than realism or escapism to me.
03/01/2013
Contributor: chicmichiw chicmichiw
I like stories who can work out a premise and characters and develop them such that it's believable, relatable -- even it's technically fantasy.
03/01/2013
Contributor: Rossie Rossie
Can I pick both?
03/01/2013
Contributor: Toy Fiend Toy Fiend
Realism
03/01/2013
Contributor: jennifur77 jennifur77
I almost never watch TV, and I rarely read anything but nonfiction. Total realism all the way with me.
03/02/2013
Contributor: The Vixen The Vixen
I usually prefer realism.
I do like a lot of sci-fi so I'm fine with escapism then, but other genres such as comedies that are too far-fetched and crazy are just obnoxious to me.
03/02/2013
Contributor: big b big b
both
03/02/2013
Contributor: G.L. Morrison G.L. Morrison
I like my escapism dark and gritty.
03/02/2013
Contributor: spiced spiced
Quote:
Originally posted by G.L. Morrison
I like my escapism dark and gritty.
Nicely put!

Some of my favorite TV and movies especially do a great job of creating a world that is very different from ours, and yet so richly-detailed, nuanced - and yeah, gritty - that it feels real. Battlestar Gallactica was like that, for one example, and the first Alien film for another.

I do enjoy totally fantastic works, like Lord of the Rings, or Avatar, but they don't tend to resonate and stick with me as much as character-driven works. In general, I'll take Hemingway over Tolkien and reality over pure fantasy.
03/02/2013
Contributor: Stagger13 Stagger13
Quote:
Originally posted by spiced
Do you like gritty, realistic movies, TV shows and/or books? Or do you prefer fantastic escapism instead?
Realism more so than escapism I guess.
03/02/2013
Contributor: fizzygato fizzygato
I prefer not to think of it as a simple binary.

I like escaping into all books/ stories, no matter what "fictitious" genre it's listed as.

If a book's good, it's good. It doesn't matter what genre someone tried to market it as.
03/03/2013
Contributor: gsfanatic gsfanatic
Both are good, but I enjoy them for different reasons. Realism is nice because it's easier to relate to, but it's also nice to dream
03/03/2013
Contributor: TheirPet TheirPet
I like both, it just depends on what I'm in the mood for, really.
03/03/2013
Contributor: Bleu Bleu
I like both! The best books and movies for me are the ones that can tie both in.
03/03/2013
Contributor: Raymaker Raymaker
I love both! I like escapism the most, I would say, as it's a staple to everything I enjoy, but I'm not at all against escaping to a dark and gritty setting. XD
03/03/2013
Contributor: spiced spiced
Quote:
Originally posted by fizzygato
I prefer not to think of it as a simple binary.

I like escaping into all books/ stories, no matter what "fictitious" genre it's listed as.

If a book's good, it's good. It doesn't matter what genre someone tried to market it as.
I agree. It's certainly not a simple binary. And I totally agree that there are good and bad works in every genre.

I'm not really talking about how works are marketed, though, or which genre they get pigeonholed in. I'm talking more about the distinction between stories about regular people, living in pretty much the same "real" world we inhabit every day, versus stories about fantastic people (or beings) living in fantasy worlds.

The stories which resonate most with me are usually about regular people in the regular world. Which is not to say that I don't also enjoy other stories. I do, but generally speaking, I don't get as much out of them.
03/03/2013
Contributor: Mrs.Tee Mrs.Tee
Quote:
Originally posted by spiced
Do you like gritty, realistic movies, TV shows and/or books? Or do you prefer fantastic escapism instead?
realism
03/04/2013
Contributor: SecondStory SecondStory
Depends. I like them both, at different times.
03/04/2013
Contributor: Aubrey M Aubrey M
Quote:
Originally posted by spiced
Do you like gritty, realistic movies, TV shows and/or books? Or do you prefer fantastic escapism instead?
I like a mix, and it's fluctuated throughout my life! In middle school I was really, really into fantasy, then in high school I drifted more into realism. Now I would say that I like works that meld the two-for example, I feel that a lot of Neil Gaiman's work places magic and gods into "our" world in a really nice way and I love to read what he's written.
03/09/2013
Contributor: Virgingasms Virgingasms
I like both.
03/24/2013
Contributor: Leather & Lace Leather & Lace
I like a little bit of both.
03/24/2013