Taking a day off because it's snowing, so I'm sitting on my couch eating soup and watching Austin Powers. I'm interested to see if it holds up.

Tommy’s post, above, from the “what movies are you watching?” thread sparked a thought. What does it mean for an old movie (or television show, for that matter) to “hold up?” Do we primarily judge whether its visuals still look as if they would be in vogue today? Do we look to prescient socio-political messaging? Do we look for once-anachronistic images that are now commonplace? Help me understand, RM.

Let’s consign only the visual arts to this thread, in the name of thread integrity. Music should be discussed separately.

I think this mostly only applies to comedy, for me. Comedy often works because it feels novel, or because it is pushing a boundary. Once the boundary has shifted, or because people have worn out the "catch phrases", or scenes or moments have been discussed or mimicked or mocked in other movies enough times, the comedy may no longer feel as relevant or impactful.

Interesting. Does that mean physical comedy has a timeless quality, since it is divorced from connotation? Indeed, does a fart live longer than mere words?

Does the Alex account “hold up”?

Is about The Matrix?