Is Vine Cinema? | Brows Held High

Well, it is? Actually, what is "cinema" anyway?
CORRECTIONS: At one point in the video, the film “The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat Station” has been incorrectly labeled as “Captain America: Civil War.” We apologize for the error.
Lauren Michele Jackson Explores the Inherent Blackness of Meme Culture: nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/...
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Also Ko-Fi is A Thing That Exists: ko-fi.com/kylekallgren

[@alisaurus4224]

15:07 “No one plots like Cocteau, frames his shots like Cocteau Makes his passions your everyday thoughts like Cocteau” ...Kyle. KYLE.

[@tinnagigja3723]

"Cock ain't got no toes. Idiot."

[@ambergong7201]

I will catch myself sing songs from that review, and my friend would ask me why am I singing songs from beauty and the beast.

[@gnalkhere]

HE'S ESPECIALLY GOOD AT MARAIS FRAMING

[@hannad7720]

HIS SPECIAL EFFECTS ARE JUST SCINTILLATING!

[@hannahmoran3660]

Your "Wtf is up Kyle" impression cleared my skin, watered my crops, cracked the shell around my cold dead heart. Thank you King ❤️

[@arturhours]

​damn i didn't expect this video about wether vine is cinema or not to fill me with existential dread but here we are

[@ShadowMageAlpha]

What hasn't filled us with existential dread this year?

[@Rachel-xf3op]

I'm only half-way through and now I'm worried

[@Lexivor]

@@Rachel-xf3op I'm only half-way through 2020 and I'm worried too.

[@Rachel-xf3op]

@@Lexivor yeah that's a whole mood

[@pineapplepie52]

Your use of classic Vines to punctuate your points is just... *chef’s kiss*

[@Vesperitis]

Dear Kyle: I mean this in the best way when I say that before I started watching _Movies with Mikey,_ _Every Frame a Painting,_ _Just Write,_ _Patrick (H) Willems,_ and _Film Crit Hulk,_ I watched you first. You are still one of the best, most passionate, most profound film analyst I know. I'm just so glad you're still doing what you love.

[@mapleleaf65]

Ditto.

[@ElNarez]

I choose to see this video as a Criterion edition of the "back at it again at krispy kreme" vine and you cannot stop me

[@GalvanizedArt]

Kyle I don't know if you labelled the train footage "Captain America Civil War" on purpose but it's perfect and it killed me.

[@NoirTheSable]

Am I the only one who remembers that scene where Bucky waits for a train to arrive at La Ciotat Station?

[@bellamorts]

this part killed me

[@madmonk3030]

"For a damn decade" Jeeze, remind me of the cruel passing of time, why don't you

[@BumbusBumbi]

11:27 Damn, I don't remember that scene in Civil War

[@Oddeyeful]

Director's cut

[@k.ebartlett1830]

"because all hierarchies are made-up and arbitrary" Anarchist comrade Kyle?

[@dandylionsloth446]

+

[@umangmalik]

hell yeah

[@Hawkatana]

He has taken the breadpill and joined us.

[@marxmeesterlijk]

one of us, one of us

[@Hawkatana]

@@MrToimeton Yes.

[@thehopeofeden597]

3:29 It only took several years but we finally got Kyle’s response!

[@mrclueuin]

😁😄

[@coolgirl1744]

50% of this video listening to Kyles points during the essay, 50% of it QUOTING THE VINES DURING THE VIDEO

[@MikeRugnetta]

YESSS. Amazing as always. And thanks for treating our tongue in cheek lambasting of "new media" handwringing with thoughtfulness and respect.

[@CarelessFoolFallsFlat]

As always, I enjoy hearing your thoughts: connecting Vines to extremely early experimental movies seems like such a obvious thing to do in hindsight. However, I just want to point out that Ferguson protesters used Vine to upload footage of the police brutality they were suffering.

[@KelniusTV]

As an Australian, I needed that footage, because in Australia, we copied what the American media said, by reporting those as riots. It's only through social media that it was revealed that these were peaceful protests until militarized police showed up, and started the fights.

[@TapDat52K]

I got so many chills during the ending sequence.

[@Foxpawed]

Kyle is very, very good at evoking that sensation. The ending of Between The Lines: Inception and the midroll break of Blue always stick out in my mind. "Of course it was all a dream. It's a movie, isn't it?"

[@marias-i3333]

It was like his video on from Caligari to Hitler for me

[@Foxpawed]

@@marias-i3333 "... I couldn't help it! It just popped in there!"

[@XainRussell]

I love how good you are at breaking down a topic in a entertaining and educational way, and then ending it all off with "And this is why it is so goddamn important."

[@kungpowchou]

"What you capture now will define this time" gave me chills on chills. Thank you Kyle, and please stay safe too.

[@samtheanthro]

It's hard to believe what an imprint vine has left on me and other people I knew who were teenagers/young adults when it was active. Even after 3 years of inactivity me and my friends can quote countless vines from memory. While I do get some kicks out of TikTok in many ways it feels like an imitation of Vine more than its own thing. What a lovely vid, I'm glad you're back, esp with how powerful that ending was. You might not be the fastest KZbinr but I have found few who are as insightful and as impactful as your stuff.

[@marias-i3333]

To this day, my gf and I still quote the vine to each other when we drive past a road work sign

[@sortingoutmyclothes8131]

TikTok is not an imitation of vine. It pays homage to it. The best TikToks know their true origins.

[@RhythmDeamon]

I actually wrote a term paper about Marshall mcluhans "medium is the message" and how vine is postmodern absurdist soviet montage Glad It's actually a thing and I wasn't just high on monster energy drink 😂

[@velvetvandal]

Wakanda is the only place that still has Vine

[@Feasco]

Their vibranium gets stolen, all their magic flowers are burnt but they still got the Vine

[@TheNineteenKing]

Truly a utopia civilization

[@darianacarolina4854]

Kyle, your content is always worth the wait. If you need to take all the time in the world because you are a powerhouse army of one then pleass do, those of us who enjoy will always, gladly, wait. Thank you for the work that you do. ♥️

[@SunshineNinja94]

This is hands down one of my favourite video essays, not only of 2020 or that you've published but ever. It was both funny and poignant in a way that had me squealing in laughter and watching solemnly in silence. You did a wonderful job Kyle. I'm proud to be a fan/viewer of yours.

[@tootyflutie]

I'm a US citizen living abroad right now, so I'm not in the US during this time. I feel the short clips from Instagram and Tik Tok provide better insight into what's happening than the traditional media of news reports. Contents and facts in news articles are quickly outdated, but the emotion and sentiment of those short videos have a much bigger impact. I feel connected to other American's in this time of struggle through the lens of their smartphone cameras. Contrastly, media that's lengthy with editing and political overtones makes me feel alienated from my own country.

[@KelniusTV]

The media often has a bias as well. Just look at how many peaceful protests get called riots when the protestor aren't white...

[@ActuallyAnanya]

I've missed your video essay style content so I'm really looking forward to this!

[@jasmijnisme]

"dad look it's the good kush" "it's the dollar store how good can it be"

[@Xidnaf]

i had a nightmare last night that i saw kyle kallgren at a convention and i went up to him like ":O kyle kallgren?!?" but he looked at me confused and i realized it was just someone who looked like kyle kallgren

[@horseenthusiast1250]

!!! Hello, Xidnaf! I wasn't expecting to see you here, lol. I hope you're doing ok these days, and I love your videos. :)

[@einootspork]

It'd be much easier to recognize you in public, just gotta look for the stick figure with a bowl cut

[@Advent3546]

I've had a lot of thoughts about how Vine compilations are weirdly hypnotic.

"Oh look, he sneezed. CINEMA!" Perfect video.

[@animanya394]

Mike Rugneta: in this essay i will Kyle: yes

[@TheNumnutRandomness]

Damn, this is the most polished "Vine Compilation" video on this site

[@thefollowingisatest4579]

However long it takes, you're always worth the wait.

[@addoworkman2173]

for real every time I check in and there's a new video, there is always something worth waiting for.

[@klisterklister2367]

having never been on vine or tiktok, suddenly all the memes for the past 10 years suddenly make sense now that have actually seen them. who is she is a meme that keeps coming back on tumblr

[@Fungamerplays]

*finally* someone else that despises the "Hurricane Tortilla" kid

[@horseenthusiast1250]

If only my brother (who also loathes hurricane tortilla kid) could see this comment lol

[@davidfrend]

There are dozens of us! Dozens!

[@Patrick-jd1ku]

I hate most of the vines with kids. Partly because they're just annoying, and partly because I worry about how that shit will affect those kids in the future

[@davidfrend]

@@Patrick-jd1ku I'm honestly so glad I didn't have much of my life posted online when I was younger. So many bad decisions that I was so proud of.

[@jeffreymilliman2306]

Awesome as always, Kyle. Thank you! For anyone curious, the song playing in the "sometimes I dance with the cat" video is "Resonance" by HOME. I got very excited when I heard it.

[@DavetheTurnip]

Holy shit that was good. Powerful ending juxtaposed with lots of laughs from how funny so many of those vines are. The bit about video essays having different reasons for starting than finishing is all too real for me at the moment. -.-

[@BlackScarabFilmZ]

I did not expect to watch two videos that reference "You're The Man Now Dog" in the same week, but I guess that's what I get for watching Lindsay Ellis' old Top Pre-KZbin viral videos list when I knew this was coming out soon.

[@pinkcupcake4717]

Kyle's voice delivering sweet insightful cinematic thought, punctuated with vines I know by heart? This is perfect!!!

[@RodTejada502]

♫ Nooooooooo onee plots like Cocteau Frame his shots like Cocteau Makes his passions your everyday thoughts like Cocteauuuu ♫ :') I missed your videos so, so much. You rock, Kyle!

[@jediyarahim-danford7592]

I'm literally crying. how did you make me cry by saying do it for the vine?! You're so talented 😍

[@alexvietzke6027]

Tough to describe my feelings on this one. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a KZbin video that left me genuinely rattled/moved. Excellent work!

[@akinmytua4680]

Alex Vietzke that’s a lot of the content here. Check out the video on fascism

[@marias-i3333]

I never got into vine while it was on the app, but those KZbin vine compilations soothed so much during the worst of my depression and my struggle to graduate college Seeing them here gave me a kind of nostalgia I don't think I've felt before

[@eles1240]

I'm living in Portland right now and it's truly terrifying. Inaction is unacceptable yet with the current military action being taken, you're not sure of what will happen when you or friends go to the protests. I don't think I'm alone when I say people are really reaching out into the darkness now, whether that's for justice, friendship, or a return to ignorance, we all want something resembling peace. This video really connected with me because it was a reach into the past where I feel safe. But we are not safe now, we weren't then either.

[@Lemanic89]

RIP Adam “Hi, Welcome to Chili’s” Perkins.

[@chishionohana]

Everything about this video is magnificent, but the serious build up about toxic masculinity followed by "two bros" made me scream so loud I woke up the cat

[@skepticJames]

Well, I'm convinced. My favourite part was how I recognized literally every Vine in this video and my other favourite part was how many of them I was laughing at before they played because I recognized them from a few words of description.

[@lora5030]

I love how deeply ingrained some vines are in web-culture and also that almost any big show/fandom have an associated vines compilation because they are that universal.

[@wildcosmia5018]

Hearing the phrase "do it for the vine" sent me right back to high school

[@thehopeofeden597]

Here’s a fun game! List off your favorite Vines! I’ll start: SO I AM CONFUSION! WHY IS THIS ONE KANSAS BUT THIS IS NOT AR-KANSAS! AMERICA EXPLAIN -

[@dylanchouinard6141]

*Orthodox Priest dunks baby in a baptismal font* Where’s the money, Lebowski? *dunks again* WHERES THE FUCKING MONEY SHITHEAD?!?! “It’s in there somewhere, let me just look again.” *Baby gets dunked again*

[@willku9000]

Calling people daddy is gross Stop kinkshaming me KINKSHAMING Is my kink ... AAAAAAAHHHHHH😱

[@thefollowingisatest4579]

Oh...so many. But I think I'll always go back to the Matt post classic: "Detective this is a crime scene!" *Detective stealing all the ben and Jerry's from the freezer* "what is this the murder weapon? Get off my dick!"

[@whym6438]

My favorite is the Gamecube startup screen with a perfectly timed Spiderman butt slap edited in. It never stops being funny.

[@n.l.g.6401]

"Why you always lyin?" will forever be my favorite.

[@a.elliotbesmann4022]

Good to see you haven't lost your edge at all - lure us in with an academic, intriguing but amusing premise, and then the ending kicks us right in our emotional dicks. Well done.

[@DarcOfTheShadows]

15:02 I love the little reference to the Beauty and the Beast crossover.

[@crystalmims]

This is probably my favorite video you made so far. I have to admit I never really got into vine (or TikTok) but I think you really present the format's possible place in our culture today. We live in weird times and of course our media should reflect that. Thank you!

[@saedimic]

Well, maybe we can look back it this in five years. Stay safe.

[@SamAronow]

Ah, but it’s not called “cinema” in all languages. In Hebrew, “movie” is “seret” (ribbon), whereas “cinema” is “kolnoa” (motion-sound). Wait, does that mean silent films aren’t cinema if you’re speaking Hebrew!?

[@danielsnoap9782]

Well, if it's a silent film, no one's speaking anything

[@KelniusTV]

It sounds like **seret** doesn't mean "movie", but "FILM".

[@dylanchouinard6141]

So seret refers to the literal rolls of film? Also Shalom Alechiem

[@TheGreatJohnPlays]

I keep expecting to see the first American version of Tiananmen Square or Amritsar on the news. It feels like only a matter of time.

[@Wanriky]

I've noticed that vine compilations on youtube rarely, if ever, include the title/caption. I feel like half the time (okay, maybe 40%), a vine is a punchline to a joke that was set up by the caption. With TikTok's, the captions are part of the video (which has been pretty important with adding context to videos capturing state violence, and also context to whatever joke/comedy). I'm not sure what point I've got with this, but I think about it a lot.

[@lfr8666]

10:52 Using that clip of Tony when describing the debate is perfect. Way to silently convey your opinion :P You always make solid, compelling arguments; I definitely appreciate Vine more now. As an aside, thank you for citing the vines and including the titles. Now I finally get the vine at 13:58! You've made a video that's funny, engaging, sobering, and at the end, hopeful. Thank you for your wonderful work. Stay safe. Do it for the vine.

[@ValboaCross]

Kyle you're probably one of my favorite creators. I always enjoy your work and look forward to each video.

[@haphazardlark1502]

I usually leap on these videos right when they come out but I was saving this one for when I was in a headspace where I could actually focus on it. Saving it for a shitty rainy day. Just turned this whole morning around. You could take months between uploads and I’d still just be excited as hell when a new one does pop up by surprise because they’re always worth it, and the work you put into them shines through every time. EDIT: also for a variety of reasons, perpetual eye strain headaches among them, I almost never watch KZbin videos, instead listening on headphones and glancing over if it’s obvious I missed some important visual aspect. So glad I actually watched this one in addition to listening because your Kyle vine response was amazing and if I were only listening I would have missed the disc horse visual joke and that would have been a tragedy. I gotta start setting aside low headache days to watch your stuff from now on cause there are so many little editing moments I’d be sad to miss EDIT Two: I shouldn’t comment before finishing videos. Last night I said your video about ghosts of lost films was possibly my favorite of yours. This just usurped it. (Although they really compliment each other, back to back)

[@fafofafin]

You make the best video essays on youtube, and there's some tough competition but I stand by that statement.

[@stellaluna92]

Loved the little nod to the Jean Cocteau song from the Beauty and the Beast video. Also, this was a brilliantly put together video, absolutely love the work you do. Side note this took me back to a time in my life a few years back when I was so emotionally empty and overworked that the only content I could consume, were youtube compilations of vines on repeat. It got to the point I could instantly recognise most by just a single frame.

[@andyopheim5662]

I missed your videos talking about Avant-garde films and videos about. Art in general keep up the good work

[@TiliaCordata]

So worth the wait. I love your video essays.

[@soren7550]

With the inclusion of some classic hilarious Vines, this is one of your funniest videos to date! I can't wait to see how you end this comedy train!

[@greypilgrim26]

God damn it’s good to have you back - keep doing your amazing thing!

[@charlieni645]

It's so good to see you upload one more time just before I have to leave this country, Kyle! Getting to discover the community of KZbinrs driven by compassion and love like you has been one of the highlights of this era of my life. I was hoping to find a job that guarantees my place here and becoming a patron of yours, but I guess that would have to wait. I hate to leave when all of you are doing everything you can to make this country a better place, but knowing her future will be defined by brave Americans like you sets my mind at ease. I love you all and hope you all the best.

[@Woesteinvuir]

Kyle this is a fucking masterpiece and one of the best vide essays I've ever seen. The best thing you've ever made too in my view. Brilliant, brilliant work.

[@evilcaptainred]

Kyle’s back! This shit year just improved!

[@rubylucas9179]

Continue to adore your video essays Kyle

[@DrCheese]

Ah, Captain America Civil War is my favorite 1895 black-and-white short film

[@jeswicas]

It always makes my day when you upload!

[@TheBlackCinephile]

Kyle, you're back!! This video was well worth the wait :)

[@dondake3409]

You know what Kyle...I AM gonna do it!

[@12Tecpatl]

Damnit Kyle, I always end up tearing up at the end of many of your videos and this one was such a gut punch. Thank you for sharing your analysis with us. No matter if we have to wait, it's incredibly worth it.

[@orvilpym]

For someone who is terrified by few things more than cringe, this was... oddly compelling and touching. Thank you, Kyle. ^_^

[@Lefaid]

This is why I subscribe to this channel. To learn why something I am too pretentious for is actually art. I am going to become a patron. Your videos are worth it.

[@JeremyCoatney]

That opener is a personal favorite.

[@Yuiguitah]

Missed your essays so much.

[@ItamarM]

I think this is one of your best videos, and thank you for making it.

[@cc.amadeo]

That was an amazing essay. Great job Kyle!

[@rezandaigotsu4250]

Another excellent video, as always, Kyle, and I adored the little Cocteau joke.

[@emmittmorgans8076]

6:10 I'm glad you included the only content creator on KZbin... don't look it up.

[@idrils]

So sad that the only good youtuber has left this platform, but fortunately you, the other good youtuber, are still here. Thank you!

[@collintmay]

My general take with what is/isn't cinema is that we should have an attitude towards it that is just as expansive and inclusive as all other art forms. Music, for example, covers a vast swath of content, the only unifying factor of which is curated sound. Not all songs have rhythm, or melody, or tonality, or even sound, and yet pieces with any combination of the aforementioned factors are considered music. I do think Vines are cinema because I think cinema is, at its barest, any curated images and sound not performed in a live setting. If it's just images, it is painting or photography. If it's just sound, it's music. If it's performed live, it's theater. I think this definition gives a maximum space for the expansion and diversification of the artform.

[@horseenthusiast1250]

Great point; also, I love that you mentioned how not all music has sound! 4'33" is certainly music, even though it is silent.

[@marogdaki]

I understand this is the smallest of small details, but listening to Kyle speak greek gives me life. Watching this spring/summer unfold in the US as an outsider, terrifies me. Stay safe everyone.

[@gideongrace1977]

Your videos might take you a long time, but I always really appreciate them. They're so well made and thoughtful and there's something that's hard to explain but definitely amazing about how it feels to have come all the way from watching your videos on channel awesome to this here today and that you still make the same things. Most people don't stick with anything for that long, let alone stick with it and still do it as well as you do. 💜

[@animanya394]

Woooow, it’s been so long i forgot how amazing kyle’s videos are...🤯

[@thrownstair]

I suppose it’ll be telling that I recognise every single Vine you showed. All of them.

[@SeparateWay]

Thank you Kyle for making a wonderful tribute to one of the only pieces of social media that allowed people to express creativity rather than just boost their ego. It definitely captured society in a hopeful, more comedic light.

[@thehopeofeden597]

I’ve been waiting for this video. Plus I’m having a bad day so this is really helpful.

[@Spookybluelights]

Ugg, Kyle, you have to stop making constantly fall back in love with you at every ending of your videos.

[@E8144EOE]

As soon as you said 'kid buried up to his neck in sand' I instantly knew you were talking about the sand guardian and I reached nirvana for about a few seconds.

[@quantumharmonizer3514]

Tis True: Mike Rugnetta is The Only Good KZbinr. (Has long since moved on to other things and hasn't regularly uploaded since 2016) And well... I guess I could think of one guy who comes close

[@lettuceprime4922]

He did crash course mythology for a while. Also on Twitter, being cool.

[@Jojoscotia]

I never used Vine, it totally passed me by, and now I feel too old for tiktok, but I am so looking forward to this video anyway.

[@MsMaddieTheOdd]

Sabrina. This is spectacular. The graphics. The script. The educational and editing quality. Fucking off the charts.

[@benburke3015]

16:18 That plays very differently in 2020 lol

[@DamnHipsters]

I cannot contain my love for Kyle and the effort put into this. Thank you for giving me something to quell the creeping nihilism that is slowing taking over my life and my brain.

[@bberti]

You are one of the unsung heroes of KZbin, thanks for your work

[@aaronborok8398]

Always have to appreciate a reference to the lost savior of Mike Rugnetta As soon as I saw the title of this video, I instantly thought of the idea channel video and how I wished he actually made it into a real analysis. I appreciate that you managed to do that.

[@MrsDragonvampire]

I just want to say that I love the stuff you make,you are definitely one of the best video essayist on this platform. Take the time you need to make things, I'll wait. It's okay, things are difficult. This video isnamazing

[@sunnybloom7272]

Excellent video. It also makes me think about Vine and it’s videos in the context of media universality and intertextuality. See all the Vine compilations where entirely different stories and concepts are done through vine (X Musical or T.V. Show told through Vines, or my absolute fav, Mythology as told through Vines, shoutout to Overly Sarcastic Productions excellent animatics of this). These disparate stories and concepts are united through tropes and concepts distilled into these little video moments. And they transcend their individual meanings to make something great. What do you guys think? Overall amazing video Kyle! Always excited to see what you’re up to!