I Don't Get It

So, I like to think that I'm a fairly artsy person that gets things. But really, I'm not. I have a hard time understanding symbolism, existentialism, etc. etc.

I didn't understand the ending of The Sixth Sense the first time I saw it. When everybody gasped at the realization of the big twist, I turned to my boyfriend and said, "huh? I don't get it."

I'm not generally THAT lost on things but recently, I've watched a few movies and read a few things that had me scratching my head. Let's go through these and perhaps you can help me to understand just what I'm missing.

The Great Gatsby
I had this as one of my 101 in 1001 items. Its a book that I feel gets referenced in life (but now that I'm typing this I'm trying to think of when or how its referenced). Even so, its a classic. I was supposed to read it in High School but definitely cheated my way through it and didn't touch it.

Its a short book and I finished it fairly quickly and well... I don't get it. What's so great about this book? Did I miss something? Was there some sort of symbolism somewhere? A metaphor that I perhaps missed? Its not an awful book but I thought I'd get something more out of it and it left me empty.

Swimming Pool
This is a movie that you may or may not have heard of. I'm going with the latter but I had come across this movie a long time ago and thought it seemed interesting.

Well, it wasn't.

There was lots of sex, drugs and murder... but what the heck was the ending?! I still can't wrap my head around it. The Mr just yelled, "she imagined it!" but that's way too lame. That cannot possibly be it. That's ridiculous. If you saw it, please explain it to me.

The Deer Hunter
This movie won 5 Oscars. I'm only halfway through it (its 3 hrs long!) and I just don't get the hype. I feel like I'm watching Midnight Cowboy all over again.

This movie gets referenced in pop culture (actually, I just distinctly remember a scene from Hot Shots Part Deux) and so I figured I should watch it. Am I missing something here?

As for Midnight Cowboy... it was the first X-rated movie to win an Oscar. Want to know why its X-rated? Not because you're seeing weiners and actual sex... its because its about a male prostitute. That's it.

Shoot 'Em Up
So we just watched this last night and its terribly awesome. You know what I mean. The plot is ridiculous, the lines are even more ridiculous but somehow - it was entertaining. I'm convinced that this movie was meant to be some sort of farce on action flicks though. It has to be. Here are some quotes:

Guns don't kill people! But they sure help.

Mr. Smith: You want to know the difference between this luxury car and a porcupine?
DQ: I give up.
Mr. Smith: With the car, the prick's on the inside.

After stabbing someone WITH A CARROT, he says: Eat your vegetables.

After killing a bunch of henchman while having sex, he says: Talk about shooting your load.

I mean, these lines are brilliantly awful, right?