12.12.2008- Movies

Ah, movies. Everyone loves a good movie. Maybe you like to snuggle up to the one you love and view a good ol' romantic picture. Maybe you and a few buddies want to crack open a few beers, pop some some popping corn and enjoy a slam packed, adrenaline fueled action thriller. Maybe you are somewhat of a cinematic aficionado, you like many different genres. Indie, Comedy, Horror, Romantic, Slapstick, Documentary, Rockumentary, Mockumentary... you get the point. If you ascribe to this last category of cinema fans (like I do) Does each truly great movie seem to speak to you in ways that the screenwriters, producers, directors, actors, and heck, even the gaffers and grips never dreamed it would? Every movie I watch has a very profound effect on me. As I view the dazzling images on screen, I am taken back to being 5 years old with that red towel wrapped around my neck, playing Superman and Indians or whatever it was. My imagination is brought back to life, the dust is shaken off and I am catapulted into the storyline. I feel as if I am in the movie, a part of it, the main character even. I feel what the characters feel. It is an amazing feeling, and when the movie is over I feel sad. I want it to continue, I want it to go on, I feel as if the story, somehow, isn't finished.

I know this all sounds strange, but it is how I view movies. I like most movies that I see. I have seen many flops. Willard for one, has a good storyline. It is a very intellectual movie, and it really gets in your head. I just didn't like it. I like movies with substance. Meaning. Purpose. I read a lot of so-called "critics" reviews, and I can see where they are coming from in their review, but to me, it is so much more than production values and cinematography. Yeah, a good photographer is important, and pre-production and post are good too. But isn't it a great story and actors who have a passion for bringing the story to life what movies are all about? You can have the best production team, the best photographers, the best lighting the best locations, but without a story all you are doing is taking a picture. Any kid can take a Polaroid and add a little imagination and a story line and have an awesome action adventure flip book.

This has seemed like a lot of nonsense rambling, I know, so I will end with this:

Top 5 Favorite Movies, Right Now.

1. High Fidelity
2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
3. Cashback
4. History of the World Part 1
5. Deja Vu