Friday, August 28, 2009

A New Beginning

I'm a pretty big movie fanatic and I just recently got this idea to throw my ideas out there about the movies I've watched and the ones I want to.  I try to stay open-minded when I'm watching a movie, so over the years I have found to love every type of movie- indie, horror, foreign, animated, short films, classics.  You name it and I've either seen it or have it on my list of movies I must immediately watch. 

The classics are important because they set up the basis for all suceeding movies. Many classic lines and techniques were born from the very ideas of the first directors, screenwriters, or other movie production staff. (see Casablanca).
The indie films have messages just as important as those of blockbuster hits, but sometimes have a less appetizing cast America is not always willing to pay to see and a budget that satisfies the eyes of the crew but maybe not those of death-defying, action-packed, adrenaline-induced, romance-filled masterpieces.  (see For Your Consideration).
The horror genre is one of my favorite; not because I enjoy hearing every creak of the floorboards at night after rushing upstairs to avoid capture by the boogeyman, but because you feel a rush that rarely occurs. And when I find a good horror scene, I hold onto that and embrace every second that the protagonist (usually) is just inches from his imminent death or the antagonist (a killer, usually) has made his untimely entrance bashing through the door and giving the good guys milliseconds to get away. Now the outcome of the blood-pumping scene may not always be realistically enjoyable or enjoyably realistic, one of the two- the good guys live, happy ending- but just the fright is a time well spent (see The Shining).
Foreign films at the very sight may make people walk away either because they don't know what the title really even means or because they don't want to read their way through two hours of a French or German movie (see The Diving Bell and the Butterfly).  These films say everything and more despite the language barriers of the world and can even accomplish to say more than we ever could in English (now see Cinema Paradiso).
Short films tell so many stories in so little time. Not only can the score be a crucial element to the condensed plot, but the characters and every other detail in the film needs to be exceptional for the audience to stay in their seats and believe that time, no matter how short, is still money (see Peter and the Wolf).
Animated films are not only for the young and crafted by Disney, even though that's how many of our childhoods began (see The Lion King). But filmmakers have crafted the art of imagination animation and
reality to create worlds similar to and beyond ours (see Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away). And now with 3-D filming, it's A Whole New World.

Now that we have begun this journey, lets make it filled with great movies. So grab a seat, make some popcorn, and let the show begin!