Skip to main content

I Love Movies

I love movies. I think they have always been my fondest art form. I love watching a narrative being presented visually as it unfolds, but I also appreciate films that work on other levels besides traditional story vehicles. Chiefly, I want to be entertained, but it would also be nice to have some aspect of life I never appreciated before illuminated. I do believe in the power of cinema to express ideas and values that are universal and I think the accessibility of the moving visual image makes it a superior medium for conveying ideas.  

For me, entertainment is the most essential requirement. I want to enjoy the time I spend watching the movie. Illumination is a wonderful bonus, but often too much to hope for and a subtle art besides; nobody wants to be preached to. I love a good mix of the familiar and the bizarre, so I am biased toward science fiction and fantasy films, though I’ll be the first to say most of them fail – I have very particular standards. Nevertheless, I love any film that is fun and can transport me and give me a new look on life, regardless of setting. Most of all, however, I believe very strongly that if you can’t be original, you have to be better than what’s come before. I don’t have the patience for predictable stories unless the way they’re being told has something new or innovative in it.

Movies only exist because lots of talented people work together to present a show and it’s amazing anything intelligible emerges from that process, so for something great to come out is all the more astounding. Major contributing factors such as script, casting, direction, production design, cinematography, editing, sound and music each matter in their own way but they all have to work together and support one another in the presentation of an authentic story. That’s not easy to orchestrate and I am fascinated by the process of making movies, knowing who does what. Most of the time, it seems to me, movies will excel in some departments while failing in others, and the overall effect evens out the film to make it unremarkable despite some of the talent involved. When all of those departments are firing in concert, however, you tend to end up with something at least watchable.

Naturally, I have my prejudices when it comes to movies. I’m very hard to please when it comes to comedy, for instance. I enjoy comedic elements in a story, but all-out comedy is tricky for me. I like stories that explore concepts of morality, justice and de-mystification. I dislike stories where villainy goes unpunished because I get enough of that in real life and I want to escape. I like seeing oppressive monocultures busted by groups defined by diversity, or determined, non-conformist heroes. Ultimately, I love stories of solidarity and support in spite of the egos and deceivers that always seem to divide and conquer communities.


Movies have been a central part of my life for as long as I can remember. I love the medium, the way it involves co-operation among often hundreds of people of diverse opinions and talents to present a story. I think the best movies have simple stories dressed up with lots of symbolism and design so you can read as much (or as little) into them as you want. If a picture is worth a thousand words then you should be able to say almost anything with a movie. All I ask is for something that deserves my undivided attention.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Film Review: Blade Runner 2049

Denis Villeneuve has succeeded in creating that rarest of films: a very late sequel that respects and improves upon the original. Blade Runner 2049 expands the canvas of the first film with new locations and characters, all of whom feel authentic and true to the tone and themes of 1982’s Blade Runner . I thought it was magnificent in terms of setting and imagery and it packed an unexpected emotional punch which was absent in the first movie. I wanted to see it twice before I wrote my review and I am confident in saying it is superior to the original film while remaining tonally and esthetically consistent. I loved it. Foremost, I loved the story – complex without being hard to follow and never violating any continuity laid down by its predecessor. There were plot twists I could see coming but then the revelation would have more dimension than I was expecting. There were also genuine surprises in a couple of scenes. The cast is wonderful, with everyone well-suited to their roles (...
Post a Comment
Read more

Oscars

For the first time that I can remember, I have seen all but one of the nominees for the Oscars, which were held last week. At the time, I had seen all of them except for The Post and The Shape of Water , which I finally saw after it won best picture. My thoughts on it and the rest of the nominees: The Shape of Water is essentially Splash re-imagined with the Creature from the Black Lagoon instead of a mermaid, but nowhere near as good. I was impressed by the creature design, certainly, but the rest of the movie felt frustratingly underdone. It was a very typical Guillermo del Toro film, in that sense: I think he’s a gifted visualist, but his stories and characters leave a lot to be desired. Get Out is actually my third favourite movie of 2018, behind mother! and Blade Runner 2049 , so if I had been an Academy voter, this is the one I personally would have chosen for best picture. It’s very smart, very funny and very poignant without being preachy. It’s really brilliant,...
Post a Comment
Read more

IPO Statement

This weekly blog is intended (like most people’s) to be a space where I can talk about the things I’m interested in. I’ll be using it to post critical reviews of movies, books and whatever else I might want to unload my mind about. In general, I’m going to keep things as positive as I can because there’s already enough negativity out there and I would rather spend time focusing on the things I like rather than the things that upset me. I am a rational anarchist. I believe nobody has any right to tell anyone else what to do, but that the limits of anarchy make it unworkable in groups larger than a hundred or so individuals. I think with this many people around, impersonal rules are an unfortunate necessity, but I will only respect the ones that seem fair, in my mind. There is no excuse for injustice or abuse of power and as people and populations change, so must the rules that govern us, meaning they should always be challenged or at least suspected. Art and culture are my pass...
Post a Comment
Read more