I love movies. I always have, so naturally, I took a course in film arts and though I’ve forgotten the intricacies, (the year was 1973); I still appreciate the art form.
For instance, the mood or tone of a movie begins with the opening music and credits. That whole thing has been crafted to set what the director thinks the tone of the movie should convey.
The goal of a film is to convince you, as the viewer, to willingly suspend your disbelief. The colour, texture, the music, camera angles and even the pace of the edit and scene changes, all conspire with the actors, the dialogue and the costumes, to make you lose your ascetic distance and become part of the experience. You, as the viewer, are persuaded to be part of the film and not apart from it. Movie viewing is intended as an inclusive experience.
The part of the bargain, the quid pro quo, when you pay for a ticket or a rental fee, is that you will put aside your cynicism and critique and allow the film the opportunity to create an alternative reality of which you are willingly a part.
None of this is possible if you are with people who insist on talking during the film. Interjecting their opinions about plot structure, acting ability or cinematography, causes you to be pulled back from the experience you paid for and can ruin a film’s chance of working it’s magic. Blurting out things like, “hey, is that the guy from…” or “my cousin has a dress like hers…” is torture for film aficionados. It violently rips them from the world so delicately created by the director and unceremoniously dumps them back into the real world. Now, to enjoy the film, they have to try anew to get back to the point where their disbelief was happily suspended.
With all that said, it is well within the right of the viewer to walk out on a bad film. If one has given the film every chance to weave it’s magic but it has failed to accomplish the goal, whether due to plot, poor writing, poor acting or poor direction, then by all means, walk out. And when asked or if you are so inclined, write about your experience. Yes, it is okay to inform others of your opinion, to discuss the film with some knowledge, just don't do it while the movie is playing.
When considering a movie, I look for three main things, in no particular order, preference or importance. I look for actors I have seen and liked in other performances. Sometimes, a good actor can save a bad movie or at the very least give the viewer a performance worth the price of admission despite the shortcomings of the film. James Stewart, Haille Berry, Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, De Niro, Pacino, Diane Ladd, Cate Blanchett, Jessica Lange, Denzel Washington, Cuba Gooding Jr., to name a few of my favourites. There are many more, please don’t read anything into this list or my list of directors.
Likewise, I consider the director of films I have seen before and enjoyed. Ridley Scott, David Lean, Antoine Fuqua, John Ford, Spike Lee, Alfred Hitchcock, Brian De Palma, Sam Peckinpah, Steven Spielberg, Steven Soderbergh, Ron Howard, Kathyrn Bigelow, Nora Ephron are just a few of many I consider when choosing a movie.
If I see a movie starring actors I am not too familiar with or directed by someone whose work I don’t know, I will consider the writer of the screenplay or the book the movie is based upon. The plot must interest me. They say there are seven basic movie plots; Overcoming the Monster, Rags to Riches, The Quest, Voyage and Return, Comedy, Tragedy and Rebirth.
I was taught drama was conflict and usually consisted of man against nature, man against himself, man against man, man against society, man against gods or fate. And of course, there is the familiar motif of the man who becomes a hero, who becomes a god or something like it, King Arthur comes to mind. Joseph Campbell wrote about this motif as the hero with a thousand faces. George Lucas consulted Campbell when he was making Star Wars.
It is important to understand what you like. Going to a movie that holds no appeal for you is counter-productive and sure to be a waste of both your time and your money. For me, I do not enjoy musicals. The singing interrupts the drama for me; it pulls me back from the reality created by the piece. I have tried, but I simply do not enjoy musicals. Two notable exceptions come to mind, Fiddler on the Roof and Phantom of the Opera. And I must say, I think I would enjoy them more as a musical play rather than as a film. I know, that’s an obvious given, but we are talking only about the films here.
I love movies and taking into consideration the caveats I mentioned, parking your cynicism and critique at the door when you enter a movie theatre or rent a film at home, promotes a better movie experience by at least giving the film a chance to work its movie magic.
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