Blurb 3: For the Love of Bad (or mediocre) Movies
Once upon a time I considered myself a film snob. If a movie managed to earn a less than stellar rating from several of my reputable sources, I wouldn't give that film a serious glance. Now, I'm still a bit of a film snob... forming my own opinions about movies and getting into debates with casual friends about the relevance of a plot device or the use of a McGuffin (yeah, I said it)... but lately my taste has swerved away from the choice Oscar films and into just those movies that interest me. Are these movies tasteful classics that will win tons of awards, be celebrated continually and make the AFI list? No. Despite this shortcoming, I've found that movies (or even books for that matter) don't have to be amazing for me to like them. I think the general population feels the same way which would explain how so many B movies manage to climb to the top of the box office while supposed cinematic gems slip into obscurity. Especially these days, people want a movie that they can jump into and get lost in... not a movie that actually makes them think or feel. Sheesh, that's just getting too personal. Sure, in the perfect world, every studio would attempt to make movies that did all those things, providing an escapist romp that still made people question and delve into the deeper meaning of what the film was trying to say, but in the interest of making MONEY (which happens to be the #1 goal)... you either have to settle for one or the other.
The movies I own as well as the movies that I've actually seen more than once in the theatre are a precious few. While some people will buy movies casually as some buy frozen dinners, I select my films carefully and buy only those I know I can't live without. This collection is varied and does include some Academy Award winners... but mostly its just movies that I enjoy and can watch over and over again. One series that I love (especially in the latter films) is Harry Potter. I don't think those movies really got good until they found a decent direction and started paying attention to art direction in the third film (Prisoner of Azkaban). The world that these movies takes place in is so complete and encompassing that I can watch these movies over and over again. My favorite book and my favorite Harry Potter movie is "Order of the Phoenix" and I swear, since I bought that movie at Ross about a year ago, I've probably watched it 10 times. Or more. Its just that good. Now is this an award winning movie? Not exactly. I think it won something for costume design or whatever... but not going to make the AFI list. But still, its enjoyable, which makes it worth it for me. Intellectual? Not really. Relevant to today? Sorta. Fun and thrilling? You bet!
Another movie series that I like is the "Tron" (soon to be) trilogy. Pray, they'll stop there. Long ago, back in 1982, Disney decided to take a chance on a movie that formed its world through the use of then cutting-edge technology and depended heavily on CGI. The plot is barely there, by today's standards the graphics are laughable, the characters are pretty darn flat and the only person who seems to have any fun at all making it is Jeff Bridges... but somehow, I still think its a fun movie. Over 25 years later, a sequel to the first Tron movie came out... "Tron: Legacy" which follows the similar adventures of Sam Flynn, the son of Jeff Bridges' character. Get sucked into computer, fight bad program, save computer world, get home before breakfast. Granted, this movie has amazing special effects, really neat action scenes, more plot development... but its still not exactly a great movie. But its FUN! The world of Tron is much more realized in the later film and with other promotions at Disneyland such as elecTRONica, it seems much more immersive, which is what I think most people (including myself) are after.
I still love those critically acclaimed movies. "Singin' in the Rain" and "Sunset Boulevard" continue to be some of my long-standing favorites... but in the end, its what ends up being enjoyable that's important. Not how many nominations the films received. Gotta love my mediocre movies.
The movies I own as well as the movies that I've actually seen more than once in the theatre are a precious few. While some people will buy movies casually as some buy frozen dinners, I select my films carefully and buy only those I know I can't live without. This collection is varied and does include some Academy Award winners... but mostly its just movies that I enjoy and can watch over and over again. One series that I love (especially in the latter films) is Harry Potter. I don't think those movies really got good until they found a decent direction and started paying attention to art direction in the third film (Prisoner of Azkaban). The world that these movies takes place in is so complete and encompassing that I can watch these movies over and over again. My favorite book and my favorite Harry Potter movie is "Order of the Phoenix" and I swear, since I bought that movie at Ross about a year ago, I've probably watched it 10 times. Or more. Its just that good. Now is this an award winning movie? Not exactly. I think it won something for costume design or whatever... but not going to make the AFI list. But still, its enjoyable, which makes it worth it for me. Intellectual? Not really. Relevant to today? Sorta. Fun and thrilling? You bet!
Another movie series that I like is the "Tron" (soon to be) trilogy. Pray, they'll stop there. Long ago, back in 1982, Disney decided to take a chance on a movie that formed its world through the use of then cutting-edge technology and depended heavily on CGI. The plot is barely there, by today's standards the graphics are laughable, the characters are pretty darn flat and the only person who seems to have any fun at all making it is Jeff Bridges... but somehow, I still think its a fun movie. Over 25 years later, a sequel to the first Tron movie came out... "Tron: Legacy" which follows the similar adventures of Sam Flynn, the son of Jeff Bridges' character. Get sucked into computer, fight bad program, save computer world, get home before breakfast. Granted, this movie has amazing special effects, really neat action scenes, more plot development... but its still not exactly a great movie. But its FUN! The world of Tron is much more realized in the later film and with other promotions at Disneyland such as elecTRONica, it seems much more immersive, which is what I think most people (including myself) are after.
I still love those critically acclaimed movies. "Singin' in the Rain" and "Sunset Boulevard" continue to be some of my long-standing favorites... but in the end, its what ends up being enjoyable that's important. Not how many nominations the films received. Gotta love my mediocre movies.