Skip to main content

How it all started...

Not a day goes by that I don't see a movie. I grew up using a word "film" as a reference to the movie, but having lived in the USA for the last 25 years, I got used to using the world "movie". But where did it all started? Why a word movie is used more than a word film? Is it because a movie is referring to the moving images? Or is it referring to moving emotions?... Wouldn't you, though, agree that a word film sounds more sophisticated than the other word? Is this why a self respected film critic would tell you he/she does film reviews rather than movie reviews? On the other hand, you more often here "let's do" movie nights than film nights. Isn't it peculiarly interesting how the words that mean the same thing don't mean the same attitude and/or describe the same activity?

I'm a movie lover.

That's my point. I don't even need someone to go with me to the movies to really enjoy it. Moreover, I sometimes prefer to see a film on my own, when no one interrupts it with some bubbly chat that could sometimes overlap important moments of the film. Call me a snob. I'm a snob. I usually have very strong opinions of the film and sometimes I have very strong opinions about the actors and/or directors. I even sometimes don't go to see a film if I feel very strongly about an actor's/actress' ability to actually play that particular role. It's like reading Alice in Wonderland when you are 7 and imaging how the characters are supposed to look and then going to the movies to see how other people's perception of the same characters don't match your built long ago imagination of the same characters that we grew so attached to.

When I see a film...

I either love it, hate it or forget about it the same day. There is a truth to what they say: "A film should be either for the heart and/or for the brain..." If it does not meet any of the above criteria - a movie is not worth to remember. It's a waste of time, really. That's what sets apart a great director from a mediocre director whose vision and inability to evoke emotions in the audience makes an experience very disappointing. This is what happened to the film Solaris, the american version of the Russian masterpiece that is. The director completely failed to "get it" - to understand what the story was all about in the first place and it didn't help that he choose a wrong actor for it.

I've been living by this motto all my life. Because it made sense. At least - to me. One can see a film that is bloody, depressing, and dirty - and come out of the theatre thinking about it for days... And visa versa - one can see a film, feel nothing, come out of the theatre and the next day not even remember the name of the movie. This is all true. And it happens more often to me than I'd like it to.

Sometimes I wish I wrote about a certain movie experience RIGHT AWAY, but then a few days pass and I feel that it's irrelevant to write about it now - either it was not worth it, or I feel that the power of the movie has died out in me.

Thus, in this very blog I'm trying to make myself write about a film I see right away, right after I see it. Again, this is my take. I merely want to share my love for the cinema with you. I don't impose my opinion of you. I do want to know your opinion, though, if you agree or disagree, I want to know. I want to exchange our views and opinions and emotions.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Obit: Your Life In 500 Words

The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time. - Mark Twain. This is not quote from this new documentary "Obit". A film that, to some degree, glamorizes the work of the obituary writers at the New York Times . By "glamorize", I don't mean "making it fashionable," but, rather, this film shows the alluring side of a job some would usually associate with a rather depressing, dark, sad character. It is not. At least that's what the characters - the real life reporters of the New York Times' obituary department are trying to convey to the audience throughout the film. According to them, their obituaries are more about "life" than "death," more about celebrating the lives of the deceased rather than talking about the end of it. Of course, while at a journalism school, not many writers to be would plan wishfully to be ending up writing about "deaths", but ...

From Hollywood with love: It's Judd Apatow!

Stay tuned to HBO! Judd Apatow is in town and he’s shooting new comedy series “Crashing” for HBO in NYC (which he’s not only producing, but directing (unlike the Girls that he only produced) starring comedian Pete Holmes! The other day I not only witnessed them shoot in Soho, but also saw Judd Apatow in person, whose films I love, love, love...

Tribeca Film Festival 2016

I bet you didn't know that TriBeCa Film Festival is not only about the traditional filmmaking. Yep, neither did I until I went to the TFI interactive event - an all day one day event during the first week of the festival that showcase the latest technologies in the filmmaking like virtual reality, holograms, 3D and etc. This year they brought robots and more virtual reality! Even Katie Holmes stopped by to check it out.