On New Year's Day, I went to the movies to see the newest Quentin Tarantino flick, "The Hateful Eight."The tradition of movie viewing on New Year's day is a nostalgic one and every year filmmakers pump out a ton of options for hungover moviegoers and parents with children to choose from. This long-standing ritual is a part of the holiday tradition and I cherish it every year.
I have been a movie buff for as long as I can remember.The first movie I remember seeing was "Toy Story." I also have memories of going to the drive-in in my grandparent's station wagon, piling blankets in the back with my sister and staring at the big screen, watching "Pocahontas" running through the woods singing. The Cinema is a magical world worth billions of dollars and my love of film definitely contributes to that outrageous sum. Movies allow us to view hypothetical and often times realistic possibilities that give us a sense of hope. They are like the ultimate dream in which one can fantasize about another life and when done correctly, they are one of my preferred versions of art.
Through film, the viewer can live lives not possible in reality. They can see the wonders of the world, travel the globe and fall in love without ever leaving the comfort of their couch. Have you ever become so enraptured by a film that it consumes you and it's all you can think about for hours afterward? I know I have. I recall watching "Black Swan" a few years back and daydreaming about being a ballerina endlessly or envying the wardrobe of Sharon Stone in the classic film "Casino." (Which I still do, even years after watching it for the first time.) So much inspiration comes from the characters we see in movies and the power that film has over its viewers is mesmerizing. Movie viewing evokes emotion from humans in the same way that experiencing life does. It is such a surreal phenomena.
It's crazy to think that it all started in Vaudeville and then evolved into silent movies in grainy black and white. Film has come such a long way in such a short time and I would be so bold as to say that it might be our most progressive innovation. Now we can use computer generated imagery and project entire cities onto green screens. If you've seen the latest Star Wars, you know that the special effects have come a long way since George Lucas first introduced us to the story we all know and love.
Film is a medium of art that is often taken for granted because our access to it is infinite. We no longer have to wait to physically go to the theater to see a film, we can stream them from our computers using Netflix, offering us instant gratification. I propose that we slow down and view our favorite films with more care and appreciate them for their contributions to society and art. We look at art in museums and examine masterpieces with a fine tooth comb, we owe it to ourselves to treat our favorite films with the same respect and admiration.
