The first movie of my life will always remain a mystery but the most recent movie I've seen will always be fresh in my mind. The movies have taught me many great lessons, they've often made my day or night better -- sometimes they've made them worse.
Movies have made me see through the eyes of a child again. And they have taught lessons of wisdom at a young age.
Most of the films that I've seen I have not been able to discuss with my peers -- hopefully this blog will create a dialogue with other film buffs. I watch too many old movies, documentaries, foreign films and unknown treasures to be considered a "normal" 28-year-old film lover.
While in college I sat in my dorm room one afternoon during finals week and watched Schindler's List for the first time. I cried my eyes out as I thought about the incredible compassion a single human could exemplify in the face of oppression and evil.
I once rented Ikiru by Akira Kurosawa on a VCR tape, took it to my parents house and watched the black and white Japanese film with subtitles by myself. Roger Ebert's review of Ikiru made the film even more magical for me:
"His voice is soft and he scarcely moves his lips, but the bar falls silent, the party girls and the drunken salary men drawn for a moment into a reverie about the shortness of their own lives."
I've seen dozens of foreign films with subtitles that have become absolute favorites: Pan's Labyrinth, Y Tu Mama Tambien, The Lives of Others, The Chorus, City of God, Cinema Paradiso, and so many more.
Books may often be the "better" version of a story but the images from movies haunt our dreams at night.
I couldn't sleep after seeing The Sixth Sense or Devil's Backbone. While the beauty of Monica Bellucci in Malena and the sensuality of Penelope Cruz in Volver have haunted my dreams in a much more pleasant fashion.
Movies have made me a better person. Casablanca taught me that the difficult choice is often the most noble. The Shawshank Redemption taught me to "get busy livin' or get busy dyin'." Chariots of Fire taught me to strive for greatness. Dead Man Walking made me no longer believe in the death penalty. Caddyshack taught me....well, "gunga - la gun gala."
Quentin Tarantino compels me to think outside the box. Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola have convinced me that loyalty and family are very important. Guillermo Del Toro and Peter Jackson remind me to see the world as the incredible fantasy that it is. Woody Allen pushes my intellectual capacity and urges me to become a conversationalist. Steven Soderbergh shows that there is substance in style. Pedro Almodovar teaches tolerance through the portrayal of absolutely fucked up melodramatic situations.
I've rated 979 movies on Netflix which means I've certainly seen over 1,000 movies in my life - probably closer to 2,000 in all honesty.
A recent documentary I watched philosophizes about what makes us human. Over 30,000 years ago humans were creating art in the caves of France and now we continue to make art through the medium of film. Why do we do this?
I can only imagine that just like the early humans desired to depict their world on the walls of caves we also desire to depict our world on the screens of movie theaters and the televisions in our homes.
We want to hear stories. We want to laugh and cry. We want to see what else is out there. We want to believe in the goodness of humanity.
And maybe more than anything, we want to find the answer to the question of what, indeed, does make us human.
So go watch a movie that inspires your life. Find films that challenge you. I guarantee they'll make you a better, more well-rounded human being.
Enjoy the movies and...
Enjoy the ride,
Damm
