Five Film Questions

Film blog Kid in the Front Row* recently posed some interesting questions:

1. Has a film storyline or character ever inspired you to say or do something in your life that, otherwise, you wouldn't have said or done?

Yes, constantly.  The first instance I can consciously remember would be begging my mom to buy me a stuffed white owl so that I could reenact Labyrinth in my backyard.

2. Artists die, but their work stays, as long as we keep viewing it. Why is the past important? Where do Chaplin, Capra and Hepburn fit into a world of iPhones and social networks?

The past, especially film's past, is so vital because it influences everything that comes after it.  Where would horror films be today without F.W. Murnau's camera work and lighting in Nosferatu or Hitchcock's amazing suspense building?  Tarantino wouldn't even have a career without martial arts flicks and exploitation films.  No director works today without being influenced by someone that came before and good actors take cues from their predecessors.


3. What do you dislike most about movies?

I don't know if there's anything I dislike about movies themselves.  I dislike how producers/studios seem to favor remakes and rehashes over creativity and unique filmmaking.  I have seen some gorgeous, amazing films that are produced as indies because the major studios didn't have enough faith in them.  Although independent films are wonderful, they miss the huge audience afforded to mainstream movies.

4. Please sum up in only ONE word, what you are looking when you watch a film.

This one was really hard.  I would have to say "magic".  Obviously, I'm not talking about literal Harry Potter magic.  The flick has to suck me in.  It has to be believable, even if it is about something that could never happen.  It has to dazzle me, even if it's intended to be realistic.

5.  When you think of your love for movies, what one image comes to mind? (could be an image from a movie, could be a flashback of you as a kid eating popcorn, could be anything!)

For me, it is the dark theater with the bright, flickering screen.  The room is hushed, but not completely quiet and you can just make out the outlines of empty seats and the heads of the other moviegoers.

* Kid in the Front Row is an awesome film-related blog.  The Kid is very knowledgeable, extremely prolific as far as blogging goes (I am SO jealous), and not afraid to share his opinion.  I highly suggest taking a look if you're a film lover or if you're looking to break into any aspect of the movie-making business.