Travelling by movies
Watching movies has been one of my favorite pastimes since my childhood in the mid 1980s. For me, movies are not only the escape from everyday but also a form of travel. They lead me to faraway and unusual places but also to some long gone yet much nicer times.
Though I always observe films from the artistic standpoint, the most important thing is that good old entertainment they can provide. Unfortunately, this is less and less often the case these days. Modern movies are mostly divided between those that aim to be as realistic and dramatic as possible and those that are dumb and cheap plaything for one-time use.
Films are also a reflection of their time. I mostly don’t like the one we’re living in today. Constant rush, money as a merit of everything, comparing yourself to others, alienation, too big influence of technology, and forgetting of those small yet very important things. Although I personally defy the mentioned as much as I can, these negative aspects are still all around us. Therefore, I keep reaching for older movies to disconnect myself but also to remind that things can be much better and nicer, or at least they used to be.
I believe that you can always enjoy a good movie over and over again, watching it from some different angle each time. Besides, revisiting films dear to you is like a comfort food and a cure for the soul. I never understood those who say: “Oh, I already saw that one”. However, nowadays there are fewer and fewer movies that make me wish seeing them again. So it’s good that I can always go back without being fed up.
I particularly like movies made between 1960 and 2000. In my opinion, this is a period of a true movie magic. It might sound corny, naive, and overly romantic, but when you watch many films from this period, you can feel that those were made with much more creativity, enthusiasm, and love for art, rather than solely for making money. Especially in comparison with most modern films, particularly those coming from Hollywood workshop.
Film is a best time machine you can imagine. I enjoy watching how things used to look before, including women, cars, interiors, fashion, technology, and I always become nostalgic. It is particularly refreshing to see things before the arrival of the Internet, mobile phones, social networks, AI, etc. A lot of people today can’t imagine a world without these things anymore. Watching older movies will show you that life used to function just fine before.
I watch movies from different genres, but my personal favorite is an adventure one. I always try to find adventure elements in every movie I watch, especially in those I keep coming back to. I also like to see unusual protagonists in films. In these days of comformism and consumerism, this is sadly less and less often the case. Many modern movies begin with a scene of a cell phone buzzing or displaying a message. This often depresses me and remind me of present days. Yeah, yeah, it’s the generation thing. As late Joe Cocker sung: “Every generation has it’s way”. Although I’m not “that old”, I think that older generations certainly had much more style, class, and charm.
When choosing what to watch, many people rely on “expert” critics, reviews, and popular opinion. I think that every true movie connoisseur must know how to distance from such influences and form their own taste, however it is. Though many titles on my long list of favorites have rather high ratings, there also countless ones that are rated as average at best. Ratings most often don’t reflect quality, and certainly can’t describe the meaning of a special song, tune, or film in somebody’s heart. Therefore, always listen to yourself first. Don’t let them convince you that you’re wrong. Have faith in your own judgement and feelings. After all, this is your personal journey.