Some thoughts about enjoying movies

If you have ever talked with me about movies or TV shows, you know that I have very eclectic taste in what I do and do not like.  Check out my listing of shows for the fall from my tv blog (http://bab5guy-tvreviews.blogspot.com; May, I think) and see what I mean.  What always seems to amaze me is how I can enjoy movies when alot of other people I know don't enjoy them.  For example, I loved the Star Wars prequels.  I enjoyed watching the evolution of Anakin from innocent kid to Jedi to Dark Lord of the Sith as he was corrupted by the Emperor.  I felt how his love of others and his compassion allowed him to be twisted by the Emperor.  But alot of people say that they couldn't get anything from the performances of Jake Lloyd and Hayden Christensen.  There are many other instances of similar experiences and I have tried to figure out why.  Talking with someone Tuesday night while waiting in the lobby of the theatre for Spider-Man, I think I have an idea.

First off, I always try to go into a movie to enjoy it for what it is.  It seems to me that too many people try to analyze every movie.  Take each movie for what it is and enjoy it.  Some movies are meant to be analyzed and dissected (see Inception), other movies are just fluffy fun and need to be taken as such (see G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra), and other movies lie somewhere in between.  I think if everyone just let themselves get swept up in the magic of the movies and just enjoyed what they saw, people might appreciate the movies more.

Second, be careful with expectations.  Don't get me wrong, sometimes I have expectations. For example, when I heard that X-Men: The Last Stand had the Phoenix in it, I was super excited. While I never read the comics, I loved the X-Men cartoon and the Phoenix and Dark Phoenix Sagas were my favorite episodes. So I was severely disappointed at how the Phoenix was treated in the movie.  Likewise, with movies adapted from books, there are going to be expectations based on the content of the books.  But also realize that when a book is adapted to a movie, there is going to be a certain amount of loss.  Plots generally have to be changed, characters may have to be taken out or changed, etc.  Now, I do want to say that not all changes are good.  If a movie betrays the source material and changes too much, it ends up sucking big time (see The Firm for what I consider a classic example).  Just go into the movie knowing that and ask yourself afterwards if the change was necessary.  If it was and it either enhanced the plot or kept it status quo, then don't sweat it.

Third, everyone needs to stop being so damn cynical.  I cannot say how many times I have heard people complain about a movie coming out in 3D only because they can make more money.  Well, of course that is a big part of it!  Companies exist to make money and provide goods and/or services that people will buy.  If they can do something legitimately that will make them more money than do be it!  If you don't want to pay the money, don't see the movie in 3D.  Easy solution.

Just some thoughts I had.  Do you have any?

The Amazing Spider-Man

Got to see The Amazing Spider-Man Tuesday night and I loved it.  I liked the Tobey Maguire versions (1 and 2 were great, 3 was meh) just fine, but Andrew Garfield blew Tobey Maguire out of the water.  Tobey played a more angst-ridden, brooding, moody teenager version of Spider-Man whereas Andrew played a sarcastic, smartass outsider Spider-Man and I think this was much better.  He was broody when needed, but he also had Peter having alot more fun when he discovered his abilities.  And his chemistry with Emma Stone (who plays Gwen Stacy) was nothing to sneeze at.  The two of them made the romantic scenes sizzle seemingly effortlessly.

I think the tone I mentioned above made a big difference in the movie.  Having a more sarcastic version of Peter Parker/Spider-Man just made the whole movie alot more fun.  For example, in one scene while chasing down a supposed car thief, Garfield serves up several zippy one-liners and then proceeds to use his web to tie the thief to the wall while continuing his little commentary.  He was obviously having a great deal of fun, and that made the whole experience alot better.  Basically, take the outsider who throws quips and one-liners out extensively when they are being beaten, and that is Peter Parker.  Quite nifty.

Don't want to say too much, because I don't want to spoil anyone, but I would highly reccomend giving this movie a shot.  If you didn't like Tobey Maguire's take on Spider-Man, I think you'll find this a refreshing change and alot of fun.  If you see it, please let me know what you thought.

Thanks!