I made it a mission to watch more movies this calendar year. Not that it was on purpose, but that’s what ended up happening. Of course, some may turn up their noses at the idea of 90 films being a lot in one year- I’ve heard some hardcore addicts consume that in a mere month- but to me, those are big numbers.
I’ve never really been much of a movie fan. It’s funny, considering I’m in the entertainment industry and all, but I’ve never been partial to them. I think it’s because they’re so…self-contained. Pardon my hypocrisy since I write short stories, but I just really love a good series that you can follow for a time. That’s why people like movies, of course, because you can sort of immerse yourself in another world for a few hours, then get back to business as usual, but that’s never been satisfying for me.
Movies often feel like the narrative continues well after the screen turns off- that’s a good thing, since it’s proof of a well-rounded universe with a well-crafted story that harbors believable characters. These standalone stories tend to do a great job creating conclusions in a satisfying way, but even if it’s well-done, there’s the more childish part of me that always wants more. It’s better to leave an audience wanting more than to be content, but there’s something so exciting about being drawn into a good series, and knowing you’ll get to see the genius behind how it unfolds. Movies have a genius of their own, and maybe I’m less attracted to the idea of only knowing a story and its characters for a mere two hours. I want to see just how far it can go.
Not everything needs to be a series, of course, and some things narratively work better as a movie because they’re only meant to be followed for this specific instance in time. But man, I do adore the feeling of staying with a narrative, and following it for months at a time. I like seeing how things will unfold, how the writers will choose to expand it further, how these characters will have a gradual change that feels believable. A good series sticks with you a long time, usually because you’ve watched it a long time.
That’s not to say movies don’t do that. I do understand the narrative purposes of different mediums. Movies can do exactly everything I just listed, which is why my expression of preference simply comes down to feeling. I love the commitment to a series. I love the way staying attached to something makes me feel. I love feeling like you’re not getting just a momentary peek into these characters’ lives; you’re following them for days, weeks, months, years at a time. Maybe it’s invasive, but personally, I love that kind of intimacy we get to see into these fictitious lives. You’ve been given a reason to care about people that will never be real.
I did enjoy watching more films, though! I probably would’ve averaged twelve in any given year, so I’m kind of surprised I managed to get through nearly a hundred of them. I might see if I can squeeze in ten more before 2025 rolls around, that way I can brag that I, the long-term media consumer, actually expanded my comfort zone and consumed one hundred entire films.
Well, probably more like 80 films and a ton of Saw 0.5 rewatches. There was a period where I took in a bunch of short films, and Saw 0.5 I pretty much watched twelve times in one night when I was pulling an all-nighter in the computer lab. But hey, ninety films are ninety films, and if the bulk of them are rewatches, those are still hours that I spent glued to a screen, utterly immersed in whatever narrative I was experiencing for the umpteenth time because it spoke to me in some way.
I’m a rewatcher, in case you haven’t noticed, but I did make a point to branch out and find new narratives this year. Special shoutout goes to YouTube for making the bulk of these films free this year. I’m sure I wouldn’t have been as committed if there weren’t the ease of access that putting stuff up for free would entail.
Overall, I had fun this year exploring a whole world of films I’ve always heard about, but never got to experience. That’s what the bulk of this comes down to, anyway; a lot of these were things everyone and their mother has already seen, already raved about and said you should see. That’s another impact of feeling so far removed from pop culture, sometimes. I still haven’t shed the poverty shell, where I can actually experience things where they occur in real time instead of catching up a few years down the line. I got my first taste of that seeing films like Saw X and Five Nights at Freddy’s (twice!) in theaters this year. I don’t know, there was something nice about heading to a theater and knowing what everyone experienced, for a change. But no, now I’ll finally know what everyone means when they’re talking about Scream or Perfect Blue or 10 Things I Hate About You, or even a regular Disney film. There’s still so much I have to catch up on.
Except nothing will ever get me as passionate about it as Nicole Kidman in that AMC advert. I still have minor pangs of adrenaline every time I hear it play, because it typically meant I was running out of time to clean the theater, haha.
Even though I said movies weren’t my favorite form of entertainment, I still do like them. They just weren’t my first pick, is all. After spending a year consuming them more frequently, though, I have a newfound appreciation for them now. One thing I do love is how movies come with the opportunity to notice so many new things you didn’t catch the first time around. I really love that about rewatches; they let you take a step back from the narrative for a moment and notice everything outside of it. Of course, my first love will always be television, but now I do understand why people love films a bit more.
That reminds me, I still need to dismantle my watchlist. And maybe squeeze in one more watch of Final Destination before I catch my flight to France.
Want to see what I saw this year? Help yourself. You can find my diary over on Letterboxed.
HAPPY 