Movies
have become one of the most influential factors in modern society.
From starting new trends to educating the ordinary people, movies
undoubtedly make an impression on the general public. Since
the discovery of the very first motion picture in 1890s, movies
have become a visual documentation on events of human evolution.
Talking about the movies that are produced for entertainment
purposes, here is a quote, from the Pulitzer Prize winner film
critic Roger Ebert:
We
live in a box of space and time. Movies are windows in its walls.
They allow us to enter other minds not simply in sense of identifying
with the characters, but by seeing the world as another person
sees it.
Roger
once said that art is the closest that we could come to understanding
how a stranger feels and movies, as an amalgam of audio and
visual form of arts, make a very complex and sophisticated form
of art. There is an undeniable effect that movies have in our
thought process. When we exit a theatre after watching a movie,
we leave with the definite kind of thoughts depending upon the
movie we watched. Preoccupied with the responsibilities of daily
life, we skip through myriads of social and emotional experiences
that keep us grounded and humane. We live in a world teeming
with diversity we fail to seize the moment so busy are we fulfilling
our commitments. And that is where movies are a sweet reminder
of who we are and what we have.
Let
us take Forrest Gump for instance that portrays the
innocence of a regular person, with the spirit to make something
out of himself despite all the shortcomings. Or the more recent
Happythankyoumoreplease, which shows characters, no
different from the ones in our neighbourhood. The characters
in the reel world are no different from those in our real world
and the challenges they face are just a version of the ones
we face. And movies help us understand life through different
perspectives.
Let
us take modern historical period movies and old classic ones,
which depict how things were in the days gone by. As ordinary
people they tend to be a reminder of our heritage, a source
of reminiscence and nostalgia. There are also movies like Blade
Runner which give us a peek into how things could be in
the future, and there are ones that make us laugh and have a
good time. Educating us, tickling our funny bones to cautioning
us about the future events that could fall upon us, movies have
an undeniable influence on our thoughts and actions.
THERE
IS A LITTLE BAD WITH EVERY LITTLE GOOD
Cinema
as a technology has grown from a simple fast moving collection
of pictures to a complicated industry. With the technology's
ever growing popularity, movies have now become an integral
part of our daily life. Be it in a friendly chat among friends
or the daily news broadcast, we love to talk about film.
Primarily a form of entertainment, movies are often educational
and instructive. Many people tend to learn from movies more
than any other formal source, although that might seem like
an overstatement. In many under developed countries movies and
television series are used as the means for educating the population
for social reform. But movies also convey negative values and
consequences.
Movies
that fall under the genres like historical drama, historical
war movies and biopics are often criticized for taking liberty
with the historical facts. One of such movies is Pearl Harbour,
which was released under much criticism. When film makers take
liberties with historical facts, is it disrespectful? And what
about the viewer who comes to believe the fiction is a fact?
On
the other hand there are many movies criticized for violent
content. Directors like Quentin Tarantino in Hollywood and Anurag
Kashyap in Bollywood are able to justify violent content but
there is no denying that the exposure may cause personality
disorder in kids and other receptive demographic.
And
while violent are categorized as such, the labelling is only
as good as the implementation.
MOVIES
ARE STUPID
"The
point is not to avoid all Stupid Movies, but to avoid being
a Stupid Moviegoer, It's a difficult task separating the good
Stupid Movies from the bad ones . . . " -Roger Ebert
Often
movies are termed as stupid waste of time. The opinion is not
wrong on its own but we have to keep in mind that there are
literally millions of movies representing every genre, and though
many of them deserve the oblivion that awaits them, some of
them deserve our attention. Thus, the responsibility falls upon
us to choose the movie that makes it worth our time, which is
why we often turn to reputable movie criticism for guidance.
Every
work of art is subject to one's own perception and interpretation
and movies are no different. Just like any art, each movie is
bound to have its point of view and an agenda. Film is arguably
the most expressive among all the art forms and as such it is
capable of engaging global audiences. Blockbusters are made
with this purpose in mind but it doesn’t necessarily mean
that the most popular film of the day is the right film for
you.
CONNECTING
WITH A MOVIE
Movies
have become an integral part of our cultural life. We love to
go to the movies and we love to talk about them.
The
world of cinema is also a huge employer, providing work to millions
of technicians, assistance and actors worldwide. So even bad
movies provide opportunities to many who would otherwise be
unemployed.
