#24: Cinematic Reflections
I have always enjoyed watching movies ever since I was a little kid. Movies for me serve as escapism from day-to-day life. I enjoy most genres of movies from comedies, to dramas, to action movies. More recently, I’ve started to watch more documentaries and foreign films as well, though I can’t say I ever really got into Bollywood movies as much as some of my family or friends did.
Watching movies has been a constant in my life. I think back to the movies I have watched over time, and the special moments they’ve offered that have made my life a little bit more gratifying.
Sometimes movies give you nostalgia for a time in the past, like for when I first watched Fight Club. Back then, I was an impressionable teenager, and I remember the twist ending absolutely blowing me away. I don’t think I had quite yet fully understood some of the underlying themes the same way I appreciate them today, especially having now worked in the corporate world, but the movie held a special place in my heart. Oh, what it would be like to feel like an optimistic, hopeful, but ignorant teenager again.
Other times, movies teach you about powerful subjects. I have learned a great deal about racism and its harsh realities through movies. From the dramatized Do the Right Thing and American History X to the documentary 13th, each movie has its share of powerful and vivid scenes, and I will not soon forget them. I have been scared of any serious drugs, for fear of addiction after watching the brilliant and terrifying Requiem for a Dream in my high school film class. The chilling soundtrack is still etched in my memory. From recent years, one of my favorite movies is Moonlight, which covered the themes of masculinity, vulnerability, and the black, gay experience in a poignant way.
Some movies are timeless because of their humor. I remember watching Borat for the first time on YouTube—yes YouTube—where it had been uploaded over ten or twelve parts. It was one of the funniest things I had ever seen, and I immediately watched it again before it was subsequently removed from YouTube. I also remember streaming Superbad on a random website with my cousin, since we weren’t able to see it alone in theaters yet. The comedy managed to hit all the right notes for my age, making it the perfect high school comedy.
No movie will ever quite match Zoolander in my book, however, on a comedic level. I have probably seen the movie over 50 times, and it never stops being funny. It’s the one movie I can quote almost entirely throughout, and yet there’s always something I’ll forget that will give me a burst of laughter each time. Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Will Ferrell, and Jerry Stiller in their primes just can’t be beat.
Finally, there are some movies that leave an indelible memory on you. I’m talking about Memento and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, of course. Inglorious Basterds is the perfect example of a movie that reminds you that in most forms of media, you are going to remember the first thing and the last thing you see. The entire movie was brilliant, but the opening scene with Christoph Waltz is simply masterful, and the final scene is a perfect close to the movie that cements it as a top 3 Quentin Tarantino movie for me (along with Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction).
Others are movies that have to be seen on the big screen. Avatar was one of the most visually mesmerizing experiences I’ve seen in IMAX, though I’ve deliberately chosen not to watch the movie since I’d like to not ruin the memory I have. I recognize the special effects may have distracted me from a relatively basic plot that wouldn’t hold its own on a normal screen at home.
Still, the most memorable theater experience for me was watching The Dark Knight. I’ve never seen a movie with such high expectations and had them completely live up to and exceed them by all measurements. I will always remember the credits rolling, and exchanging glances with my friends, our faces in awe. I don’t think Heath Ledger’s Joker will ever be matched. It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime performance.
So while, over recent years, television has gotten much better in terms of quality relative to movies, and the streaming services continue to put out incredible original content, there’s still nothing quite like the experience of seeing a great movie on the big screen. It’s why I am excited to return to the movie theaters as the pandemic is nearing its end in the U.S.