while I stand by my last blog – a rant defending my right to live un-harassed for my entertainment choices - I believe I left some things out of it that would further explain why I'm so passionate about this topic. I'm not really the type of person who can sit through very many of what I like to call "bubblegum movies" - totally meaningless wastes-of-time with too many boobs and too much slapstick comedy… to me, films should be experiences that offer new perspectives, have relatable characters, and original or witty humor. I'm not above a somewhat lowbrow movie occasionally if it offers a good laugh, but what I love the most about film is when it becomes a window into another world – when you can imagine the rest of existence beyond what you see on the screen.
I am an escape artist. not that I'm great at being sneaky or wriggling out of handcuffs, but I am an expert at escaping out of the sometimes mundane drawl of everyday life and into the worlds contained within these stories. That is the place film takes me.
I completely recognize that I cannot live in that place - I need to make my own extraordinary experiences and cherish them more than the imaginary ones. This is obvious to me, but I see absolutely no problem in finding traits in real or imaginary heroes and modeling myself after them. Certain movies encourage me to take risks I may otherwise be too fearful to take. Some renew my faith in humanity or my faith in love. I'm lucky enough to have family and friends surrounding me that possess many of the qualities I'd love to find in myself, but not everyone does. would you fault them for learning strength or courage or faith through characters in movies? Of course not. There will always be trashy entertainment that no one should watch, spend money on, or learn from – but for those of us more selective and passionate about our film choices, spare your judgement.
