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Monday, February 25, 2013

Movies



Those of you who know me, who follow this blog or any blogs I’ve been a guest on, know I love movies. Action movies, romantic comedies, adventures, mysteries, musicals, fantasies, slice-of-life. Anything with a satisfying ending. I like movies better than books. Is that heresy for an author? Unlike books, I can share movies with my husband. He’s not a reader like I am. While he reads my books (out of loyalty), fiction is not his thing. But an enjoyment of movies is something we share.



If I have a choice, I’d rather see a movie at the theater. In the dark, on a wide-screen, with surround sound. For a couple of hours, I can be anywhere and anyone. Which is a lot like reading, isn’t it? If Hubs and I really like a movie, or missed it at the theater, we’ll buy the DVD. Some movies I’ll watch over and over. Hubs, not so much. I have sort of tunnel vision when I watch a movie. I concentrate on the main character and miss subtle things going on off to the sides. So re-watching a movie helps me see what I’ve missed. I had to watch Inception three times before I got it all and even then I wondered if I really did.



I love the “behind the scenes” feature of movies. Most of the time. When they tell/show too much of how something was done, it spoils the illusion. But learning why a film was made, what convinced the producer/director/actor to do that movie enhances it for me.



While plot and character are as important in a film as they are in a book, movies have something books don’t. Music. What an enrichment the music makes to a film. Can you imagine an Indiana Jones movie without John Williams’ soundtrack? Or Jaws?



With my enjoyment of movies, I’m sure you know what I watched last night. The Oscars. What fun to see the Bond films honored. Fifty years! Having seen Skyfall at the theater and on the DVD, I was so happy to see Adele win for the theme. It’s always exciting to see the people who worked on films we saw be rewarded by their peers. There were disappointments when actors I wanted to win didn’t. Surprises when others won. Clips from movies I hadn’t seen made me want to go to the theater or find out if it was available on DVD.



As much as we enjoy going to the movies, it’s rare that we’ve seen the film that won Best Picture. That happened last night. For me, that was the surprise of the night. After we saw Argo, back in October, I wrote on Facebook that even though I knew the ending the movie kept me on the edge of my seat. Would they escape or be captured. Well done. Too bad its director (Ben Affleck) wasn’t even nominated.



Were there any surprises/disappointments for you?


4 comments:

  1. I love movies too, Diane. Anything from Star Trek to My Fair Lady to Shindler's List. The movies can teach us a lot about writing books, too.
    for instance, an opening you can't look away from like the latest Star Trek. Characters you care about overcoming impossible odds to get what they must have. I learn something about writing books every time I watch a movie.

    Keep on watching, reading, and turning out those great books. All the best, Annette

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    1. Annette, you're as an eclectic movie watcher as I am. :) I agree about the opening hook and characters to care about. You keep writing, too!

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  2. I love movies, but I rarely see them. My husband doesn't like to go out, so I go when my kids invite me. When speakers use movies to illustrate a point I'm lost because I've missed so many. We don't watch them at home either because I always feel like I should be doing something else - cleaning, grading papers, or writing. Consequently I didn't watch the Oscars because I didn't have any favorites. But I do like seeing all the red carpet fashions.

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    1. Weren't those fashions gorgeous? I loved Jennifer Lawrence's gown, even though so many news programs concentrated on her fall (tripping on the hem) as she went up the stairs to accept her Oscar.

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