It has become a point of interest among my friends that I have, apparently, not seen any movies. Culturally relevant and/influential movies, to be specific. The on-going project has been to improve my film repertoire in the limited free time we have. Rumor has it a google doc has been circulating among my friends entitled, “MOVIES LILY HASN’T SEEN,” and they all have been adding their favorites or their opinions. I don’t actually have access to this doc, but I feel okay about letting them occasionally dictate my media consumption because, if left to my own devices, I’ll most likely rewatch Pocahontas and Fast and Furious.
Since this has all begun, I’ve seen The Birdcage, Jurassic Park, Edward Scissorhands, half of Fargo, and Sweeney Todd. I’m expecting a ranked list to appear on my phone when winter break starts. (Don’t tell them I haven’t watched The Office or Lost yet; then I’ll have even more homework.)
I’ve had overwhelmingly positive experiences and I like being sat down and shown a good movie. I agree with my friends, it’s pretty much a travesty that I’ve seen the Jason Bourne movies at least three times each, but never Star Wars. To be honest, I’m a big believer in choosing what you want to consume largely just based on what you want to consume. So I don’t judge myself for loving Iron Man and not seeking out The Big Short. However, I’m happy to expose myself to critically acclaimed entertainment while returning to Beauty and the Beast in my spare time.
There is an amazing amount of movies left for me to get through, but I thought I’d take a few of them and try to predict, based on what I’ve previously heard, what these movies are actually about.
Top Gun
From what I understand, Top Gun is about Tom Cruise and that’s about it. I’m pretty sure it involves flight school? Mostly, I’ve been told that it contains the best beach volleyball scene in all of history so I’m looking forward to that. In all honesty, I kind of hate Tom Cruise so I don’t know how into this movie I can get, but it seems to be a beloved meme among basically everyone so it’s a definite on my list.
Mad Max
Oh man, I have no clue. There is fire and it’s in a desert? There’s a guy with a skull face? Weird piercings? I think there are some feminist fighting women apparently? Oh, and I think they’re all angry because some dude is restricting the water supply. It’s a remake, but this one seems to have been received positively by fans even though the trailer honestly does not make the plot very clear. I bet there are gonna be snakes. With lots of explosions, lots of irrational and ambiguously purposeful violence, and a giant dust storm, this movie clearly inhabits the most important facet of the world it conveys: rules don’t matter.
The Revenant
There is definitely a bear in this one. Leonardo DiCaprio won the Oscar for Best Actor for this movie which I remember noting because dear Leo so wanted an Oscar and everyone was happy that his dream finally came true. I know that there is a lot of gore and I think it’s about fur trapping. Father and son dynamics are clearly important, as are the sacrifices people make to survive in the wilderness. This one looks very compelling and alarming, perhaps not a movie I should watch alone.
I don’t often have enough time to commit to a movie. I’ll watch part of it one night and then never go back to it. However, I like being exposed to art. I like being part of a cultural experience, I like seeing something that once changed somebody’s life. The art of film is pretty much beyond me as a casual observer, but I’m enjoying cultivating opinions and filling in my knowledge gaps.