If I sat you down in an American film class right now, are there any movies you know that they would discuss? Any movies you’re so sick and tired of hearing about that you have to stop yourself from rolling your eyes physically? Because I sure do, and as a woman in film, especially a black lesbian, I just figured I would call them out by name and hope that the film gods hear my pleas and free me from the hold these films have on my professors and film bros alike.
Before I even start, I would like to say this is primarily a joke, and while I am sick of these movies, I respect the work that went into them. That being said, we are in a time of innovation, and relying on these old films has gotten us nowhere recently. So why do you think everything is a remake now? Because that’s all people know how to do. Hold onto the past, try to rebrand it for future generations, and hope it still sticks. Besides, life is too short to suffer through some of these movies a dozen times just to get a bachelor’s degree so let’s just pay our respects one last time and look to the future or, at the very least, more modern stories that are written and directed by anyone other than cishet white men.
Let’s start with the one that probably wouldn’t get me executed for treason if I had this talk in film class…Titanic. You may be asking what?! How could you be sick of Titanic? My simple answer is because I refuse to sit down for 3 hours and watch rich people be on a boat that we all know sinks. We know who dies, we understand why it happens, it’s a history lesson smothered in Leo DiCaprio to keep women watching it for years to come. I am tired of people acting like they watch it for any reason other than the sexualization of Leo and Kate Winslet. That’s all I have to say about Titanic, but I do have a sinking feeling this opinion won’t get me as much hate as the next two.
Next, let’s get into riskier territory and discussion. Unlike Titanic, I did cave and watch this for my film class despite my aversion to horror movies, and while it wasn’t bad, it just didn’t feel like the groundbreaking film that it is said to be. For all of the popularity, Alien garnered over the years; I expected something genuinely awe-inspiring despite its age. Instead, I was disappointed and bored seeing Alien as no different from any other horror movie, and maybe that in itself is a testament to its greatness that inspired so many other filmmakers. Still, it also means we have more films that are more recent to refer back to, so why keep referencing a movie that the upcoming generation of filmmakers and viewers will find disappointing.
My next opinion is sure to get tomatoes thrown at me should I ever show my face in a college class and utter its name but please, for all that is holy, stop referencing Star Wars. I understand that it’s once again considered a classic and has inspired many and become a phenomenon; however, that is part of the problem. There is so much material to cover all that leads to different rabbit holes of off-topic conversation and debate about the sequels when discussing Star Wars. It’s not conducive to learning anything about the film. What has Star Wars done that other movies haven’t besides spin a franchise off of something with very little source material and make itself into a film cult monopoly of sorts? I understand that at the time it was created, Star Wars was groundbreaking and beloved by many and has kept that hold on the film professors of the 21st century. Still, at a certain point, you must be able to look at other films that are more recent to reflect on what has changed and how they could have been done differently. There is also the fact that Star Wars-like most of the films talked about in class are predominantly white and focus on a cishet perspective. So you are literally in space, for crying out loud, and you expect me to believe that gay aliens aren’t just living their best lives?! Just seems kinda fishy.
I have so many other movies that I could talk about. Still, instead, I want to recommend some recent films that should be taught in film class to help the next generation of filmmakers understand the need for diversity in their casting, stories, and characters. A few great ones my classmates have discussed are:
- Crazy Rich Asians
- Moonlight
- Avatar
- Anything by Jordan Peele
- Booksmart
- SpiderMan: Into the Spiderverse
Those are just a couple I can name off the top of my head: original, recent, diverse, and groundbreaking. There are so many films that this world has to offer, and the fact that we are so fixated on these hardly seem fair to other filmmakers. I hope that teachers will eventually realize this and begin moving into this century with their movie picks to help future filmmakers and the future adults of America better understand the vast world around them