" Film is a battleground. Love, hate, violence, action, death... In a word, emotion." Samuel Fuller.
Film has always been a part of my life. I have always liked watching movies, especially when I was a kid. It always seemed like every time I watched a movie a new world was created in my mind. A new world with so many possibilities. It was the same with books but even back then I would have preferred a book over a movie. If I said I 'liked' watching movies then I absolutely 'loved' reading books.
Movies mean different things for different people. To some it's just a movie, they know that it's not real so it's not something they enjoy. To others it's something to take their mind off work and relax their mind. Then there are people who actually appreciate the movie (that is to say the movie in its entirety). They appreciate not only the story but also the acting, the graphics and so on. They know how much effort is put into making a movie so they give every movie a chance before judging it.
I don't fall into any of the afor mentioned categories. I feel like I'm mix of all the groups. Sometimes I just can't bring myself to appreciate a movie no matter how hard I try and other times I just want to watch a movie for the entertainment value of it. All I can say is that the way I view a movie depends on my mood.
Moving on to the type of movies I like to watch. Most people my age love sad endings filled with gory scenes. Now I like blood and gore as much as the next person but I hate sad endings. Life is depressing as is, we don't need any added help to make us feel worse. Which is why I don't like movies like " Fault in our Stars " the storyline is good and all that but the sad ending kills it for me. I know that is reality, which is also why I like movies more inclined towards fantasy. Like the latest movie I watched " Fantastic Beasts and where to find them " it was an amazing movie with just the right amount of mystery that will keep you at the edge of your seat.
That brings me to the topic of movies that are based on books. There are a few movies that do justice to the books but for most part I don't think so. Take Harry Potter for example, most people say that the movies do compliment the book and I do agree but not for all the movies. The last three movies were such a disappointment. Especially the sixth movie, Half Blood Prince, the book was amazing but the movie just didn't capture the essence of the book and it seemed like they forgot to include all the important parts. There was so many things which were revealed in that book which didn't end up in the movie. Then there was the last movie, the second part of the Deathly Hallows. To be honest that is what disappointed me the most. I actually sat there in stunned horror watching the ending. To say I was horrified would be an understatement. The highlight of the entire book was ' The Battle ' that final showdown between Harry and Lord Voldemort in front of everyone. That banter between them while they circled each other was a crucial part and it was something I was sorely looking forward to. But I guess other than that they did manage to stick to the book for the most part. I do appreciate their efforts though. I know it's not easy to make a movie especially movies based on books where most details are mentioned. So I respect those directors who can pull of creating a masterpiece.
Directors aren't the only ones to be commended though, it's a team effort. Like take animated movies for example. People think that it's easy to make an animated movie as compared to a normal movie but it's actually the opposite the work put in by the whole team is ten fold in an animated movie because they have to create a whole new world from scratch. Animation and graphics play an important role here, without it making an animated movie is more or less impossible. So in the case of animated movies I say that those who are behind the graphics and animation should take importance over the director. But that's my opinion.
While we are on that topic I would just like to say that no matter how old you are you are never too old to watch animated movies. Those Disney movies that make up our childhood, those fairytails which always end with '... they all lived happily ever after '. Don't say that you are too old for all that because Disney has a way of reaching out to your inner child and it's not only Disney even Pixar and so on. I think the main message that these children's movies try to convey is that, no matter what happens you can always make your own dreams come true and I agree with that.
All movies have something in common though. All of them right down to the worst movies in history touch people on a level that no one person can hope to accomplish. They move people and they can even shape a person's perspective. They are powerful tools and if used correctly, can change the world.
So to conclude I would like to use a quote "Film recognises neither time nor space, only the limits of man's imagination." - Nicholas Ray
