Movies. They can be an expression of art, just for entertainment, or to tell a story. In thinking about my favorite movies, I realized that I enjoy those that are for entertainment. I am apart of the millions of dollars made by box offices. I enjoyed the Batman movies and Avengers. Not to say that I am not a critic...because I didn't enjoy all of the movies that made the most money since 2000. But entertainment is my main motive within my movie selection. Then I thought about my motive for turning on a movie. I like to go to the movies, or rent a Redbox and escape. When that movie is turned on, I escape my problems and enjoy entering a world I am apart of for a short time. For me they are a stress reliever. I watch a movie when I want to relax and "not think".
I never thought about this before. I never evaluated my choice of movie entertainment and realized the reasons for it. So evaluate your own entertainment. Why do you turn on a movie? And which type of movies do you pick? Do they have art value? Purely entertainment? Or do you enjoy a movie that is a story?
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I have to agree about the entertainment aspect of movies being my main motivator for theater visits. As I was reflecting though, I realized that many times movies that are more Sundance and Cannes film festival worthy are movies I will see if I feel guilted into them. When I say guilted I mean like I feel like I need to see something artistically moving to make up for the regular war and action movie I pick. Or if a movie comes out that is controversial I will see it to not lose face to my more creative or intellectual friends. Do I like these movies? of course, but the emotion that drives me to see them is not simple enjoyment.
I rarely watch action movies anymore, and rarely watch a movie to escape my problems and not think. I use movies as a view into a time or society that has gone through great struggles. I love the underdog, or a movie that inspires me to be better or to be more compassionate. I watch historically based movies that are usually based on true stories that have a powerful semiotic of the emotional struggles of "our hero" who has real struggles and is usually not respected. I love the movie "the great debaters" or the character strength of Jean Valjean in Liam Neeson's portrayal in "Les Miserables". I love the count of monte cristo. You have to love "life is beautiful" or "the Pianist". Stories that afterwards instead of escaping reality you feel more invigorated to do something good to protect against such society ever occurring again.
I just saw the new batman two weeks ago, and left that movie not invigorated but annoyed. His sacrifice at the end didn't inspire me, and it is probably because the crappy twist with the girl being the boss of Bain right before that. Todays fiction rarely compares to a classic writers eye, or a historically based triumph. I will never watch that Batman movie again. I use movies to inspire; if I am down, I will find a movie that really gives me faith to overcome. It's kind of like pondering all that Nephi went through in 1 Nephi 3 & 4 (or the rest of his travels). Usually after the movies I choose, I will be wide awake and ready to take on something that had stressed me before or take on something bigger than I had ever planned- movies are like my caffeine some days.
I like to watch movies to be entertained. I love when I can relate to the characters or the situation they are in. I enjoy seeing how they react in situations I have experienced. I think my favorite movies are ones that I have a great story. If a movie can keep my attention, makes it seem like no time has passed, and has me thinking about it afterwards then it is has done its job.
I watch movies for a number of reasons. Sometimes they're just for entertainment and other times to challenge my beliefs in things I hold dearly. The movies that I always end up enjoying and watching over and over again are movies that have great art direction and screenplay that makes me reevaluate: who I am, my relationships with family and friends, my relationship with God and most importantly what direction my life is taking. This is not to say that I don't enjoy and respect a wide variety of genres of film, but those types are the ones that always seem to stick.
I like movies because they have a mix of reality with fiction because at the end every movie is just a movie. I like movie you can be entertain, but that you can learn something and other aspects like if the story is good. Nevertheless, I agree with you is a way to escape from reality and relax for a little.
I am a huge movie guy... I love going to the movies and I probably watch about 3 movies or more a week on either Netflix, Cable, or Redbox.
My reason for watching is usually to escape the worries that I have. I find that the more homework/stressful things I have going on in my life the more movies I watch. Between movies and playing sports I remain a pretty stress free guy because I am able to avoid my problems in that manner.
The movie I choose definitely depends on my mood. I usually gravitate more towards the action and comedy sections but occasionally if my girlfriends is controlling what we watch then I'd be watching a chick flick.
I watch movies for two separate reasons. The first is for entertainment with friends (social viewer). I loved going to the midnight showings of Harry Potter and the Twilight series with my best friends because obviously I wanted to see the movies, but even more so I enjoyed the entertainment and social aspect. I love going on dates to movies. It builds memories while also being entertained. Redbox has made it so easy to just come back from a date at 10 or 11 and stop by a Redbox on the way to grab a movie to go watch. The second reason is to make me happy. I am a huge "feel good" movie person. I love cheesy movies that have happy endings. I hate movies that are scary, or just have a weird feeling about them because that isn't why I view them. I don't want to feel sad or scared. I want to watch a movie to distract me or just for fun so I feel happy.
I usually have a motive for the movies I pick and so it depends on what I am looking for. Usually entertainment is a big factor is what I choose to watch. However, there are also many times that I have watched a movie for a deeper reason. Many times my sister and I have watched movies to analyze the film making. We both took film history classes and love to see how film makers use certain elements. Other times I have watched a movie to look at the social issues it addresses. Last night for example I watched a movie with my brother that dealt with some heavy topics. While it had an element of entertainment the reason we watched it was for the take on society that it presented.
I turn on a movie for entertainment and to help me relax as I escape into another world. My type of movies are horror, comedy and action depending on my mood. When I'm heavily stressed i watch comedy films because laughing helps me relax.I love to watch horror films when i'm bored. The only art value that I see in horror films is the way a character is killed. I love it when a director kills of a person in a way that is not original. depending on my mood i enjoy films with a story if not I'm only looking for action.
I love watching movies and I too think of them as an escape. The choices I make on movies are mostly dependent on my mood at the time. I don't find myself watching movies and thinking of them as an art form but I appreciate that they are made and made well so that people can enjoy them. I see movies as more of a source of entertainment than an art.
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