For this post, I was bouncing a few ideas around before I decided on watching movies. This isn't some comprehensive guide on the proper decorum or whatever. This is just about watching movies and how that act has broadened my palette. And it doesn't matter whether the film is "good" or "bad". It's about trying something different or unknown and seeing what happens, because sometimes your favorite movie happens to be a French Film about cannibalism, and the pressures to conform to society or whatever. Like, you just never know sometimes, and that's the fun of it. I love flipping through the catalogues, making lists, and just seeing what happens. So, I'm going to go through that process and give some anecdotes. Without further ado, let's begin.
Before talking about the movie gambling, I want to explain the reasoning behind wanting to write this piece. And that mostly lies with Tatsuki Fujimoto's work, Chainsaw Man. Specifically Chapter 39: Tearjerker. As with Fujimoto's other work, Goodbye Eri, Chapter 39 depicts the movie watching experience. The audience views Denji and Makima go through a flurry of movies throughout a single day. In the chapter, the number of unique conversations about movies was 6. So, in the span of this day, it can be assumed that they watched 6 films. Through my current readings of the first 6 volumes, this was my favorite chapter.
It's not just the comments on the films being watched, it's how they're being watched, and how Denji's movie watching palette grows. The date becomes secondary to the movies as we inch closer to the final film. A film where Denji becomes hesitant due to the previous viewing experiences. But Makima reassures him by saying, "I only find about one out of every ten movies interesting, myself. But I've had that one movie change my life." Powerful stuff there from Fujimoto. He knows ball when it comes to film, and I respect that.
But that's what it's all about at the end of the day. You could be on a string of bad or mediocre movie watches, but then you hit the big one. That film you want to tell the world about. That film you want to watch again immediately after. That film you want to show someone else. That film you want to see the making of. But you can't just jump there from square one. You have to build up to it. It's why the climax to Chainsaw Man's Chapter 39 perfectly encapsulates the journey.
So, now that I've shown what a snippet of this experience looks like. Let's look at in practice with first-hand knowledge from myself. A lot of my early viewing affairs would come from my Dad's love of movies. I watched Jet Li's Fearless, and Predators in theaters. Not really movies you would normally take kids to, but I enjoyed them regardless. Not to mention watching stuff like Heat, or Smokin' Aces at too young of an age. But it didn't matter, I still found them enjoyable. Over the years, I would watch more and more with him.
Yet it wasn't until I started getting into Anime that I would start to just watch things based more on my own interests. I would watch things that would be typical of a teenage anime viewer, and mostly ignoring a lot of Live-Action stuff. And then in College, I started to really get into watching B-Movies with commentaries over them. I would say that this really opened my mind to embracing some of the more weird and schlocky films. Like, Class of Nuke 'Em High wasn't gonna win an Oscar or anything, but I can still remember some of the scenes and set designs from that movie. It's not the one that's gonna change my perspective on film-making, yet it was a part of the journey. And it's one of the reasons why I would end up watching Bong Joon Ho's Parasite. A funny story that perfectly envelopes the theme of today's piece.
The date was October 18, 2019, a Friday. After doing an errand, I decided to go see a movie at a nearby theater in the middle of the day by myself. My intention was to watch Robert Eggers's The Lighthouse. I remember seeing some trailers and being intrigued. I liked Willem Dafoe, and I wanted to see Robert Pattinson in a non-Twilight role. But when I went to the theater, they didn't have any showings. I was disappointed, but I still wanted to watch a movie. So, the thing that sold me on Parasite was the Poster of the family with the black censor bars over their eyes. I had not heard anything about the film, I only knew the name and the poster.
By taking that chance, I was able to witness a life-changing film. However, what stands out to me about this experience was not just the gamble. It was going into a theater with like 8 people or something, learning that this was a South Korean film, and coming away with the notion that I was witnessing history in the making. Like, I went to a showing in the middle of the day during its second week in the US. The buzz was not really there yet in the mainstream. But then it started to pick up as Oscar Season crept closer and closer. And then it won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best International Feature Film. As someone who was singing its praises, I felt vindicated for being an early adopter with minimal knowledge. It's one of the reasons why I believe in giving things a try. You just never know.
However, over the years, I have not been as active in theater hopping. So, the next best bet is to play that movie roulette with streaming services. I've taken recommendations from Hideo Kojima's film tastes for example. It's why I own Raw and Titane, and love Julia Ducournau. But still, the best way to really build that palette is to stick to a genre and exhaust as many of the options as possible. Like, I've watched a great deal of Slasher and Horror films in general. So, most of it comes with having a passing interest. And through these viewings, my media literacy grew more and more. I watch moves now very differently from my child-self. I look for the parts I'm knowledgeable on, like the writing, while also paying attention to cinematography, special effects and make-up, musical composition, etc. It's something that has to become formed through experience.
To give more credence to this, I recently got Chen Kaige's Farewell My Concubine because I thought the name and Criterion Cover looked interesting. I didn't do any research beyond that. I believed in Criterion's Catalogue and bet on it. In short, Farewell My Concubine was a phenomenal film top-to-bottom. I really enjoyed Leslie Cheung's performance as Cheng Dieyi, and the historical commentary on China through the 40-50 years that take place within the film. It's one of those movies where I not only want to watch it again and show others, but one where I want to see what other contemporaries had to say about this era. These are the things that make watching movies feel so rewarding.
Discovering new frontiers, and watching enough things can make any piece of media feel worth it. There's always gonna be bumps in the road, but that's never gonna stop me from spinning the wheel. It's not always about getting that perfect experience. It's about enjoying the ride, and getting a treat along the way. The commitment to film will never be too long. There's always room for just one more.
And remember to Free Palestine, Free Congo, Free Sudan, Free Venezuela and to Free Lebanon from the onslaught of their oppressors. Never stop talking about them. They think that we don't care, but we see everything. Never forget that. They are trying to suppress our voices because they matter, remember that. There may have been a ceasefire in Gaza, but Palestine still needs to be completely free.
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