Let’s go to the movies

Tis the season! Yes, the movies season! Well, nay season is movie season in my book. If you know me at all you know that I am a movie junkie born and bred by my movie junkie dad. I think I’ve talked about this before but it all started with 16 millimeter films played on a rented movie projector using our wall as a screen.

Our family memories have been intermingled with classic movies to the point we don’t know how to have a conversation without involving several movie quotes in the process. Just the other night, we were about to eat and my mom said, “Dad’s going to give the blessing on the food”. Immediately at least 5 of us yelled out “THE BLESSING!!”(Ten points if you can tell me the movie that’s from.)  And, of course, we all bust up laughing as though it was the first time that joke was played (it happens almost every time we eat together and someone is asked to ‘give the blessing’).

I will quite often relate what someone is going through to a scene from a movie (or book), forgetting about the line between fiction and reality. I’ve even been known to  reference R-rated films in my Sunday school class. “Staying away from sin and temptation is like Zombieland-you’re constantly running from the evil of zombies and you have to stay vigilant or the zombies, or sin, may eat you alive.”

It totally works.

Yes, I like movies. A lot.

This is why I have been troubled by the path our movies seem to be taking lately. It’s rare you find an original screenplays and fabulous plot lines. I would even go so far as to say that all the good writers have abandon the movie-ship for the ever growing talented TV-ship. You have shows like-The Office, 30Rock, Modern Family, The Closer, Dexter (I’ve never watched it but just the premise is brilliant!), United States of Tara (brilliant but vulgar, so I’ve only watched a few of them), Bones, House, Phineas and Ferb and, of course, Kate plus 8 and Sarah Palin’s Alaska.

Those last 2 were to see if you were paying attention. hehehe And yes, Phineas and Ferb does qualify.

And what does the movie industry keep giving us? Smurfs and Yogi Bear, dammit! Throw in a bunch of comic book movies and 4 more movies of aliens coming to annihilate the earth of all mankind and that is what you have to choose from. Some of the best movies happen to be based on novels but it’s still someone else’s writing. Where has originality gone? What has happened to movies like JAWS, Sixth Sense, Signs(yes, an alien movie but it wasn’t about the aliens at all), Juno? I know, there are some good ones out there but so many disappointing ones, too! Maybe I’m just missing all the good stuff cuz we don’t generally watch R-rated movies.

So, if you have seen a worthwhile film at the theater let me know. I’m needing a good day at the movies.

I’ll even buy the popcorn.