The Blairs: The Movie Post

For a long time I have wanted to do a post exclusively about movies, but every time I start or imagine starting I think of something more important I could be doing. Still, I think about it way too often to never actually do it. So, here it is: The Movie Post!

I love movies and have seen quite a few over the course of my 30 years. I learned in one of my psychology classes at BYU that I am of a particular personality type. One of the characteristics of this personality type is that they often think of life as being like a movie. This has often been true for me. I can think of moments when I have been walking down the street listening to a certain song on my i-pod and imagine that I am in a movie. Or while sitting in church, I imagine what it would be like if Sabertooth and Wolverine came crashing through the ceiling and started fighting. It has taken me some growing up to realize that I am setting myself up for disappointment if I think that an interaction is going to go exactly as I have imagined it playing out in my mind. My life is not a movie. In the movies, people can say the perfect line at exactly the perfect moment. We don’t know how many scenes it took to get it right, we just see it as though it is developing naturally and just like that the character makes the smoothest, most well timed comeback or the most amazingly eloquent speech or the perfect move to win the fight and it is just awesome. I love a good movie. I love the suspension of belief. Even though I know that these are just people acting, I get hooked into the characters and the stories pretty easily. And why not? A good movie is one that depicts human nature playing out amidst an engaging story. Who can’t relate to that? I’ll admit there are some spiritual concerns I have about movies. Even among my list are a few rated R movies which likely had terrible content before I saw them edited. Almost any movie that is entertaining depicts conflict and therefore evil. But, so do the scriptures. It isn't the evil that interests me but the triumph of the human spirit. Like most things, movies can be used for good or evil. They can be a very effective tool for deception. After all, isn’t that pretty much what a movie is? A big lie. Even if a movie is based on a true story, what is actually happening in the movie isn’t really happening. They’re just actors pretending (for an elaboration on the subject, watch the movie Galaxy Quest). Still, movies can also be a very effective tool for teaching about truth. Why else would the church invest so much in making films? I have definitely felt the spirit while watching the recent Bible series the church has put out and I feel like it has really helped me better understand the New Testament. So, here's to good movies!

I often find myself thinking about movies that I have seen and even though there are probably much more useful things I could be doing with my mind, group them into categories. So, without further ado, here are my top 10:

1. It’s A Wonderful Life

2. Warrior

3. The Abyss

4. The Shawshank Redemption

5. Quigly Down Under

6. A Few Good Men

7. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

8. Life of Pi

9. Nacho Libre

10. 12 Angry Men

These aren’t necessarily in order, and they aren’t necessarily what I would consider to be the 10 greatest movies ever made, but it is a good representation of what I consider to be good in a movie. Some of these I have only seen once, but the impression they left on me remains. I’ll explain why below.

All of these movies have at least some of the key elements that I think are crucial to a good movie:

1. A good beginning

2. A good ending

3. Intense/inspirational scenes

4. Good triumphing over evil

5. Justice to the oppressed or falsely accused/Overcoming prejudice and ignorance

6. Likeable characters (a hero)

7. Funny

8. Holds interest throughout entire movie

9. Good cinematography

10. Makes you completely forget about your mundane life for 2 hours!

I like a good montage. Watching a scene play out with just the right song playing can really make a huge impact. I like when a movie starts with a scene from later on in the movie, which then gains meaning as the movie unfolds and comes to a climax. I like an ending that wraps everything up, but doesn’t let all of the intensity of the movie fizzle out too much. I like a movie that makes you think differently after you see it. I like a movie that makes you feel like you are hanging out with a really fun and cool friend. All of these movies do that for me. So, the next time you want to watch a good movie, check one out from my top 10 list. You won’t regret it! Roll credits…

Surprise extended scene (those are always fun…except for the Master of Disguise, I just wanted that movie to be over):

I excluded from my list any trilogies or movie series, because I just don’t think you can really compare. First there is a major advantage to having multiple movies in order to tell a story and develop characters. At the same time, it is hard to pull off a decent sequel let alone 3 to (however many bond movies there are) good movies. The problem with a series is that you can have quite a range of quality between one (usually the original) and the rest. Take Mission Impossible for example: Mission Impossible 2 was probably one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen, but I like all of the rest of them. So, here are my top 10 movie series:

1. Back to the Future