How To Watch Movies....

Dear friends,

I like watching movies, but I don’t like watching movies just for the sake of watching it. I like watching movies, which I feel speak to me. It is very rare for me to go to a movie theatre without reading up on it. I will read the reviews, from as many sources as possible, talk about with those who have seen it, and then make a decision to go see it. Sure, there are some times when I end up watching a movie when the decision is made right there by my friends.

There are certain kinds of movies which I like watching. I prefer movies, which has a touch of realism in it, so that includes most of the independent movies. I also like watching horror/suspense movies, but not the cheap horror ones. I am not a big fan of action movies, like xXx and James Bond, as I get really bored with it with the senseless violence. I can appreciate fantasy movies like The Lord of the Rings. Comedies don’t really cut it with me, since most of them include crass humor like American Pie, Scary Movie and so on. Rom-Coms, or Chick Flicks, are also sometime acceptable for me depending on the subject matter and cast.

I watch a movie with certain things in my mind, which helps me appreciate a movie a lot more than by just watching it casually.

(1) Immersion
a. Whatever movie I am watching, I totally immerse myself into the main character. If it is a movie like The Grudge, I put myself into the character’s position and imagine myself in Japan. In The Sixth Sense, I immerse myself into the character of the little boy. In The Blair Witch Project, I immerse myself into the one of the characters. In a comedy like Meet The Parents, I immerse myself into the Ben Stiller character. What happens then is that I begin to imagine the whole scenario from the character’s point of view. Sometimes I get totally immersed, and that tells me that the movie has done a good job of characterization.

(2) Observation/ Analyzation
a. By immersing myself into the character, I start to observe and analyze the same things that the character goes through. The people I meet, the events that happen to me and other subtle influences on the character. What would I have done? Would I have made a smarter move had I noticed that the side character was cheating on me? Would I have avoided the mess-up if I had not ignored the remark?

(3) Application
a. This is a major thing I do when I am watching a movie. I tell myself: what would I do in such a situation? When in Jeepers Creepers, the guy is going down the pipe of an abandoned church, would I want to do that? In Titanic Jack gives up getting up on a floating device at the end, would I have done that or searched around for another floating device? This is the point where I apply the situation in the movie to real life. I ask: what would I do?

(4) Appreciation
a. My one habit that annoys everyone I know. I usually like to sit through the entire credits of a movie that I enjoyed. My sister hates this habit of mine. So, when in company of others, I try to stay as long as I can, before they start tugging me away. On my own, I will stay right through the end of the credits. Last night, I watched The Fighting Temptations, and I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. I sat there right through the entire end credits. The Lord of the Rings has an exceptionally long end credits; I sat right through the end of it all! That is my way of appreciating those people who put the effort into making the movie. I know they will not know that someone like me here in UAE is sitting all the way through the credits, but it’s just a personal thing for me.

All of these work for in movies that speak to me. Sometimes it is tricky because there is more than one protagonist, and so I have to switch back and forth between the characters. Some of the movies I see, the characterization is so weak, I cannot relate to it. The plot lines, the script and the works just don’t gel in with me. For example, in The Final Destination, we all know these characters are merely there to be killed off. So I cannot relate to them, as it would be pointless. But in a movie like Phenomenon, I can relate to Travolta’s character because I can imagine what he is going through. My favorite movies include The Shawshank Redemption, in which I totally immerse myself in Andy Dufresne’s character as he talks about having hope in a life of imprisonment.

If I had more time on my hands, I would definitely liked to have watched some of the movies that I have missed. I watch movies because they teach me life lessons and at times give me the freedom to escape from the realities of life. Keep in mind, my technique of watching movies may not be appreciated by everyone, and so may not work with everyone, but I guarantee you, if you do try it, you will learn to deeply appreciate a movie a lot more than from just a regular viewing.

Mansur