Project 1 Draft 1
Tommy Jimenez
Mat Wenzel
ENC 2135 24
2 July 2017
FILM
In life, we all change; we are constantly evolving having different tastes, different likes and dislikes but it is what stays with us throughout our lives that define who we are. It’s only human that we grow and mature. I have been many different people in my life. The child that wouldn’t dare drink Arizona Ice Tea because his older brother did and the adult I am now who absolutely loves Arizona ice tea. Suffice to say there have been some big changes and some small but one thing that has always defined my character as far back as I can remember is the passionate love I have for Film. I remember being a child snuggled in bed intently watching The Incredibles, The Lion King, and Toy Story; I really did enjoy my Disney animations as a kid. I remember going to Blockbuster every Friday of the Month with my Brother and Father to rent out the movies we were going to watch that night. My brother would get a horror movie while I grabbed a comedy and my father would grab some obscure eighties action flick none of us had ever heard of. I remember staying up all night to finish every movie as my family passed [MW1] out beside me. Some of the earliest memories I can recall involve gazing at a film screen with a bucket of hot popcorn with melted butter on top of course. Through the years I’ve watched my fair share of movies too many to count at this point but in the long ten years watching movies and talking about movies is one thing that makes me feel at home. Film as a medium is inherently subjective, some people may like one type of movie and some may not; I absolutely hate the transformers movies but some people may love them. That’s what makes the film fan community so interesting there are so many fans worth so many different viewpoints and attitudes but this community works the best when everyone can respect the others opinions and disagree. It may not be your typical community of friends like a Frat or Sorority but for me it can be just as rewarding.
Everyone watches and enjoys movies it’s a multibillion dollar business so it may seem like this community is so large that you may not have a voice. While everyone watches movies not everyone knows what is going on with Hollywood machine. As existential and fantastical as this may sound it’s this medium of the film business that speaks to me. And it is not lost on me that the main reason for having movies and television shows is to be profitable but when all the stars align and the best works of art are recognized for their genius and make a pretty penny that’s real movie magic.
Watching movies are entertaining they are meant to be but the movies that are remembered the classics do more than just entertain they can liberate, educate, and inform. The vast scope of the medium is as versatile as the people behind the film. There are certain historic moments throughout history wouldn’t be able to push its viewpoint and agenda. They don’t always work but when they do they show the best and worst of humanity. Back in the sixties Star Trek featured the first interracial kiss on the small screen or this year Wonder Woman was the first superhero blockbuster movie to be directed by a woman. These are no small feats but its these stories that make an impact.
Through grade school and as late as the first week of class I viewed text as words in a book or play or the same sort, but; They can be so much more. Film is a visual art form and every visual can be broken down and examined as its own text. I often get asked what my favorite movie is and that is like asking me which finger is my favorite some are better than the other but they all have a purpose. If I must choose one meaningful text it must be a scene from the original 1963 Planet of the Apes where at the end of the film our protagonist Charlton Heston’s Col. George Taylor is brought to his knees coming to the realization that the “Alien World” he crash landed on is the sad result of Earth succumbing to some atomic fallout and that it was the humans who brought upon themselves their own extinction. In one moment, there is so much to unpack and the filmmakers don’t need a full page expressing the thoughts of the main character but instead one line exemplifying his anger and sadness “Damn them, damn them all to hell!” There are so many other ways film has influenced society and pop culture. We look at heroes as ideals to strive for building monuments in their name i.e. Captain America only seen in ancient times with the gods. The steam punk fear of the future from the eighties has more relevance now than it did back then with the advancements in technology. It’s through film we can look at humanity and our society through a lens and understand all the meaning of text.
Film is unique that it incorporates so many different types of art but it’s being a part of an online community of fans that I feel comfortable and open to express my feelings even if people agree and if they don’t. I’ve been a part of this collective group of people for so many years now maybe seven now where we talk about movies on websites like collider movies, rotten tomatoes, IMDb, and on YouTube channels like beyond the trailer with Grace Randolph and I’ve had many discussions with people that I have disagreed with and they were great because even if we didn’t agree we respected each other’s thoughts and ideas[MW2] . This is what I think is great about this community of fans we can [MW3] bicker and fight about what culture was represented correctly or if there should have twenty minutes cut off the movie for pacing issues, or if this movie had any impact on society, yet at the end of the days shake hands and have no ill will towards the other.