Day 02: A favourite movie

Filmmakers, Film majors, Film Critics and the like would all probably agree that being asked for your favorite movie is a pain to say the least. I have learned to not think of films in terms of liking them or disliking them. For my students (and when I was a student) this was always the hardest thing for them to grasp. To be able to truly let go of your personal preferences can be very hard and very introspective. In all honesty you never truly do you will always have a personal inclination to one film over another. I have learned to separate what I think of as great pieces of filmic art and pure entertainment. Though, I will say for me to watch a film it at the very least has to be competently made or else no one will want to suffer through my commentary.

I like to think I have always had pretty good preferences on films. When I was younger I saw Dead Poet's Society (1989) in the theater and I thought it was the most brilliant film ever made. While my opinion of that film is not quite so high anymore, I still think it is a rather good film. This summer Bunheads ended with a Dead Poet's reference: "O Captain, My Captain." It left me in tears and I don't think it was due to the brilliance of the show, because while that show may have been entertaining...

So what is my favorite film for the purposes of this blog post? I was hoping that as I rambled through this post a movie would pop into my head, but it hasn't. I used to have this list that I would rattle off when asked this question, but I don't really want to list that. While I have been writing this a few films have floated into my head such as: The 400 Blows (1959), L.A. Confidential (1997), The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946), and Cleo From 5 to 7 (1962).

Perhaps, I should just say that a favorite movie of mine is Dead Poet's Society. Even though I haven't watched it in years, the image of Ethan Hawke standing up on that desk still brings tears to my eyes. I believe being able to move a viewer to an emotion is a sign that something is working in a piece of art. It is magical to know that you made something that made someone smile, laugh, cry, or even think. And, for over two decades, this film has made me know what it is like to be moved by a film.

(Photo 1 Source, Photo 2 Source)