The Art of being a Movie Lover

Some people may think that watching movies is an utter time waste as its not reality. I think, movies can teach us a lot, condition being that it should be an authentic piece of art. I believe that movies shape our society at a very subtle level.

So if you are not one of them, read further.

I personally categorize/rate movies into Torturous, Watchable, Good and Collectible.

Through this blog, I would try to define and list some traits to distinguish the latter two from previous and how we can stop seeing and start loving movies.

What is a Movie?

A movie is a recorded presentation where actors represent a story to audience, by impersonating the characters involved. The actors act, doing the dialogue and action as instructed by the director. Its merely done for the enjoyment of the viewer and sometimes for his learning too.

Motive - Why you would see a Movie?

There are different answers to it - lighten the mood, time pass, enjoyment, learning etc. That depends on your personality.

I think enjoyment is the primary factor for people watching a movie. With that I personally feel that learning is another trait a good movie always has.

For example, in Tare Zameen Par, Dyslexia was presented as a not-so-rare syndrome in children. Many of us, who are parents, now know this and are better aware.

Point is - Psychologically, when we get something out of a media, we bind with it better. It doesnt fades off easily.

A Good Movie always needs to have Enjoyment as well as Learning factor in it.

Whats your liking? How you can select a Movie?

Some factors you can consider to start choosing your taste in movies, are:

1.       Select your Genre

Movies are categorized into different genres (Action, Horror, Comedy, Romance, etc), i.e. it defines its audience base. So it wont be wrong to say that a Movie chooses its viewer. I personally relish horrors, actions, mysteries and comedies, so their DVDs have higher chance to find their way into my shelf. Thats me.

So you need to know what you like to see.

Now for a good movie, its very important to commit to one or few genres and then meet them. That saves us from surprises. Think the frustration level when you wanted to see a genuine horror and end up watching an action flick on Ichchhadhari Nag!!

Bad news is that Indian movies usually dont get into single genres, as the producers want a bigger audience base - gives them a higher chance of good sales. What we get are the Masala-Tadka movies having action, adventure, comedy, romance, drama, music, mystery, even horror all in one pack. It makes them Jack of all, master of none and forces people like me to HollywoodL.

Trend of Indian movies has changed a lot though in recent years. Now there are movies which are very well directed, acted and satisfy ones expectation. One fine example is The Stoneman Murders (2009) which just falls under mystery/thriller section only. One more recent one in same category is Kahani (2012).

2.       Patronize them.

Three pillars of a movie are: Direction, Storyline (screenplay), and Acting (dialogue delivery and action).

                 I.            Direction:

A Proficient Director is a commanded requirement for a good Movie. There has to be a brainy behind the scenes who knows the what-to, how-to of the presentation of a script onto screen. Few Good Directorial are Do Aankein Bahraan Haath(1957), Chupke Chupke(1975), Sholay(1975), Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro(1984), Munna Bhai MBBS(2003), Rang de Basanti(2006).

                 II.            Storyline:

Good storyline is the base ingredient of a relished Movie. It could be based on a novel, a comic story, a history excerpt, a real-life character, a real-life incident or just a thought. Some good screenplays are be Devdas(1955), Guide(1965), Deewar(1975), Johnny Gaddar (2007), Bheja Fry (2007), Aamir(2008).

                 III.            Acting:

A gifted actor is the one whose representation of any character, is so real that the viewer starts feeling with the character and stops acknowledging that its just the actor acting the scene. You could feel it while watching Shahanshah Akbar in Mughal-e-Azam, Shankar in Naya Daur, Prabhakar Anand in Aarakshan or Phunsukh Wangarru in 3 idiots. Methodological actors of the past had a way of dialogue delivery which audience liked and still likes.

                 IV.            Songs: Indian movies have this extra fourth element.

I personally feel that Songs should not be part of the actual play, though I dont mind if they are running in background of the scenes. In Indian movies they are usually fitted-in abruptly breaking the story sequence. Now-a-days so called Item Numbers are added to have an overall add-on in sale. I personally dont feel that they contribute anything in making of a good movie. Songs are nice-to-have, not must-to-have.

So to get good stuff, dont miss flicks of your favorite directors. Keep an eye on any movie which comes out and is based on a good novel or history event etc. At last, dont forsake your favorite actors, watch all movies of themJ.

3.       Dont follow Box Office

One misconception we all have is that every blockbuster is ought to be a good movie!

Well for a business man, it is. But for a movie lover it might not.

A blockbuster is not necessarily a good or collectible piece. A Blockbuster merely means that it was a high profit making piece at box office AND its grey print (hall print) would be out in market sooner than the others. Chennai Express (2013) would be the best example here.

Similarly:

A Flop need-fully, is not always a torturous movie. It could be that it was a sensible piece with a very less audience base and was not able to meet the low perception levels of the larger chunk of viewers.Lakshya (2004) for an example.

4.       Follow the Masters

Another way to get good stuff is to follow a film critic or film reviewer whom you believe is intelligently fair. You can also refer to movie rating sites for the same, like IMDB.com. But unfortunately, most of them are prominently just for Hollywood movies.

Conclusively, I would state:

To be a true movie lover, you need to first clearly define your motive for watching a movie. If it comes out to be Enjoyment and Learning, and not just time pass, Congratulations!! You are eligible to be a movie lover. You just need to select your taste now.

A Good Movie is the one which has the correct mixture of the three components discussed. It fully satisfies its genre(s) and has the enjoyment as well as the learning factor in it. You see it and you enjoy it.

A Collectible is a good movie which is a master piece, an epic, a classic, having the perfect mixture of the elements. We see them, we enjoy them and we live them for many years to come.

"They give you an offer which you cant refuse"

On a relaxing weekend sitting in your living room, slacked-up on your couch... with something to bite and drink. What is the charm of watching a collectible in such a panorama, only a Movie lover could knowJ.