Movies=Oxygen

I am a movie fan. I have been for a while now. I've always loved going to the theater and renting movies from Hollywood Video, a store which has very limited selection. I never really enjoyed classic movies (I never call them old; people are offended when they're called old so why should we call a movie old?) until I was about twelve years old. I saw Roman Holiday on television, and I absolutely adored it. I also adored Audrey Hepburn, who is now one of my favorite actresses of all time. Anyway, most kids think classic movies are lame, and most don't change their opinion as they grow up. But I love them. I began renting them and whenever we watched them in school I would smile in anticipation as the other kids groaned in dread. A few years ago a teacher read out to us a list of AFI's top films of all time. As he read some of them out, I realized that I had no right to call myself a movie fan. I hadn't seen the greatest films of all time. I was missing out! So I vowed to (as a life goal) see every film to win the Oscar for Best Picture. This seemed like a better idea at the time, because the list gets longer each year. But if I see the winner when it comes out in the theater I'll be ahead. I've seen about thirty already, but that's out of almost eighty. But through this goal, I've earned a much greater appreciation for film and film-makers. I can now at least call myself a junior cinephile.

Every cinephile (junior or senior) needs a few things to help them along. Mine are definitely Turner Classic Movies (TCM), a classic movie channel that truly appreciates film. The channel has no commercials during the movie, and in between the movies instead of showing commercials, they show segments about films or actors, they have previews for upcoming movies on the channel, and sometimes they show fun short films. The films are always in letterbox if it is available. Overall, it's a great channel that shows films I can't find anywhere else. Another resource is PREMIERE magazine. It's a movie magazine, and I like it because it doesn't just focus on the new blockbusters; it is truly a movie fan's magazine. It talks about blockbusters, indie films, new DVDs, and classic films. They often have countdown lists that never fail to include the classics, and they speak about film in an intelligent way. There are good reviews and articles, and they often have crossword puzzles and contests. Another resource is my local library. Sometimes when I can't find a movie anywhere, I look at my library. Sometimes they have a copy right there, and other times I order it from another branch. I used to have Hollywood Video as a resource, because we had a monthly rental plan there, but after over a year of rentals, the selection became so poor that we just stopped renting. It's sad, but I have other places I can see movies.

I love going to the movies. It's like oxygen.