often do you/your children/your parents watch movies? If there is a generational difference, why do you think that is?
I watch movies quite frequently; a few per week. I keep track of which films I watch, and to give you an idea, my tallies for January and February were 22 movies viewed, each month (some of that figure is due to my being in film studies classes which require viewing 2 or sometimes 3 films a week). My parents watch movies less frequently, because they have busier lives than I do, but if my dad has the weekend off work it’s not uncommon for him to watch 3 or 4 movies over the weekend. I grew up with family movie nights, so my parents have encouraged watching and discussing films from a young age.
[*]What movies most clearly resonated with the deepest yearnings of your heart? How did they achieve that? What characters, in which films, have you identified with most closely?
[*]What movies challenged your thinking most deeply? How did they achieve that?
Now those are easy questions. ;) Hmm. I’ll get back to you on that.
[*]What film(s) seemed to best capture the essence of your generation? The older/younger generation? Your vocation? Your family/relationships/marriage? Your spirituality?
I think Garden State (sort of a current-day The Graduate) will turn out to be a quintessential film of my generation (I’m 21, by the way). Also Fight Club seems to have struck a chord with men my age in a significant way. I’m sure there are others I’m not thinking of at the moment.
[*]Are there movies you saw which you simply ?didn?t get,? but sensed you should?
It took me a couple of viewings to make any sense of Mulholland Drive. And I still can’t figure out what the heck was going on in Persona. :)
[*]What film(s) moved you most deeply emotionally? Spiritually? Have you ever been led to worship in a movie? Have you ever sensed God?s presence in a film?
Rushmore, Magnolia, Heaven – all emotionally, and the latter two spiritually. And I would say yes to the last two questions, although not terribly frequently. Heaven is one example that would qualify for those two questions.
[*]Has a film ever convicted you that something is wrong in your life and needs to change?
Zoolander. Just kidding. :) Hmm. I am certain that I have been influenced, subtly and overtly, by some films I’ve seen, but I can’t remember a specific time that I ever watched the credits roll and thought “I am going to change something in my life now.”
[*]How has your spiritual pilgrimage been effected by movies? Are there films that forever mark a moment worth remembering in your life?
Not to keep harping on Heaven, but I remember the first time I saw it. I was so overcome by a sense of beauty, of God’s unconditional love, that I just sat motionless for several minutes after the credits had ended.
Also I would say Moulin Rouge was a significant experience, partly just because the film itself moved me (I’m a sucker for musicals), but also it’s a beautiful picture of redemptive love, one I keep returning to.
[*]What?s the most number of times you?ve seen a particular film? Why did you watch it so many times?
Oh gosh…I don’t really keep track, but I would have to guess that I’ve seen Moulin Rouge at least 7 or 8 times, and Magnolia and The Royal Tenenbaums and Rushmore would probably fall close behind. Those are films I keep coming back to because they move me deeply and are great films in and of themselves.
Also my familly watches It’s A Wonderful Life every Christmas together, so I’ve seen that probably 15 times.
[*]Have you ever walked out of a film? Why or why not?
The only movie I think I walked out of at a theatre was Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, because I was extremely uncomfortable with the subject matter in the mixed group of guys and girls I was seeing it with.
I also shut off a dvd of The Truth About Charlie about half an hour in, just because it was really poorly made.
[*]What films would you be most pleased to have written/directed?
Magnolia, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, Heaven, Sense and Sensibility, You Can Count on Me, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Lost in Translation, The Station Agent, and a whole lot more :)
Bethany
Mar 05 2005
10:29 am
I watch movies quite frequently; a few per week. I keep track of which films I watch, and to give you an idea, my tallies for January and February were 22 movies viewed, each month (some of that figure is due to my being in film studies classes which require viewing 2 or sometimes 3 films a week). My parents watch movies less frequently, because they have busier lives than I do, but if my dad has the weekend off work it’s not uncommon for him to watch 3 or 4 movies over the weekend. I grew up with family movie nights, so my parents have encouraged watching and discussing films from a young age.
Now those are easy questions. ;) Hmm. I’ll get back to you on that.
I think Garden State (sort of a current-day The Graduate) will turn out to be a quintessential film of my generation (I’m 21, by the way). Also Fight Club seems to have struck a chord with men my age in a significant way. I’m sure there are others I’m not thinking of at the moment.
It took me a couple of viewings to make any sense of Mulholland Drive. And I still can’t figure out what the heck was going on in Persona. :)
Rushmore, Magnolia, Heaven – all emotionally, and the latter two spiritually. And I would say yes to the last two questions, although not terribly frequently. Heaven is one example that would qualify for those two questions.
Zoolander. Just kidding. :) Hmm. I am certain that I have been influenced, subtly and overtly, by some films I’ve seen, but I can’t remember a specific time that I ever watched the credits roll and thought “I am going to change something in my life now.”
Not to keep harping on Heaven, but I remember the first time I saw it. I was so overcome by a sense of beauty, of God’s unconditional love, that I just sat motionless for several minutes after the credits had ended.
Also I would say Moulin Rouge was a significant experience, partly just because the film itself moved me (I’m a sucker for musicals), but also it’s a beautiful picture of redemptive love, one I keep returning to.
Oh gosh…I don’t really keep track, but I would have to guess that I’ve seen Moulin Rouge at least 7 or 8 times, and Magnolia and The Royal Tenenbaums and Rushmore would probably fall close behind. Those are films I keep coming back to because they move me deeply and are great films in and of themselves.
Also my familly watches It’s A Wonderful Life every Christmas together, so I’ve seen that probably 15 times.
The only movie I think I walked out of at a theatre was Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, because I was extremely uncomfortable with the subject matter in the mixed group of guys and girls I was seeing it with.
I also shut off a dvd of The Truth About Charlie about half an hour in, just because it was really poorly made.
Magnolia, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, Heaven, Sense and Sensibility, You Can Count on Me, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Lost in Translation, The Station Agent, and a whole lot more :)