This blog post is inspired by the silly people who have asked me why I am so passionate about films and why I take them as seriously as I do. It’s quite simple really, they matter to me.
I think for me it’s a classic case of I don’t just look for entertainment in a film. I look for the messages that are behind them, I look at the little details that mean something but most importantly I look for something to think about. If I go away from a film thinking positively, I know it’s one that has impressed me. It’s too easy to walk away from a film that is rubbish and think about all of the bad aspects of it, for me it’s more interesting to talk about what made a film particularly good. Of course for me it’s easier nowadays to find a film that is terrible, rather than a film that is exceptional. I was so relieved to leave the screening of Skyfall on the night it came out thinking “Wow, now that is what British film makers are capable of” which is completely different from other films I could mention.
It matters to me how much effort has been put in to the making of a film, because making a film is an art form, and it’s one that has to be mastered. It is very annoying when I see a film that has literally been assembled like a jigsaw puzzle with minimal effort and yet receives a lot of money. For a film to be good, it has to have substance to it. There was an amazing quotation from Daniel Day Lewis in his BAFTA speech this time last week in which he said “I’ve actually stayed in character as myself for the last fifty five years” which just goes to show how much the films he has a role in matter to him and how much of his life they control. It may sound a little exaggerated but for a method actor with as much talent as him I think it is shown in his performances just how much the films mean to him, which is somewhat admirable.
I can rant for hours about films that are awful and what made them awful, but that is a different blog post for a different time. This is one is to simply say why I am so passionate about films and it simply is because they mean something to me. Once again I have to mention Skyfall because of how much it meant to me when I saw it and realised just how incredible it was. James Bond was a big part of my childhood, and with the downturn the franchise took with Quantum Of Solace I was relieved to see Skyfall lift the franchise back to the prestigious status it once had.
Films show just how far we have developed as humans and how our culture has developed. They also show a level of talent and imagination. They show how a little idea that forms in someone’s mind can be transformed into a piece of art that manages to both entertain and move people. It is truly inspirational when someone creates a unique film and that is why some film makers of today’s world have my up most respect.
This was a short post admittedly, but it was something I feel needed explaining.
Adam Lester. 