For most movie-goers summer movies emphasize escapism and distractions from that which Pablo Picasso called the dust of everyday life. But, while many viewers want a break, film snobs like a diet of movies that defies the tradition of escapism and grand distractions.
When summer arrives I know that need to await a film festival or wait until the fall, when the “important” movies come. I’m peculiar in this tweeted world, where Facebook is a verb: I believe that patience is a virtue, and vital. Still, I hate that wait.
Are you the kind of movie-goer who is hungry for stories that defy the tradition of escapism and grand distractions; those smart ones that take risks and push viewers beyond their comfort zones? Summer’s not your season; you already knew that.
The first idea: hold your nose up, and abstain from the summer of escapism and distractions that serve the masses. So, you’ll await the “important” movies in the fall. That’ll test your patience; that’s a long wait! That’s a bad idea. It won’t work.
The second idea: in summer 2012, the movie theaters won’t be empty of substance. “The Dark Knight Rises” promises to provide a smart and sophisticated plot. And then “Brave,” provides a story of what the Spice Girls called Girl Power; the girl must defy traditions and authorities as she discovers her strengths and herself. Another one, “Beasts of Southern Wild” provides a story that Imdb describes thusly, “faced with her father’s fading health and environmental changes that release an army of prehistoric creatures called aurochs, six-year-old Hushpuppy leaves her Delta-community home in search of her mother. ” And “Safety Not Guaranteed” tells the story that Imdb describes as “three magazine employees head out on an assignment to interview a guy who placed a classified ad seeking a companion for time travel.” These stories themselves might hold you over until September when the substance enters theaters.
The third idea is ambitious: remember the loads of movies that you forgot or ignored in the last how many years because of timing, and catch up. For example, here’s a list of the most important film for each year in the history of film, or some viewer’s take on the 50 most important documentaries. You probably have a “bucket list” of movies. Why not use it?
You may want to consider what makes a movie “important” or “serious.” Here’s a link to a story that I reported in fall 2011.
