What Do You Expect from a Movie?

I have always been a big fan of unconventional movie endings.    The films that don't end as you would expect, or don't end with the traditional happy ending have always stuck with me.  In fact, most of these endings are pretty bleak.  It seems to me that one's preference for unconventional movie endings says something about why one enjoys going to movies.    I like going to movies to be entertained and to escape, but my enjoyment is typically predicated on being surprised or seeing something original, be it storytelling or direction or some other novel aspect of a movie.   For others, escaping into entertainment might means living an alternate experience, but still with the happy ending.   For those folks, reality might be so demoralizing or boring, they want to experience the love, the adventure, the mystery, etc. but know that a happy ending is in store.   Personally, I want to see originality.

The movies with unconventional endings that I enjoy are movies like Seven, Arlington Road, and Memento.   Seven has a particularly bleak ending, but the way it unfolds and then ends is just so surprising and feels like it would end that way in real life.   It is so easy to relate to Detective Mills (Brad Pitt's character) and also feel the despair and horror (and apathy) felt by Morgan Freeman's character.   That movie sticks with you because of the ending, because so many movies have lunatic killers with strange methods of killing.   Arlington Road is a great film because the ending, like Seven, sticks with you.  I hesitate to give away the endings of any of these movies, because if you have not seen them, it really does spoil it to say how it ends.   My college roommate spoiled the ending of the Sixth Sense for me, and I think that took away my enjoyment and fondness for the film that  others might possess.   Memento is has the trifecta of greatness (IMHO) due to the fact that it was directed by Christopher Nolan, is told in reverse time (an incredibly original concept), and has an ending (beginning?) that feels so real, so HUMAN, that is also sticks with you.  Man that is a good movie.

One of the worst offenders for dealing the standard, happy, movie-ending is the romantic comedy.   The protaganist always gets the object of their affection, typically after they hate each other or are laden with numerous obstacles.    I am happy to report that there are some innovators out there that buck that trend.  One example is My Best Friends' Wedding.   The heroine, Juliet, played by Julia Roberts no less, is conniving and self-absorbed and acts how a person might act in her situation (with the standard Hollywood hyperbolic embellishments).    It is still a love story, but with a different ending and different types of love that you might expect.   In that same regard Love Actually is unconventional, with parallel stories both happy and sad, real and unrealistic, all mixed together.    That movie can appeal to both people like myself and those who want the standard movie escape.   A third rom-com that bucks the trend is 500 Days of Summer.   Not only is the movie told in non-sequential order (in a non-linear fashion), but it achieves both the unexpected ending and a happy ending, which is particularly difficulty for a rom-com.

The percentage of movies out there with unconventional endings or completely original deliveries are low.  In a good sense, having them be so rare makes me appreciate them all the more.  The possibilities are out there.  I say this going into the summer movie season, which is pretty much the rubber stamp season of movies.   But as long as my expectations are for that, I can still enjoy the standard blockbuster fare.    So I guess that is what the enjoyment of movie-watching all comes down to.  What do you expect?

The Nostalgic Power of Entertainment

I have recently been thinking about the nostalgic power of entertainment.   The music, movies, TV shows, etc. that I grew up listening to have a powerful influence on me.   For example, among my copies of The Departed and Inception, I have Seasons 1 and 2 of The Muppet Show (and I don't have kids).   For the rehearsal dinner at our wedding, my husband and I rented out the Alamo Drafthouse theatre in Austin, TX and showed a viewing of The Empire Strikes Back.  It should be noted that a prerequisite for marrying me is loving the Star Wars franchise.  As it turns out, my husband is a sci-fi fan in the "classical" sense.  That is, he loves sci-fi as a morality metaphor and a twist on reality.   But Science Fiction as a genre is a topic for another column.

At that rehearsal dinner, I met my cousin Allison and her husband Sam for the first time ever.  Turns out that they are HUGE Star Wars fans and we bonded over that commonality.   This is just a small example of how an entertainment medium (the Star Wars phenomenon in particular) brought a sense of nostalgia and facilitated bonding.  I am sure I could wear a Star Wars T-shirt on the T in Boston and get a few comments from complete strangers.  And the entertainment industry takes advantage of this, too.  I mean, look at the SuperBowl commercial for Volkswagen in which the little boy tries using the force.  (Catch it here: http://youtu.be/R55e-uHQna0).  That was one of the most popular ads.   Even the smallest reference to Star Wars brings me back to playing with the action figures, dressing up like Leia, or watching the movie.

It happens with music too.  Back when I was a kid and my family was driving cross-country and I had little to no control over the music played in the car, I was subject to Neil Diamond, Lee Greenwood, the Beach Boys, the Righteous Brothers and the Kingston Trio.   I may not actively seek out listening to any of those at this point, but I still remember the words to all the songs and hearing one of them instantly takes me back to being in that station wagon with my parents and brother.   Just last weekend, after finally getting a table in Giacomo's in the North End of Boston on the Saturday night before the Boston marathon (no easy feat), I heard the Righteous Brothers "You're My Soul & Inspiration."  It was like I was transported back 25 years sitting in the living room while my dad played the album.

Now TV and movie soundtracks are replete with music that invokes a sense of nostalgia.   The only trouble is, if you use a well-known song, it is competing with other possible memories attached.    It is almost as if there needs to be a waiting period to prominently feature a song in a movie.   It also presents a challenge for writers as to how to incorporate (and if they should) a particular song into a scene.   I really admire those who can incorporate music in an unconventional manner, in a way it has never been used before.  An instance comes to mind in which a beloved character from my past was linked to a musician that came to enjoy later in life.   As I have mentioned before, I am a huge NIN fan, and consider Trent Reznor to be a musical innovator, particularly with lyrics.   His song "Hurt" is a powerful example, one that was covered by the late great Johnny Cash.   However, some bold individual made a video using the song "Hurt" and showcasing Kermit the Frog as a heroin addict.   This icon from my childhood was now shown in a distinctly more modern, adult light.  I may have been offended, had I not considered a humorous, satirical perspective.  I wonder what Trent Reznor thinks of it.

I think a lot of people use this entertainment nostalgia as a tool for dealing with life.  Why else would we buy movies or songs but to view them repeatedly, or at least have them to experience when we like?  With a modern culture of instant access, it has become a way to comfort ourselves, excite ourselves, or gain new perspective.   It is entertainment not just to entertain, but as therapy.