The Horror!! and other musings [movies]

I’ve never been a fan of the horror movie genre. It’s unfortunate, because I find that most movie snobs and cinema geeks seem to love Romero zombie flicks or classic slasher films. I don’t. The most I’ve ever watched in regards to horror was the Evil Dead series (and that was last year) and random Halloween theater outings with friends to see shitty movies like House on Haunted Hill or Saw. I’m not sure if films like The Shining or Shaun of the Dead really count as horror flicks (I say no), but other than those two I doubt I’ve ever actively sought to see anything horror-related. I want to say I don’t like being scared, but I think that’s untrue. I love haunted houses, I love rollercoasters. I love the visceral thrill of that adrenaline rush that being spooked gives you. I just don’t like it in movie form. Zombies and monsters don’t do it for me, but you put robots and elves* on the screen and I am SO there. What does that really say about me? I’m not really sure.

And speaking of Romero, I never understood people’s obsession with zombies. Other than “Thriller” (which let’s face it, ruled b/c of the dancing) I never thought zombies were all that cool, nor did I ever think that a zombie should be able to take you in a fight. You’re faster, you’re smarter, so unless you’re surrounded by a crowd of them, it seems to me you should be able to get away. But I guess this leads to the whole Zombie apocalypse problem, where EVERYONE would be a zombie. I can see that being scary…and lonely.

I’ve been going back and watching old movies lately instead of seeking out new movies to review. It doesn’t help that this is the dead period of the Hollywood season, and until The Dark Knight or Iron Man hit, signifying the starting gun to the blockbuster season, I guess I’m stuck mildly wondering if movies like Semi-Pro are going to be any good. Well, wait. I guess that’s wrong, there is one movie I’m looking forward to. Thank god for Michel Gondry, right?

I applied for my first passport today,** which is funny considering that I am Asian (gasp, the curtain pulled back) so most people assume I’ve been out of the country at least once in my life (racists). The truth is, I have never left the contiguous 48 states of our great country, and really had no urge to until recently. I’m sure it has nothing to do with the fact that I’ve made it my mission to get into French New Wave cinema,*** starting with Godard’s works first.

I’ve been trying to sit down and have the attention to watch Breathless (a/k/a A Bout De Souffle), but I haven’t been able to harness the focus or energy for it (damn you subtitles). For those that aren’t familiar with French New Wave, wikipedia defines it as this:

The New Wave (French: La Nouvelle Vague) was a blanket term coined by critics for a group of French filmmakers of the late 1950s and 1960s, influenced (in part) by Italian Neorealism. Although never a formally organized movement, the New Wave filmmakers were linked by their self-conscious rejection of classical cinematic form and their spirit of youthful iconoclasm. Many also engaged in their work with the social and political upheavals of the era, making their radical experiments with editing, visual style, and narrative part of a general break with the conservative paradigm.

Man, hilarious!

So anyway, this is my way of saying that unless you want to hear me talk about how much I enjoy watching Die Hard 2 (take that LD) or that Indiana Jones rules (still working through both box sets), the movie reviews will probably not be as plentiful for a bit. I may pick up some classics and just start trudging through things like Casablanca, Citizen Kane, Gone with the Wind (all of which I’ve never seen), just to see if I can stomach them now. But until then, I’ll try to throw up completely meandering ramblings about cinema when the urge hits me.

Also, if anyone wants me to review a movie, feel free to leave suggestions in the comments below too. I really don’t care how bad or weird it may be, I’ll do it.

* read: NOT hobbits
** I technically had one when I was 8, but I never used it, so it doesn’t count.
*** It doesn’t, since I initially got my passport for Hong Kong, and you don’t see me watching John Woo flicks do you?