I guess this post needs a little bit of a disclaimer. Normally I'm against the kind of blogs that are thinly-veiled platforms for ego-boosting posts about the writer's personal life, but partly because I don't think anyone really reads what I write on here and partly because I want to tell someone so badly, I might as well make one tangential post.
Today is my sixteenth birthday and nobody knows it.
Half of the people I know think I'll be turning sixteen in July because that's what my parents have told everyone for years, and the other half think I turned sixteen three years ago. But today is the day every high school movie told me would be magical (though they also told me taking off my glasses would instantly make me hot, and when I do that things just get blurry)- and instead of having a party or getting drunk and covering Korean pop songs at a sushi bar, I am spending it with my movies. And I know that sounds depressing, but really, I don't mean it that way. I love escapism, and so I love movies. There's a lot more that goes into it, but most of it is inexplicable and no part of it is tangible. I love the way movies make me feel- even if they make me feel terrible because I'm watching Blue Valentine after a crushing break-up or horrified because I downloaded The Plague Dogs instead of Reservoir Dogs, because at least I'm feeling something at all, at least I'm somewhere else. The magic of movies has been described at least a thousand different ways, so I'm sure everything I'm saying has been said before.
So in the style of a true, cliche-loving countdown, here are sixteen reasons why I love movies, one from each year I have been alive.
Today is my sixteenth birthday and nobody knows it.
Half of the people I know think I'll be turning sixteen in July because that's what my parents have told everyone for years, and the other half think I turned sixteen three years ago. But today is the day every high school movie told me would be magical (though they also told me taking off my glasses would instantly make me hot, and when I do that things just get blurry)- and instead of having a party or getting drunk and covering Korean pop songs at a sushi bar, I am spending it with my movies. And I know that sounds depressing, but really, I don't mean it that way. I love escapism, and so I love movies. There's a lot more that goes into it, but most of it is inexplicable and no part of it is tangible. I love the way movies make me feel- even if they make me feel terrible because I'm watching Blue Valentine after a crushing break-up or horrified because I downloaded The Plague Dogs instead of Reservoir Dogs, because at least I'm feeling something at all, at least I'm somewhere else. The magic of movies has been described at least a thousand different ways, so I'm sure everything I'm saying has been said before.
So in the style of a true, cliche-loving countdown, here are sixteen reasons why I love movies, one from each year I have been alive.
Because of the ending monologue from American Beauty. "You have no idea what I'm talking about, I'm sure. But don't worry... you will someday."
Because of the soundtrack from High Fidelity.
Because of the way Audrey Tatou looks in Amelie.
Because when I saw Ndugu's letter from About Schmidt, I thought maybe my life had made a difference after all.
Because of the way Bob and Charlotte look at each other in Lost in Translation.
Because of the way Julie Delpy says "Baby, you are gonna miss that plane" in Before Sunset. (and the way Ethan Hawke says "I know")
Because everything about the way Sin City looks is perfect.
Because of the way what goes around comes around for Matt Damon in The Departed.
Because of Daniel Day-Lewis' intensity in There Will Be Blood.
Because of the fucking alcoves from In Bruges.
Because of the perfect opening sequence to Watchmen, set to "The Times, They Are A Changin" by Bob Dylan.
Because Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World is so quotable. I'm in lesbians with this movie. (Also 2010? Apparently not a great year for movies)
Because of the weird feeling Tree of Life leaves in the pit of my stomach.
Because of this shot specifically from The Master.
Because of the way Samantha and Theodore talk about love in Her.
Because Boyhood made me feel like I was watching myself grow up all over again.