I love movies.
So does my family. Nearly every Saturday we pile onto our mid-sized sagging sectional, snorfel down a home-made pizza fresh out of the oven, and enjoy a movie together while supper gets converted into gas (which we share with each other throughout the second half of the movie). There’s nothing like pizza movie night.
I know many people who like movies. Liking movies is pretty much par for the course in our society. There’s nothing notable about that.
Me, I love movies.
I guess that makes me a movie geek.
I know I’m not supposed to be, or rather that people think I’m not supposed to be, me being a pastor and all. But I am, and there you have it. I’ve loved movies for as long as I can remember and so I’ve decided to embrace that about myself.
I love to escape, to roam the lush forests of Pandora or tremble with the troops guarding Troy or run along walls and dodge bullets with Neo for two or three hours.
Sometimes Jerry Bruckheimer or one of his buddies asks me to check my brain during the opening scene, or way in advance—like during the TV trailers—in which case I leave my brain at home. I’m okay with that if what happens next is good fun and doesn’t pollute my heart. They call these movies popcorn flicks, probably because you need a popcorn fix (which is more like a sedative than an upper) to augment your lack of mental stimulation while you’re watching them.
The best movies, of course, don’t require popcorn.
I love to watch movies with great, fallible heroes, men and women who snag my heart and take me on a journey of wonder and becoming and sacrifice—like Hawkeye from Last of the Mohicans, Maximus from Gladiator, Lucy in Narnia.
I love hearing God speak to me through movies, sometimes in the most unexpected times and places—like from the electric chair in the Green Mile, the slow mo denouement of Return of the King, the scrambling, manic comedy of Jim Carrey in The Truman Show.
I love movies that ask big, daring questions and venture big, daring answers—like The Matrix, The Dark Knight, or Equilibrium.
Not that I love every movie, or love all movies equally. Nuh uh. Some movies are a waste of my time and leave me with a spiritual hangover. The best movies teach me, inspire me, and move me.
So this week I’m going to blog about movies. One: How God uses them. Two: Magical movie quotes. Three: Magical movie moments.
Hopefully, you won’t need no popcorn.
But what about you? If you’re a movie lover, what do you love about movies?
You have often spoken about how the word “love” gets misused, or at the very least, doesn’t begin to fully convey the appropriate emotion. You’ve often said that a better word is needed to fully express the magnitude of your love for something.
That’s how I feel about movies. 🙂
I could talk for hours (and have) about movies. Days even. I love everything about movies. The cinematography. The dialogue and writing. The characters, plot, music, themes, etc. I enjoy a good popcorn flick as much (or more than) the next guy, but I REALLY love those films that make me think or strike an emotional chord (The Shawshank Redemption, Count of Monte Cristo, Memento). I love movies that take me on an epic journey and leave me wanting more (Lord of the Rings, of course). I love those cleverly designed movies that can have me terrified on the edge of my seat, only hinting at terror, but never actually showing it (Alien, Jaws, Signs). I even love those movies that can do what few things in life are able to do; make me cry (Dances with Wolves, Dead Poets Society, Gladiator).
I’m excited about movie week! Can’t wait to see what you blog about. I’m sure I’ll be involved in the discussions down here in the comments section. Did I mention I love movies?
Lol. Yeah, you mentioned it. I’m totally with you, brother.