What is my favourite film? That’s easy to answer, ‘The Apartment‘. Or wait, maybe it’s ‘Almost Famous‘. How can I decide? How can anyone decide on what is their favourite movie?
I’m not saying either of those are the greatest film of all time. I think ‘Shawshank Redemption‘ is the greatest film of all time. Or maybe ‘City Lights‘, or ‘The Godfather‘. How could such a thing ever be decided?
The best film in history is probably ‘Citizen Kane‘, even though I can’t sit through it without being bored. Why are so many things that are reportedly the best so completely boring?
And don’t be offended if you think ‘Citizen Kane‘ is the greatest thing ever, I’m sure it is. But just not to me personally.
And that’s where I get a little lost when people discuss what films are great and what films are not. For me, it’s so personal. I love ‘The Apartment‘ because I see myself in the characters, and I love Billy Wilder’s dialogue, and, well, there are a million different reasons.
I have seen ‘Citizen Kane‘ 1.5 times and I have seen ‘You’ve Got Mail‘ maybe 60 times. Do I think ‘You’ve Got Mail‘ is better than ‘Citizen Kane‘? Well to me, personally, yeah. I like Nora Ephron’s writing, I like the way she brings New York to life and I am an obsessive Tom Hanks fan.
That’s why I suck at being a film snob. I just can’t do it. I can’t watch the films that I find boring. You may think ‘Tree of Life‘ is a masterpiece but I prefer the Bruce Paltrow film ‘Duets‘, about people obsessed with karaoke.
If you are a young film director – should you be watching Fellini films because you feel you should be watching them, or should you be watching ‘Big Mommas House 2‘ if that’s what you love? After all, nearly every aspiring filmmaker watches Fellini films and it doesn’t necessarily make them better filmmakers.
That’s one of the main things that bugs me about the era we’re in. Yes, everyone has an opinion, but nearly everyone has the same opinion – somewhere on the internet it gets decided what is good and what’s bad, and everyone falls into line.
Of course it is good to educate yourself on the history of cinema. ‘Citizen Kane‘ was hugely important. But I just don’t enjoy watching it, so what am I to do? I’ve seen it, I’ve done my duty – now I’d rather watch the stuff that resonates with me personally.
I am constantly striving to find great cinema, to expand my influences, but I enjoy it more when I follow my own path. Instead of Jean-Luc Godard and Tarantino and Christopher Nolan, I’m watching Chaplin films, Nora Ephron films, and heaps of Danish cinema (which I love!).
I prefer this path because it’s my own. I’d rather find what I love rather than chase the consensus. I love talking to people about movies, but I get bored talking about the same movies; the latest blockbusters, the obvious classics, who cares!? I’d rather find out about those films that you genuinely crave, that you just HAVE to watch when you’ve had a bad day — you know the ones I mean, the ones you physically miss when you’ve not seen them in three months.
Those are the best films, and they’re different for everybody.
