Top Five reasons you've matured (or become a movie snob)

The top Five reasons you know you have matured in your movie tastes:

5. CGI isn't all that its cracked up to be.

Terminator 2 blew me away. The way that liquid metal flowed and moved on screen was amazing and incredible to watch. It appeared seamless. Over the last 17 -18 years, there remains a careful balance between just right and too much. Take "I am Legend" for instance. They ruined this movie with CGI. The "dark seekers" resembled knock-offs from the Brendan Frasier mummy franchise. Take me back to "28 Days Later" or even "Fright Night" (honest, there were places that I covered my eyes in that movie) I'd much rather watch the Last Man on Earth that revisit this debacle.

4. Black and White isn't archaic

You know, photographers sometimes love black and white more so than color. The reason? Compositon and Clarity. I used to think these were meant for the midnite movie marathon where nobody saw them. Then I watched "Young Frankenstein" years ago. I know, this was a parody and was made in the 70's, but it gave me my first experience where I forgot about color and just enjoyed the story and ACTING. The black and white sometimes pulls out character reactions than thier colorful counterparts. This lead to other experiences such as Casablanca, The Maltese Falcon, The Apartment and more to come

3. Not all movies must have happy endings

Hey, not every movie gets the main character back to Kansas. Hollywood liked to make you think so, but truth hurts (box office draws) Go beyond the in-the-box thinking and enjoy movies like Spartacus, Braveheart, Gladiator, even Blade Runner (the latest director release) and you find more to contemplate then those neat and tidy cookie cutter endings. Take a step back and give thought to the greater good beyond a character's death or a "murky, you decide the ending"" to a film..

2. Less is more

It took me a while to grow and understand this concept. This really is the crux of my blog. In my early movie days, if it didn't show it, it didn't matter. Action, Gore, Visual Stimuli..... I then saw a movie that gave me perspective. I watched Psycho when I was around 15. I was never more scared then when they finally show Norman's mother. (of course the shower scene is iconic in its own right). Waiting that long just built the tension. This lead to other curiosities of Hitchcock, I suggest you do the same

1. Lowering expectations can be a good thing (for the movies)

I recently went to see National Treasure 2. Yes, I know some of you will chastise me for this, BUT, I enjoyed it for what it was. A unrealistic but fun treasure hunt! That's all it is.... Nothing more, nothing less. I knew this walking in the theatre and you know what? I loved it all the more. I didn't expect top notch acting (although Voight is always great) and breakthrough screenplay (definite holes in this plot), but it did give me that Saturday afternoon popcorn fun that I sometimes want.

Official Introduction

Greetings fellow movie lovers -


I have recently decided my thoughts are important enough to be posted on-line and shared with others. How many of you have scoured Internet Movie Database (IMDB) or Flixster to read movie reviews and other top ten lists only to find the rare post that doesn't involve name calling or momma-bashing?

I visit a number of these every week and have grown tired of the increasing banter. Not to say I'm somehow better or an authority on these subjects, I would simply like to share reviews in higher plane of thinking. I'm pretty sure this is due to me recently rolling into a new decade of my life. I turned 30 this past year and have begun to recognize that the more I think I know, the less I really do.

How does this relate to movies? I'll tell you. I want this blog to be an honest source for folks who are beyond the days that EVERY movie is great and wonderful! Do you remember those days? I can. I remember leaving the theatre saying, WOW, Gremlins 2 rocked! That movie easily beat out those dumb sci-fi movies from the 60's!

Little did I know that beautiful films existed from Hammer Studios such as the Horror of Dracula (Yes, Christopher Lee did work before Star Wars and LOTR) and American Internation Pictures (AIP) such as House of Usher (Vincent Price is the king of melodrama)

Anyways, these revelations come from maturity. From maturity comes refined tastes. Having said that, my first entry is a top ten list (Really just 6) showing ways you know you've matured in your movie tastes. I love these and I'm sure those of you in my boat will love this too. Look for future posts to include current and little known movie reviews for you to read and consider whatever the season or the reason.