Let's Go To the Movies....

My name is Amy, and I am a film geek. I'm one of those weird people who likes movies that never come to theaters in Ohio, who obsessed over foreign films, and who visits imdb.com daily to check up on the industry and whatnot. I even used to make short films with my friends in high school...they were silly and purely for fun, but I took pride in the fact that we had created something interesting(at least to us) and unique. I don't really know why I love movies so much, but since I was 3 and sobbing at the ending of E.T. I've been hooked. There's just something invigorating about sitting down in a theater(or at home) and being able to lose yourself for a few hours, totally immersed in the beauty and pain of an experience that doesn't belong to you. A really good movie can make you think about yourself and the world around you. It can make you question what you believe in(this is a good thing, I promise) and lead you to make changes in the way you behave. Or it can just make you laugh and leave the experience with a light heart and a smile. It's amazing.
I was lucky enough in high school to have a teacher who taught me to cultivate my love for film. He introduced me to independent and foreign films, and for this I am eternally grateful. He taught me that there are movies other than the big budget blockbusters that play in every major theater in the country. He taught me the beauty that comes from a really great director and script writer. My eyes were opened to something that has since influenced me majorly.
Now when I go to movies, I look for the little things the director throws in to make a movie look beautiful. As I leave the theater with friends, I rave over cinematography and editing and they look at me as though I'm slightly insane. I'm okay with it. In fact, I think a tiny part of me loves the fact that I'm the only person I know who has this crazy adoration for good filmmaking.
I feel that film is an exciting form of mass media, because there are so many ways it affects people. I look forward to exploring it more as the semester goes on. Until then, I will say goodbye.