TV and Film (99ac)

Thursday, June 25th, 2020

So many of my memories are around the movies I've watched throughout the years. Just sitting here trying to write this article it's like I'm being bombarded by them. Like the time me and my friends watched Boyz n the Hood down at the South Bay Galleria mall. We were in the eighth grade, three little Korean boys watching Ice Cube, and Cuba Gooding Jr., and Morris Chestnut doing their thing. I know the movie was good because to this day I remember how I felt watching it even though none of the characters in the film looked anything like me or my friends. Still, I felt a connection to them and to their story as if it wasn't that far removed from my own.

I remember watching Back to the Future with Michael J. Fox for the first time. I watched it at home on VHS after borrowing it from a friend. I remember the "To Be Continued..." at the end of the movie and how it felt like torture as I waited year after year for the sequel to finally come out.

One of the first times I ever went to the theater was when I was elven years old. I went with my little brother and my mom and we watched a double feature of The 'Burbs with Tom Hanks, and Honey I Shrunk the Kids starring Rick Moranis. I remember the theater was mostly empty. It was one of those places that only played older movies and the tickets were cheap. My mom couldn't speak English so the movie was for us kids, to give us something to do and give my mom a break. I remember sitting there in that theater like it was an escape, a much needed four hour vacation from our lives at the time.

I can probably think of dozens of stories like these. Now that I think about it, I've actually already written about one in an earlier post.

I remember when I was in high school, whenever we got our newest edition of Time magazine, I would always start by flipping to the back and reading the movie reviews first. I'd be especially excited if there was one about a movie I was interested in.

I remember watching Entertainment Tonight, and Siskel & Ebert, and reading Roger Ebert's reviews online. Nowadays it feels like people don't really read movie reviews anymore, and I guess I'm hoping this community can change that.

One of my favorite feelings is watching a movie and feeling at the end of it like you've just discovered something amazing. To me a great movie should move you, make you feel transported and allow you to imagine how you might feel in another person's situation.

I am hoping this community can become a place for people to share these types of discoveries with others while also being rewarded for it at the same time.

Everyone's welcome, and films and TV shows from anywhere in the world are welcome. I look forward to seeing how this community grows. I look forward to sharing some of my favorite discoveries over the years and reading about yours.

As always, thanks for reading.