One of the characters wore a Sonic Youth shirt in this movie. Cool! |
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Right off the metaphorical bat, I want to apologize for the lateness of this column. The power at my house was out for around 24 hours, and I wasn't able to upload it. I really do need to start doing that ahead of time. Procrastination leads to nothing good children! And neither does heroin, or Wynona Ryder!
So last night, I was sitting in my house, in the dark, being enveloped in the smothering heat. And it made me think of the new movie SUNSHINE. That movie seems neat, Danny Boyle directed it, Cillian Murphy is in it and it's sci-fi. WHAT COULD GO WRONG? Well, after discussing this flick with a few people and reading reviews of it, I found out it was an "Eco-thriller", a new sort of movie that had to do as much with space catastrophes as it did with the environment. What's this?! A message in MY entertainment?! Well, that got me to thinking on that subject. Is it cool to try to relay something important to your audience, or should you look to just make a good movie?
One director that many (meaning two of my friends) people have been saying is "preachy" is Judd Apatow. He is the man behind such films as the 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN and the recently released KNOCKED UP. Both films are full of potty humor, slapstick and general silliness that comedies for 20-something guys usually have. However, both also seem to have an underlying message of...family values? And various morals?!
In the 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN, Steve Carell plays a man who at 40 
Ewwww. |
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years old...ok you better be able to finish that sentence. Because if not, you are not qualified to read the rest of this column. Anyway, the message at the end of the film is that it's OK to wait, and that being a virgin can be cool! HAH. In KNOCKED UP, the meaning within seems to be owning up to your mistakes and taking responsibility. Specifically when it comes to babies.
Now this is kind of uncharted territory for the genre that created ANIMAL HOUSE, BACHELOR PARTY and DUDE, WHERE'S MY CAR? I mean, these are movies for guys, who we all know are the scum of the earth. They invented Cheese-Whiz for god's sake. So why are Mr. Apatow's films doing so well? Maybe morals and comedy do go together. But should they? Well, in my opinion, if you can slide in your little principles without it ruining your movie, go for it! And I feel that Judd has done that. Also, SUPERBAD looks hilarious.
Now what about movies that don't subtly conceal their message? Like say, all of Michael Moore's films. Granted, he's a documentary filmmaker, but doesn't that mean he actually should be unbiased? Well, there lies the rub. He feels that there are things that need to be said, and he is the one to say them. Who are we to say, "NO! I don't want your preachiness Mr. Moore!" We could just as well not watch his films. But either way, do his movies suffer because he pushes the point too much? I feel that they do, but only slightly. Michael Moore adds humor in 
Completely unrelated. |
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his films, assumingly to keep his audience entertained, but in doing so, takes away form the gravity of the subject matter he's presenting. It doesn't seem like he can have his agenda and eat it too.
I'm sure that you all have different opinions out there, and honestly, we're all right/wrong. I just think that movies should have an equal balance of entertainment and trying to teach the audience something/feel something. If one can do that, then it's a success. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to take a nap while you all think about this. Please send your ten page essays on what this column has said to my house. Grades will be determined on penmanship, amount of money in the envelope and whether or not I read the actual essay.
PS, this will mark my end writing this column at Matchflick. I want to thank the owners of this great website, my fellow columnists and all of you Matchflickers out there for letting me spew forth what I had to say. Once again, thank you.
I give you one of my favorite quotes, to end my column:
From the film SE7EN
Detective William Somerset (played by Morgan Freeman):
I didn't say I was different or better. I'm not. Hell, I sympathize; I sympathize completely. Apathy is the solution. I mean, it's easier to lose yourself in drugs than it is to cope with life. It's easier to steal what you want than it is to earn it. It's easier to beat a child than it is to raise it. Hell, love costs: it takes effort and work.
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| James Shafie |
James Shafie is an avid watcher of movies of all sorts, but the horror genre is closest to his heart. He loves to read and is addicted to music, mostly metal and it’s thousands of sub-genres. He was once fired by Blockbuster, which we see as a strong character trait.
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