…THROUGH MY EYES ✨

While I have been a voracious reader for most of my life, I have also been a movie addict. So, both books and film go back as far as I can remember, one an activity that I engaged in on my own, while the other has been a non-social, social activity (perfect for me, allowing social engagement without the energy loss that usually comes with it).

I don’t know when I started (maybe as early as 1990’s, with Home Alone, The Matrix Trilogy), but for quite some time, I’ve been entrenched in the film world, keeping up on all the news (for awhile that was celebrity related, although I’ve stopped reading much of that, still knowing much of it due to headlines around) of movies that are coming up and loving to gather bits of trivia much like I do for music (my film store of useless facts probably dwarfs my amount of music-related bits).

I’d happily watch a film every night and don’t see a problem with that (unlike some of my friends who always talk about doing something different for the weekend , like clubbing, which I am not a fan of)

I likely incorporate more film references into my everyday vocabulary than I would literary references, although some of that is due to an assumption that more people would be aware of the film references than the literary ones (an assumption that is challenged on occasion when a friend has no idea what I’m talking about as I reference things that I thought were classics that everyone knew of, even if they hadn’t seen them, i.e Terminator, Harry Potter, Fight Club etc.). Film, to me, has always been something more than just pictures on a television screen. I have always had an emotional connection (borderline obsession) with movies. I routinely goes on Lord of the Rings , Harry Potter  (extended editions) binges, I think it’s fair to say that I love movies. It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly why I love film. One big factor that is underrated and often trivialized is escapism. Sometimes a movie comes along that creates such a realistic world that I just want to escape into it over and over. Epic settings and great characters to fill them are a key factor for me, and contribute to the escapism.

The reason I love film isn’t tangible, it’s the way it makes me feel. Its like when you read a great book, you enter a world that is separate from where you are, but you relate to the characters and get lost in the pages. It makes you happy or sad. It makes you laugh and also cry. Movies do that, but more directly. A good film resonates with you and doesn’t leave your system right away. I’ve always said, “I know I’ve seen a good movie when I’m still talking about it the next week.” Some of the greatest films I’ve seen have never left my heart and soul, and I hope they never do.