Not "just" movies

"Movies define us, they inspire us, they are what we dream of."

       I am not exactly sure who that quote is by, but lately when I rent a movie its on a commercial where famous actors are talking about a movie that changed them in some way. Now every time I rent a movie and begin to watch the previews, I hope to see the commercial because it has become one of my favorite quotes. It is a very special quote to me because I think that it is so true. Movies have the ability to make you laugh, learn, scream, cry and with those ones that only come along every so often, they touch your heart. As we go about our lives every day we find our selves quoting our favorite movie lines, or ones that apply to something that we are going through at that moment. I believe that if a movie is truly good enough, it can effect our views or even change the way we look at something. Movies can even inspire us to make a change, some may be small and others may change our lives forever.

What exactly makes a movie have an impact on us?

       I believe that they are certain elements that a movie must have in order for it to be a "all time favorite" or even a classic. Movies are great because we can dream about them, they can touch our hearts, inspire us and can make us think.
       The movies that give us hope. Movies are great because when we just had an awful day, we can come home, pop some popcorn, watch the film and it can literally make our whole day better. The movie that can take us away to another world that makes us forget about all the things and problems in the one we live in. They are often what our dreams are made of. Take the Wizard Of Oz for example.

The Wizard Of Oz gets me every time. Even after watching the small clip above, it takes my mind off everything and I'm in a completely different world. I think it might be the classic innocence the movie has that's so hard to find these days. These movies are often ones that aren't exactly realistic. We love them because they are a sweet escape from the normal world that we might not get other wise.

      The best movies are also the ones that touch our heart, the ones that we can relate too. The ones that when we watch them, we sit there and think to ourselves, "i know exactly how that feels." We often feel like we know the character in cases like this. We may be going through something in our lives just like the character in the movie is. Ones that always get me to tear up and also one that usually every one can relate too is losing a long time family pet. Almost everyone has or has had that favorite dog or cat in their lives that was pretty much unbearable to loose. Movies like Where the Red Fern Grows and Old Yeller.



Marely and me is definitely one of those that touches my heart and makes me miss a dog I had growing up.

       Movies also inspire us. It's always great to watch movies where the under dog comes out on top. The character starts as a nothing and end up being something truly great, someone that we can sort of look up to. In these kinds of movies the main character usually goes through allot to make it to the top, and we get to go along with them for the whole ride. Of course, we are usually routing for the under dog during their whole journey which makes it that much sweeter when they get to full fill their dream in the end. Take the Rocky movies for example. These have always been some of my favorite movies. They also inspire you to work and never give up on making it.



 

What if God was one of us?





      Movies like Bruce Almighty make us wonder. They can make us think maybe change our views about things. After watching Bruce Almighty for the first time, it left me wandering about go and what it would be like if he was here on earth.

      Movies are not "just" movies. They can effect us in many different ways and sometimes effect us for the rest of our lives. I think that every movie also has a meaning and a purpose behind it. However, it's probably not necessary to "read in to" every movie that we read as Greg Smith discusses in his, "its not just a movie" chapter. But also their are always those movies that we can read into and figure out the real message behind it. Either way, movies will always be with us and changing us in different ways.