Critical End!

This episode can’t do nothing for ya, boy. REVIEWED: True Grit (1969), True Grit (2010). PLUS: The Oscar talk begins.

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“Wow,” you think as you finish reading Ryan DiGiorgi’s January 3rd post at Criticalend.com, one of your favorite websites.  “Ryan’s right.  I shouldn’t feel guilty or out-of the-loop when my friends chastise me for not seeing some classic film.  I have all the time in the world to enjoy a good movie.”

You take a sip of your latte and look around the coffee shop.  It’s a beautiful day out, and although you heard that a storm or two may be moving in this weekend, it doesn’t dampen your spirits.  The would is full of people who would complain about things they can’t change, but Mr. DiGiorgi has reminded you to slow down, and not stress about what’s expected.  You’ll get around to seeing Chinatown and Das Boot soon enough, but you’re done with the guilt.  There’s plenty of time. 

Sure, the kids make it hard to find the time to see a good movie, and let’s face it, you’re not getting any younger.  And think about that homeless beggar you saw on the way into the shop: He’s definitely not seeing movies anymore.  I wonder if he ever saw Braveheart?  Then there’s the blood pressure.  Doc said that if you don’t start watching your diet, you could be nearing a massive heart attack.  Or worse.  I mean, what if you fell into an open manhole on the way home?  You would never even get to see that last Indiana Jones flick!  What was it called?  Search for the Crystal Skull or something like that?  You heard it was lame, but you’ve seen the others.  Wouldn’t you feel like a real knucklehead if you knew all of your friends and family were talking about it at your funeral…

And what’s up with that businessman across from you at the coffee shop?!  He left his briefcase on the table and walked off almost fifteen minutes ago!  Who does that?  Now that you think about it, he did seem a bit out of the ordinary, didn’t he?  Why, he could be some sort of Islamic extremist and that very well could be a small nuke ready to blow at any second!  And to think: Stand by Me was on TV the other night and you turned it off.

It’s easy for people with reasonably fictional names like “Ryan DiGiorgi” or “Edgar Wright” to sit around and talk about how it’s never too late to see a movie, but you know better than that.  It may already be too late.

Or maybe not.  Your call really.

XOXOXO,
Logan

Happy New Year, folks. I was sitting here trying to think up a post worthy of kicking off 2011. At the same time I was listening to Edgar Wright on Kevin Smith’s filmmaker podcast and he said something I really loved: It’s never too late to see a movie.

Wright told the story of a fan who had just seen Scott Pilgrim on DVD and apologized to him for having not seen it in theaters. You may recall that movie didn’t do so hot at the box office. Wright told him he was just happy he’d seen it. He then recalled hosting a screening of Evil Dead II and asking how many people in the audience hadn’t seen it before. The few that raised their hands got booed by the rest, but Wright shut them up by reminding them how amazing it must be to be see that movie for the first time in a theater full of hundreds of fans. It’s never too late to see a movie.

In college, I found out a friend of mine hadn’t seen Psycho. My first instinct was to chide her. I mean, that’s sheer cultural unawareness. But I was stunned when she added that she didn’t even know how it ended. She’d somehow lived more than twenty years without having the identity of Norman Bates’s mother ruined for her. Never heard it discussed, seen a parody, nothing. My sense of superiority flipped instantly to envy. I’d seen Psycho, but I’d never had the opportunity to experience it with a truly blank slate. She eventually saw it, and enjoyed it in a way that I would never be able to duplicate for myself.

Logan and I certainly haven’t seen everything. A big part of Critical End is having the excuse to watch more movies, old and new, constantly filling the gaps in our cinematic knowledge. I started writing a post about the shame I associate with my own gaps, and how my New Year’s resolution was to atone for my sins. But Edgar Wright just reminded me to relax. I’ll get around to all those films soon enough, but I’m done feeling guilty about them. It’s never too late to see a movie.

Incidentally, Schindler’s List? Haven’t seen it. But I think this is the year.