How do you watch a movie?

See, I was trying to figure out what the hell I wanted to say about the Manchurian Candidate, since I'm dying to talk about it but there's soooo...much going on with it. Then this came up. And I GUESS it was important enough to warrant its own post. Did I mention this was going to be a long ass week?

I'm dead serious too. How do you watch a movie? Do you even think about it?

Movies are my hobby, well, at least a specific KIND. Midnight movies, trashy flicks, cult films, obscure movies, old classics. Horror, drama, a little comedy, foreign language. Art house shows. Like subjecting myself to television, it's just what I do. It's my THING.

I treat movies like reading most of the time. I can't help it, I have to analyze. I don't care if it's some dreck (and I use that affectionately) from Something Weird, I'll find something to nitpick about it whether I'm planning on writing up a blog post on it or not. I could probably be talking to Mrs Jones down the street and bring up filming techniques and artful use of grainy footage or sepia tones. Again, it's just my thing. I do it. I don't know why I do it. Watching movies & talking about them here or elsewhere is just for fun, usually. I do take it seriously though--probably entirely too seriously. This is why no one watches movies with me anymore I think *sad face*

Anyway, I guess just about all of us are on the DVD trip now, or at least using Betamax (stupid VHS). Or at least torrenting--I won't tell. Usually, if it's a good DVD it'll come with some sort of special features. You'll watch them if they're good, like interviews or old trailers or deleted scenes. If they're bootlegged--as in poor quality as in low grade as in "this sucks!"--you'll probably pass right over it. I make it a point to watch special features if there's something going on. It's like research. Researching movies is also part of my thing, considering some of the movies I tend to force myself through. If I hadn't done some sort of research on Suspiria or Satyricon I'd have been so lost.

I analyze. I pick out filming techniques or art techniques if I can remember any. I analyze the themes, messages in context if I can. I do it all mentally, btw, which probably accounts for why I'm so scatterbrained *side eye*

It's a funny thing to do but I think, other than watching some, uh, truly memorable films, this helps movies stick in my brain more. I can recall some truly random shit I've ended up watching, I guess because of that whole little thought process.

Yup, me going up and beyond the call of duty. While you sit there and flick popcorn in your mouth without sharing, I'm looking at medium shots and close ups *sigh* life is hard.