“Why do all your movies have to be soooooooo weird???”

I hear that question a lot — from co-workers, relatives, friends, heck, even my wife. They think that the only movies I like are dark and depraved, often without a happy ending. Who in their right mind would want to sit through flics like that?

I’m also asked why I get so bored with mainstream movies and what’s wrong with just going to a movie just to be entertained? Why does going to a movie have to be an intellectual or philosophical experience?

“Hey, I work 40 (or more) hours a week, then go home to take care of a house and/or kids,” is something often told to me, “When I can get a chance to get out of the house to watch a movie, I just want to turn my brain off and just be entertained. Now what’s so wrong with that?”

My answer is “Nothing.” I sometimes like to go to a movie and not think hard either. I guess I equate going to the movies with food. Every so often I need some junk food like Snickers, pizza, cheeseburgers, cookies, or whatever. But I can’t live on that. My body needs good food like meat, potatoes, vegetables, fruit, and bread. Same with movies. Yeah, every so often I need a dumb, fun movie like BLAST FROM THE PAST or some other dumb movie where you can guess the ending going into the theater.

But for the most part, I prefer a film that stays with me when I walk out of the theater and gives me something to think or talk about. Movies are considered an American art form and I like treating them as such.

But before I can consider a film as art, it has to fill a couple criteria to me:

First, I often do not know how a real good film will end. In fact, I may not be able to predict what will happen a half hour later in the film or even a few minutes later. This happened to me in recent years with HOOP DREAMS, PULP FICTION, and BRINGING OUT THE DEAD. Many times in films like these, I think the film is going in one direction, but then it veers into a completely different direction, keeping me guessing on what’s going on.

You see, I love to be surprised. I try not to watch too much of previews and trailers because they give away too much. (In fact, recent trailers, including CAST AWAY, have even been giving away the endings!) I enjoy films the best when I have no idea what the plot is even about. This isn’t always very easy for me since I read a lot of film websites and magazines. But lots of times, I won’t read certain articles until I’ve already seen the film.

This is probably a reason why I enjoy foreign films. Most American films seem to follow a tried and true template such as boy meets girl, they hate each other, they love each other, crisis comes up, they break up, get back together, and live happily ever after. Action films have their own template crammed with their own cliches. Europeans probably figure we have the system down pat so well, that they make films their own way. Since they seem to think differently, they make very interesting films that could never get made here. Plus, their trailers aren’t played every hour on the TV!

A second criteria for a film to be art is for it to stick with you long after the it ends. Sometimes you’re not sure if you liked a certain film, but it stayed with you for even a day or two after (or longer). It either made you very happy or very sad or angry, but it affected you stronger than most movies do. It still asks more questions than it answered and provokes discussion with whoever else saw it. Great debates come up from movies like that. You sometimes even find yourself a different person walking out of the theater than when you walked in.

Lots of film geeks have a cult film that’s their favorite. They remember the first time they saw it and try to convince everyone around them what a great film it is. BLADE RUNNER, BLUE VELVET, APOCALYPSE NOW, or any film by Stanley Kubrick are a few examples that inspire controversy. They’re so unlike any of the films that were released at the same time that they stand out. Because of the original elements in that film, they’re watched over and over again, revealing something new each time.

Those are the type of films I like. Lots of times they have sad or ambiguous endings. That’s because movies with happy endings are usually easy to predict. And that takes all the fun out of it. The movie does all the work for you while you sit like a robot getting spoonfed on how to feel.

If you’re one of the people who ask why film geeks watch such weird films, think hard about what your favorite movie is. Then think about why it’s your favorite. Chances are it’s because it wasn’t the kind of movie you expected walking into the theater. A lot of people say STAR WARS is one of their favorites. Now I admit it was obvious that the good guys would win in the end, but still, there was nothing else like it in the theaters at that time. Unlike today, science fiction was dead at the movies in 1977. But people forget the enthusiasm they felt the first time they saw STAR WARS. They forget that the reason they enjoyed it so much and watched it over and over is because they never saw anything like that before. I guess they support mainstream movies today is because they think they can relive the thrills they got from STAR WARS by watching weak imitations of it. By watching these forgettable and mediocre productions, they get numbed into thinking that whatever they’re watching is the best movies can offer them. They get fooled into this mentality because the special effects are state-of-the-art or because it stars a popular actor or actress.

That’s a real shame, because movies can offer a lot more. Whatever it is you like in a movie — like laughs, thrills, suspense, romance, scares, whatever — can often be seen put to better use in one of these so-called “weird” movies.

So do yourself a favor. See or rent something different for a change. Instead of the latest Harrison Ford or Adam Sandler blockbuster, take in a flic at a theater that shows art or foreign films. Or check out the cult movie, classic, or foreign section of the video store for your next rental. Don’t worry about the subtitles. They’re not that hard to read and you won’t even notice tham after a while. (Heck, even STAR WARS had subtitles in the cantina part and nobody complained about that!)

If you do see something different, let me know what you thought of it. By the way, I stuck some pictures on this page to give you some ideas on films I like that are often considered too weird or dark. If you haven’t seen them, you might want to give them a chance. If you click on any of them, you will get a new page taking you to the link of that film at The Internet Movie Database. For some other great ideas on what to rent, check out the Greatest Films website or the Greatest Films on Roger Ebert’s website.

Again, if you do, let me know by e-mailing me. Tell me if you don’t mind if I print your response and I’ll post it. Don’t worry about offending me by disagreeing. It’s often a way of life for me.

Now get out there and get weird!

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