If one of your New Years resolutions is to dive into the wonderful world of movies and share that love with fellow movie buffs, here are some helpful tips, as well as some pitfalls to avoid:
1. If you sign up for a night class on the films on Alfred Hitchcock and haven't seen Psycho prior to the first class, DO NOT admit this to anyone. Two things will happen:
a) Everyone will look at you as if you've just arrived from Mars.
b) The first class will likely include a screening of Time film critic Richard Schickel's excellent 1973 documentary on Hitchcock, which includes the Janet Leigh murder scene in its entirety, as well as detailed analysis of that scene. There is only one way to feel its pulse-pounding power for the first time, and that is with the rest of the film. I know this because it happened to me in 1997.
2. When discussing spy movies, there is more to life than Bond, Flint, and Matt Helm. Really, there is. Honest.
3. When saying something pseudo-erudite like "The Purple Rose of Cairo is the thinking man's Last Action Hero" or "Wow, Barry Lyndon looks like it was shot by God!", be prepared to back it up. Your film afficionado friends will respect you in the morning. Or don't say it at all. It's your call.
4. Watch Ingmar Bergman movies in the morning and Ingrid Bergman movies in the evening, not the other way around. You'll thank me later. What to do at supper time? Reflect on the fact that Morgan Freeman is the very definition of cool.
Next time: George Lucas: Because He Can!
See you later!
MTMG
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