How I learned to stop worrying and love the movies

In terms of being a real professional, I am by no means a “film buff” yet.

I am well informed, but what I have accomplished is not far from anyone’s reach.

Aside from just being more intelligent, aware and knowledgeable about life and the popular culture that surrounds it, truly intelligent film conversations are things I don’t usually have, and they would be nice. 

It gets lonely here at the top.

Because as much as I love “Inglourious Basterds,” “The Dark Knight” and “Juno,” I’d much rather talk about “The Hurt Locker,” “Let the Right One In” and “Once,” which are smaller, but not unknown films.

See, most people who believe they know a bit about film don’t, and the ones that say they don’t have enough time to see a lot of movies aren’t trying hard enough. 

But how hard does one have to try? I’m only just starting to take film classes, and all the essential films that escaped our generation are ones I have watched in the last few years.

The point is, I could not claim my film expertise until recently, and even though I’ll still see more films than even the above-average person in a year, establishing a wide range of knowledge is all about seeing the right films.

As I will prove, this is not difficult.

Saved on my computer are two Excel spreadsheets. One is a list of classic films, and the other a list of films that appeared on Top 10 lists in the last decade.

Over the past few years, I’ve slowly picked away at them, but I still have a long way to go.

Checking off the films on these lists has been my goal for some time, and using godsends like Netflix and Turner Classic Movies has made it simple.

But as I see more films, the more I realize I have to see. If these films truly inspire you, they will motivate you.

There are plenty of things people can do to expand their film repertoire, and list making is one of them.

The American Film Institute and its list of the Top 100 American films is a good place to start. I would guess a minority has seen at most 20, but I can little tolerate discussing  “Star Wars.”

In addition to list making, try reading about a film after you’ve watched it.
Critics do not attempt to prove a person right or wrong, but instead seek to discuss it with someone who’s already seen it, and they can be very acute in pointing out nuances you may have missed.

Also, don’t be afraid to watch a movie by yourself.

Getting friends or family to agree on a time, a place and a particular movie is like turning the nuclear weapons keys in a submarine. Watch movies on your own time, and see how much you can accomplish.

And one more thing: Enough with the cult movies. A lot of them are good, even great, but the demographic reading this is under the impression that “Fight Club,” “Donnie Darko” and “Requiem for a Dream”  are some of the best movies of all time – and they’re wrong.

So no, I’m not impressed with your “Pulp Fiction” poster or how many times you’ve seen “The Boondock Saints” or your ability to quote Heath Ledger’s Joker.

And if it does come to movie quotes, I can only think to respond with what AFI calls the greatest film quote of all time: “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn.”