The Movies That Move You

I really want to settle down into bed with Mockingjay (Kindle edition!), so fortunately my friend Ariel had a blog entry/contest for me to post today:

I  love the collective gasp of the crowd when the actor rounds the corner during a chase scene and is confronted by a giant alien – or really any other theatrical element that elicits a passionate enough reaction to draw out audible emotions.  The magic of theatre – cinematic or live – is the power to engulf our sense of reality and transport us to a world in which our petty problems do not exist.  A good movie benefits from a well developed plot, quality acting, and fancy special effects.  However, to leave me with ‘happy after movie glow,’ a performance must suspend my existence and, for an hour and a half, replace it with the characters’ world views.  I’ll admit creating that magic is a tall order, which is why I’ve asked Jamey to lend me his blog for a day.

I am curious to know if other people experience this same transcendence when they step into a theatre.  What do you think are the key elements that allow a movie (or a play) to so entirely replace your own state of mind?  Do you have a favorite movie that you believe achieves this goal particularly well?  More importantly (for those of us who are students with limited time) what is the one movie being released in the next 3 months that you think will provide the deepest immersion?

To make the game a little more fun, I’m offering two free AMC movie passes for the most convincing responses – one for the best movie overall, and one for the must-see movie of the next 3 months.

2 thoughts on “The Movies That Move You”

  1. I don’t know if I can predict the movies that will immerse me the deepest, but I do know the fall movies I’m most excited about (in order of release):

    Never Let Me Go
    Harry Potter 7 Part 1
    The Town
    Let Me In
    The Social Network
    Monsters
    Due Date
    Skyline
    Red Dawn
    The Debt
    127 Hours
    Narnia 3
    How Do You Know?
    Tron: Legacy

    Of those, I think I’ll be the most moved by Never Let Me Go (watch the trailer), Let Me In (I loved the movie on which it’s based), The Social Network, Tron: Legacy, and maybe even How Do You Know?

    I think Tron: Legacy will be the most immersive, fun movie of the fall/winter.

    Reply
  2. I’m actually reading “Never Let Me Go” with the few free moments I have. The trailer got me curious, so I got the book. When a trailer pushes you into a purchase before the movie comes out, I call that effective and exciting. And I’m not the art-housy type either; I like me some popcorn movies, but I can definitely pass on the December franchise flicks and head straight for this one.

    The most immersive movie I’ve seen in recent years is 3:10 to Yuma. That’s saying something since I’ve never really liked westerns in general. Dan Evans (Bale) is incredibly sympathetic, and just keeps getting the deck stacked against him, and just keeps not backing down. Ever. His chemistry with Crowe in that movie is off the scale. You walk out of that film thinking you can tackle the damn world. It’s the kind of movie you have to stop and watch half of it when it’s on HBO, just like Shawshank Redemption (only that’s on TNT all the time).

    Reply

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