In Search Of Something Different

I go through phases in my film viewing. For example, last year I went through a phase wherein I was absolutely enthralled by early cinema, the works of the Lumiere Brothers, Georges Melies and W.K.L. Dickerson. I watched lots and lots of the earliest films, because the prospect of watching an art form be born and discover itself was fascinating to me. Currently, my attention has swung in a radically different direction: towards grindhouse and B movies. 

I recently purchased Arrow Video’s wonderful box set The Herschell Gordon Lewis Feast and I’ve been watching films that aren’t necessarily good, but at least they’re different and right now, different is good. 

You see, I saw The Super Mario Bros Movie and Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, two films that the majority of people enjoyed. I stand outside those theaters and listen to people exiting them, with big smiles on their faces talking to each other about how great the films were and I inwardly (sometimes outwardly) roll my eyes. I thought Mario was dreadful, but mercifully short and I found D&D to be okay at best. As I look at the slate of upcoming films, I find very little to get excited about. I’m tired of Marvel movies and superhero movies in general (although, admittedly  Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse looks promising). I’ve never seen any of the Fast and Furious movies, so I really don’t care about the tenth (!) one. The last Indiana Jones movie was terrible, so I have little hope for the next one. 

Even last year, Top Gun: Maverick did not “restore my faith in the magic of movies” (I found it boring because it was essentially a remake of the first film). 

Am I turning into an elitist snob? 

Probably. 

But, it’s also that I just want something different. So, yes, I got more enjoyment out of Blood Feast than D&D. I’m looking forward to my next shipment from Vinegar Syndrome which has From Beyond, The Cat Creeps and Curucu Beast of the Amazon far more than anything hitting the multiplex in the next few months. 

It’s not that I inherently dislike mainstream Hollywood films, I’m just getting bored with them. It’s like if every restaurant was a burger joint. After a while, a taco or some Chinese food sounds fantastic.