GreyMatter
Uncommon Perspectives by Naveen Bachwani
Filed under TV & Movies | 3 November 2006 |
1 response
I love the experience of a good movie, especially on the big screen. There’s something magical about watching a great story unfold before your eyes – one scene at a time – in 70 mm splendour! Movies have an “immersiveness” quality, second only to that of a great book.
I am also among those who believe that the experience of a good movie can be made so much richer by evaluating it and discussing it with other, well-informed, movie enthusiasts!
Throughout my adult life, I have been acutely aware of the disappointingly-low quality of journalism in this country. In spite of the countless magazines and newspapers that exist on every conceivable subject you can think of, there are hardly a handful of people I would count as “good writers”. Among that rare bunch, writing on movies hardly takes priority.
There’s so much more to evaluating the good and bad of a well-made movie than simply describing the storyline… Sometimes, it involves discussing a young director’s recent work, in the context of his entire career. At other times, it may mean exploring how interchanging two of the cast members would have added so much zing to the story. We don’t have to agree on every thing. But, we should at least be left with the feeling that the time spent debating the nuances was well worth the effort, leaving both parties richer in the end.
Alas, until good quality movie-journalism arrives on the shores of India, I’ll have to make the most of interactions with family and friends…
Anand
I’d be interested to know which movie you saw last and what rating you gave it.I feel that a movie has to have the power to engage the viewer at some level to be regarded as worthy of the effort that went into making it.