2008 Woodie Awards
Cinema Cafe: The estacy of cinema
Paul De Amicis
Issue date: 6/2/08 Section: Features
Look ... you're an adult now ... and it's time to face facts ... reality is totally overrated.
Unless working, paying bills and growing old is your idea of a wildly fun time, reality is going to leave you hugely disappointed. That's why there are movies. You may not be consciously aware of it. You may even find it hard to believe. But as a species we have grown psychologically dependant on movies, and that is a good thing.
I call it a good thing because movies give us eight things that the world around us does not:
Instant Gratification
Our world makes us work, slave and toil for years to get the things we want. Movies provide instant gratification when we need it.
Logical Linear Scenes
Life provides us with many scenes, but they are rarely logical or linear. Movies provide us with something the human psyche needs.
Humor
If there is one thing that is sorely lacking in our stressed-out world it is humor. Movies provide much needed humor in a clinically insane world.
Happy Endings
Think of the war in Iraq, the divorce rate and all the teams that didn't win the championship this year. Life is filled with endings, but the majority of them are unhappy. Movies provide us with a high percentage of happy endings, and the human psyche appears to need more happy endings than life offers.
Catharsis
Life offers us many things, but rarely if ever catharsis. Movies frequently offer us a rewarding catharsis.
Love and Sex
Few people get as much love and sex as they need. Movies fill that void by providing unlimited love and sex in a perfectly safe environment on demand.
Theme
Few people think about the theme of their life. That's a huge mistake, because you should always think about the theme of your life. Movies force us to think about theme ... the Big Picture ... and our relation to it.
Perspective
Last, but not least, movies magically remind us that, "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players ... We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep."
Unless working, paying bills and growing old is your idea of a wildly fun time, reality is going to leave you hugely disappointed. That's why there are movies. You may not be consciously aware of it. You may even find it hard to believe. But as a species we have grown psychologically dependant on movies, and that is a good thing.
I call it a good thing because movies give us eight things that the world around us does not:
Instant Gratification
Our world makes us work, slave and toil for years to get the things we want. Movies provide instant gratification when we need it.
Logical Linear Scenes
Life provides us with many scenes, but they are rarely logical or linear. Movies provide us with something the human psyche needs.
Humor
If there is one thing that is sorely lacking in our stressed-out world it is humor. Movies provide much needed humor in a clinically insane world.
Happy Endings
Think of the war in Iraq, the divorce rate and all the teams that didn't win the championship this year. Life is filled with endings, but the majority of them are unhappy. Movies provide us with a high percentage of happy endings, and the human psyche appears to need more happy endings than life offers.
Catharsis
Life offers us many things, but rarely if ever catharsis. Movies frequently offer us a rewarding catharsis.
Love and Sex
Few people get as much love and sex as they need. Movies fill that void by providing unlimited love and sex in a perfectly safe environment on demand.
Theme
Few people think about the theme of their life. That's a huge mistake, because you should always think about the theme of your life. Movies force us to think about theme ... the Big Picture ... and our relation to it.
Perspective
Last, but not least, movies magically remind us that, "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players ... We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep."
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