You Can’t Say “That brings me back…” When You’re Only 15 (or can you?)

My family was never really into movies.

Still, today, my dad hates going to the movie theater, and I have no idea why.

But one thing my family made me do every year was watch every award show. Being in my young years, not even a teen, I relied on what I had seen to win the Oscars. This usually consisted of Pirates of the Caribbean, or any movie in the animated section since I was way to young to sit down and watch any rated R feature.

But recently, I watched Crash, part of There Will Be Blood, and part of The Departed (WHICH I AM FINISHING TOMORROW!) and well, isn’t it funny how some things trigger memory? I decided to write this post from the view of my young self watching the Oscars, and what I felt then.

I dig through my memories, and the first thing I remember is the time leading up to the 2006 Academy Awards. My mom would order 3 or 4 of the movies nominated on DVD (No Nextflix?! Oh my!) and watch them with some friends. What I remember about one night is sneaking into the room where my parents and some others were watching these movies. My friend and I were just trying to play one of those online games that 9 year olds love playing. I remember hearing the movie, and there were a lot of loud noises and words I didn’t know. My friend was practically going insane because she kept hearing something called an “F-Bomb”, which I didn’t know what that was at the time. We were soon discovered and shooed out of the room.

Today, I’m 99% sure they were watching Crash in that room. We still have the DVD.

And now we skip ahead to my 10-year-old self and the 2007 Academy Awards. I remember my relatives saying that The Departed was fantastic and that it was going to win. For this show, I actually sat down and watched it.

And here comes a defining moment in my life.

When Martin Scorsese’s name was announced for Best Director, I knew it was a big deal. I had no clue why, but it was a big deal. It sent chills down my spine. I was so happy for him- yet I had no clue why. Everyone in our house watching were talking about how big of a deal it was. And then he got Best Picture. Again, so happy, no clue why. Each time, that theme from The Departed played. That fabulous tango.

And when I watched The Departed and heard that little tango, everything flooded back, like it was hidden. A secret drive in my love of filmmaking that had been buried and rediscovered again. It’s so weird how a little song can bring all that back.

I watched again in 2008, and just asked my mom about each winner, and if the movie was good. I mainly just remember hearing There Will Be Blood and No Country for Old Men being said over and over again.

I watched part of There Will Be Blood at NYFA, and it was so good.

2009 was when I started to kind of care about movies. My parents were just on the edge of letting me see Slumdog Millionaire, but they didn’t let me watch it. All the names nominated sound very familiar now, and I just remember how Slumdog Millionaire had only Indian people. Then I watched the Today show, and I learned what a good indie movie is: “A little movie with a lot of heart”.

That is what stuck to me: You need a little movie with a lot of heart. I will never forget that.

And in 2010, I was very into movies, but just a little too young to see the movies, again. So I just watched, and hoped that Avatar would crash and burn (because I KNEW that movie was wayyy too talked up). And it did. I learned the story about how Kathryn Bigelow is James Cameron’s ex-wife, and how she beat him with a movie that was “A little movie with a lot of heart”, and how she was the very first woman to win the award for best director. And beat him for best picture.

From there on I vowed that I would be a movie director, and win that same award.

Finally, in 2011, I convinced my parents that I, a mature 14-year-old, should not be deprived of my education, and I should be able to see rated R movies. They were reluctant, but now, I can pretty much watch anything that’s not a raunchy, crazy, almost X comedy or crazy insane who knows what movie.

And the rest is history.

So you see? Things can take you back when you’re only 15.

What Ever Happened to Actually Sitting Down and Watching a Movie?

So,

I have a rather large group of friends. And a while ago, I came up with an idea to have movie marathons and show the best movies!

So my two awesome, movie-loving twin friends (Fox and Quinn. Yes, awesome names!) and I set up this movie watching group and kicked it off with all three in the Back to the Future trilogy (all in one night!).

So then we moved our little group from house to house, and the same group went. Then, it started going downhill.

Thanks to Facebook, people would post “Great party Gabi!” and then A) people thought I was throwing a party every weekend (hello, watching movies!) and B) a lot of my friends were wondering why they weren’t invited to this “party” and wanted to come.

All Fox, Quinn, and I was just a small group of friends.

Well, a certain person decided to have a mega movie marathon and invited 40 people.

Yeah, that went down REAL well.

40 people all talking in a small room smashed up like sardines.

And after that, all those 40 people expected to be in the movie marathon group, and all those 40 people told their friends, and their friends expected to be invited too.

So now we went from the nice watching of an art form to more of an event where people go to socialize and make out with their current boyfriend or girlfriend. And trust me, when my boyfriend goes, he knows I’m there to watch the movie.

I gave him a lecture about how I will NOT sit in the back of the movie theater and make out, and how I am there to WATCH the movie, whether it’s at someone’s house or in a theater. Luckily, he respects my filmmaking personality.

So anyways, we just kinda gave the movie marathons a break for a while.

Then over spring break, I kind of had a marathon that was terrible. Since all the regular people were on vacation, I invited some newbies, and well, no one was paying attention AT ALL.

And we took another break.

Then last night, Fox and Quinn hosted one with the regulars, and we chose Crash and The Departed, both of which I had on DVD, both of which were best picture winners. Sound pretty legit, correct?

Well, for the legit movie fans it was. But for those just there for a little social tea party, it was horrible.

(Note: This was the first marathon with rated R movies, so we expected that the people who went would be mature enough to handle it.)

I learned that only someone paying attention and mature can watch Crash and enjoy it.

So, naturally, me and a handful of male friends who were there to watch the movies, enjoyed Crash very much.

And for those there to socialize, they were booing the movie in the end.  They didn’t get it, and they didn’t pay attention, so of course it was boring for them!

After dinner, we all come back to watch The Departed. I was pumped. How can a movie with Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Wahlberg, Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon, and directed by Martin Scorsese not be fantastic?!

Well before we even pressed play, people were complaining and wanted to watch something like a cheesy scary movie. Poor Quinn. He had to stand there with the Xbox remote and scroll through Netflix listings trying to satisfy the unruly guests.

So he just popped in The Departed. Groans from the majority, cheers from the minority.

So now we are 5 minutes in, and people are liking it.

but 40 minutes in, I look around the room. The minority, aka the people who appreciate the art form, have their eyes glued to the TV. The majority are doing various things to veer away from the masterpiece. This includes:

– Practically everyone texting

– The two best friend girls whispering

– The boys trying to sneak on to the computer and disrupt the movie with some kind of obnoxious Youtube dubstep remix

– The Christian couple looking at the TV in disgust, and practically glaring at me, wondering why my movie was so “Un-Christian”

So halfway through this masterpiece, which I was enjoying so much that it may possible be one of my new favorite movies, the majority becomes restless and riots for another movie.

Fox, Quinn, and I decide that if we every want to really enjoy the movie, we will just watch it another time. Quinn, defeated, presses stop, and a mix of cheers and groans fills the room.

He hands the remote to a bystander, and they choose their corny horror flick as us, The Departed lovers, head outside to roast some marshmallows and talk about how crazy the others are.

Finally, everyone leaves, and only Fox, Quinn, Alex (a friend that respects the movie night), and I are left.

We talk about how we need to fix this. Movie nights went from watching the best of the best for respect, to a social event.

Fox and Quinn’s mom suggest we have movie marathons not so often to satisfy the haters and show blockbuster-type movies to them, some that we, the movie lovers have already seen and don’t really care about. And then, as often as we want, the small movie-loving group can get together and watch the masterpieces.

Bingo.

This way, both groups are satisfied!

So now Fox, Quinn, and I are planning a movie group. With only legit people. who have to answer movie trivia to get in. That way, only the hardcore fans can watch with us.

And that means it’s me, the only girl in this town who watches movies and appreciates them, plus some awesome guys.

Let the saga begin!