What kind of filmgoer are you?

Do you watch a lot of movies? At home or on personal devices or in the theater? Do you prefer to watch by yourself or with others? What rituals do you have around movie watching (food, seating, cosplay, etc.)? Do you like to talk about the films you watch? Do you relate to films in an intellectual way or do you see film as more of a visceral or emotional art? Do you juggle different reactions to different films in different situations? What movies have been important to you?

Comments

[Mike Beymer]

I am an ardent netflix user. Specifically, I attempt to watch most of the documentaries, which are the type of films I view the most. I used to watch movies purely for entertainment. But, overtime, I've come to watch television and film more for educational purposes. It's really beneficial to able to gain knowledge from a movie in 2 hours, which might otherwise take me 2 weeks to read in a book (not that I neglect reading, but movies are a powerful fool for learning). I just finished a documentary called We Shall Remain, just as an example for what i view.

[Mark Thorson]

I love going to the movies. I usually just want to be entertained when I go. I will see all types of movies. Most movies for me don't change a feeling or a emotion I have towards a certain thing. I like to go to the movies with other people most of the time but sometimes its nice to just go and enjoy the movie by yourself. I think this class will give me a better appreciation for film and how and why directors do what they do with certain shots.

[Becca Adelman]

I would say that I do watch a lot of movies. I generally watch them at home either by myself or with a couple other people. I do enjoy going to a theater to see movies but it doesn't happen that often because they are so expensive.

I have a variety of tastes when it comes to films. There are the ones I like to watch after a long day where I can turn my brain off and don't have to think too hard. However, I do also enjoy watching documentaries. Most recently I watched Being Elmo . I really enjoyed it because it gave a different and new look at an iconic children's character.

[Barbara Ketchum]

Just like a couple of my fellow classmates mentioned above, I too really enjoy documentaries. Netflix is a great resource for finding them. I think you all may enjoy this list of documentaries, if you haven't come across it before/watched the special, because quite a few can be found for instant streaming: http://current.com/shows/fifty-documentaries/about/
Apart from documentaries I feel that I watch a large variety of movies from different genres and decades, and will give just about anything a chance within reason. I prefer to watch movies from the comfort of my own home, on a television. Though sometimes I can't wait, especially if it's around Oscar season and I want to form my own opinion on something before the winners are announced, then I make a beeline straight to a cinema. I grew up close enough to Newberg to be able to enjoy the drive in theater they have there on a regular basis, and it is still something I always do with my friends during the summers.
I like movies that can be the foundation for conversation or analyzation. Anything that I feel I have learned from or that has provoked any ideas/ thoughts makes me feel like I have invested my time well. Apart from that, the type of movies that I will most likely re-watch multiple times are movies that make me feel nostalgic or happy. Some of my favorite movies include Fantasia, An American in Paris, and The Motorcycle Diaries.

[Lacey Collins]

I'm the type of person who watches movies fairly frequently. I usually watch at home or on a personal device, but for certain movies I make the special trip to the theater. When I'm watching a movie at home I try to make myself as comfortable as possible, maybe cuddle up in a blanket. At the theater I've usually splurged for a bag of popcorn and a soda, making the movie an extra special treat.

I love to talk about the movies that I watch. I want to share my views and opinions about the film and get others opinions as well. I usually have different take about a film than many of my friends.

Lately, I've taken to watching films not for their educational content, but for the pleasure of losing myself for a couple of hours. I love a story that evokes an emotion from me. One that has a story line so compelling I forget that I'm not actually living in their world.

[Mark Thorson]

What type of documentaries are on that website that you posted Barbara? I usually don't watch to many documentaries unless they are about certain wars in our nations history.

[Justin Cuellar]

I enjoy just about any type of movie. I really like that i can watch any movie just about whenever i want as long as i have access to the internet. I don't have much as far as rituals when it comes to movies. I usually just watch them on my computer or through netflix on my tv. I like all kinds of movies and especially like the ones with memorable characters. Ive never really paid much attention to the artistic aspect of film making but i hope that this class will help develop my ability to do so. Some of my favorite movies include: Forrest Gump, The Big Lebowski, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

[Emmanuel Macías]

I love watching movies from all kinds of genres, but the ones that have the biggest influence on me are ones that deal with controversial issues, social justice/inequalities, or show historical revolutions. My friends and I are really into movies such as American History X, Sin Nombre, Stand and Deliver, Missing, etc. because they talk about issues effecting people whether they be by discrimination, racism, immigration, LGBTQ, and so on...(I am big into Latin American films that talk about the revolutions during the 1960s/70s/80s as you can tell).

I like to watch movies with minimal talk; I can get impatient at times, however, I don't mind debriefing after the movies done, especially if it had intense scenes. I as well love comedy movies and I'll be honest, scary movies can at times not be my thing. Overall, since coming to college, I have done a better job at watching movies that have a message and educates me so that I can then pass on that knowledge.

[Rolando]

I only watch about two movies a month so I would say that I don't watch a lot of movies. Most of the movies that I watch are at the movie theater and I will watch movies at home rarely. I prefer to watch movies with others and have only been to a movie by myself twice in theaters but I am more likely to watch a movie alone while at home. While watching a movie at a theater I like to have a cherry Dr. Pepper, popcorn, napkins and sit as close as I can to the center of the theater. I don't really talk to others much about the films that I have watched in depth. I relate to films as both intellectual and emotional art, the way in which I relate to a particular film depends on the film.

[Jacqueline Aguirre]

I enjoy watching movies from all kinds of genres, but most often i watch movies for entertainment of my own personal choice. i must say i do watch a lot of movies. i generally watch them at home either with friends or family. i also enjoy going to the theater to see movies most of the time. Netflix is also a great source to watch movies and its inexpensive. i like cuddling up in a blanket and eating popcorn on a rainy day the most. i tend to only talk about the film i watch if I'm asked about the movie otherwise i don't. Ive never really paid much attention to the artistic aspect of film making but i hope that this class will help develop my ability to do so. some of the movies that have been important to me are educational: Stand and deliver, My family, Walk out.

[Jacqueline Aguirre]

Emmaunel Macias,

i feel like we have a lot in common in the same passion for social justice/inequalities films, awesome choice of films. i also have the passion for latin american films. do you recommend any great films that you have recently watched?

[David Manns]

I enjoy all types of movies. However, my favorite movies are the classics. I know that this term implies a large number of films over many years, but it is the classification that I enjoy the most. I don't go to the cinema to view movies, rather I prefer the older movies on television. Some of my favorite movies include "Stagecoach", "The African Queen", "The Great Escape", and others too numerous to mention. Discussing these movies are one of the enjoyable parts of experiencing a film.

[Monica Diaz]

I like going to the movie theater with friends but it’s gotten pretty expensive over the years that I only go every few months. I like to watch films in the comfort of my own home so I tend to watch them online on my own personal devices through websites like Netflix. Though I would prefer to watch films with a friend or family member I usually just watch them on my own because the types of films I watch are “random”. As of lately the type of films I have really been into are foreign films from countries such as India (Bollywood), Korea, Japan, France and Mexico all of different genres: comedy, romance, action, drama etc. I tend to watch more foreign, Independent films rather than big Blockbuster/Hollywood types. I also love watching documentaries, films that deal with social justice, racism, immigration, big social and civil right movements. Some of my personal favorites are Walkout, Stand and Deliver, My Family/Mi Familia, Under the Same Moon, and Innocent Voices.

I like watching films I can relate to. I like being able to understand the struggles the characters are going through and feel the emotions they are going through, through the screen. I like films that make me feel emotion, some days I need a good film that will make me cry, happy, angry etc. All films I watch are mainly for my own personal entertainment. I only give my opinion about a film to family/friends if they ask me what I thought about it and whether I think they’d enjoy watching it too, but other than that I’m not really big on speaking about the films I watch.

[Robert Hayes II]

I have a fairly large DVD collection with around 1,000 movies in my personal collection. I like to unwind to a good movie after work or school. My collection is as varied as my personality. I have everything from comedies to cartoons, sci-fi to historical. My favorites are Disney's The Three Musketeers,Down Periscope, Kelly's Heroes and anything that is sports comedy or sports drama. IE, The Waterboy, Major League, Invincible, American Fliers, and Remember the Titans. I enjoy discussing films based on true stories to see and discuss how much is true and how much is Hollywood...

I like to have Pop-corn and a soda when I watch at home or go to a theater. I let my mood dictate the subject I wanna watch. Comedies help with a bad day. If I have no energy I prefer to watch a inspiring sports story to pump me up. With Direct TV and my DVR, there is usually something to watch. I also have Netflix through my Xbox360.

[My Johansson]

I've worked at a theatre for four years and that's where my real interest in film started. I look after other things in a movie now days, than I did a couple of years ago. Now I want a good dialogue, nice photography, a good story and a purpose with the movie, such as why it's was made, does it have a message, and what kind of feelings I get from it. Good acting and directing too of course.

Back home in Sweden, I am one of the few that actually BUY movies and like to have them standing in my shelf (mostly because I like to look at them...) and I like that! I watch movies with friends, but it depends on what kind of movie it is, I wouldn't watch "Amélie from Montmartre" with someone that I knew wouldn't appreciate it. Sometimes after seeing a movie I don't want to talk about it, because I might have to process it to my self first. Other than that, I can get very excited talking about film and share opinions and thoughts.

One of my favorite movies are "After the Wedding", by the amazing Susanne Bier. My friends at home tease me because I rarely cry to any movies, but to this one I teared like a little baby. It is a danish/swedish production and I would recommend it to everyone. Gus Van Sant, Coen brothers and Tarantino are some of my favorite directors and I always enjoy their work. Oh, and Alejandro González Iñárritu (Babel, 21 grams) is amazing too! I have to mention Lord of the Rings-triology which I love.

[Sultan Alkhelaif]

I am not a movie theaters fan, but if I decided to go, I would prefer to be with someone whom I am emotionally attached too. Drama and documentaries are my favorite. I usually read the story or the abstract of the manuscript if I was luck to find it. The intense emotions usually captures me. I do not like to eat while I am watching a movie, holding the hand of my companion would just make me fully satisfied. I usually discuss the movie afterward and sometimes according to the level of engagement I experience the discussion may take few hours to days