reality and movies

Movies are very different from reality. In a lot of ways, this is good. However, at other points, I really feel that we are stuck in a creative rut ("we" being the collective movie-producing society that we are) and need a little introspection on what a movie can really do. Without further ado, The Movies vs. Reality table:

regular life	the movies
regular clothes (mostly)	costumes
chit-chat, mumbling, pointless talking	witty, clever, meaningful dialogue
sometimes predictable, sometimes not	cliched, formulaic
pseudo-romantic	romantic
lack of key information	redundant key information
messy	neat (except art films)
continuing	conclusive
impromptu	rehearsed
overwhelming pointless information	lack of pointless information
boring	artistic

Key:

=bias this way

=go for balance

=bias away from this

Have you ever watched an old movie and thought how cheesy is this? The farther back in time you go, the more theatrical they seem. We can see the evolution as the players mold their stage techniques to the big screen. It's a natural transition, really, since those involved in entertainment have to learn how to best adapt to their medium as it changes.

I think that we still have yet to fully realize the potential of film as an artistic narrative medium. Directors, actors and actresses, and producers et al. are inevitably tainted in their image of the typical moving picture by the formative visions of the past. Lately there has been certainly been growing interest in a "reality" movement, but I feel as if this impetus has been misdirected. Do we gain the most reality by watching unrehearsed nonplayers? I think not.

What I would most like to enjoy as a movie-goer is a sense of profound truth, or at least credibility. This is not the same as watching untrained actors/actresses. Hence the above table, which professes to draw a more consciously-drawn line between those distinguishing elements tween film and real. In some cases, such as the "artististry," I think we would be mistaken to alter a film in favor of a more "realistic" feel. Others less so.

I cannot conclude this post without mentioning Andrew Bujalski's Funny Ha Ha, which is not so much a great film as it is a triumph of what I would consider a misguided set of reality features. It does an excellent job of capturing everyday dialogue (a good thing!) and an equally impressive job of seeming completely mundane (not as good!) Watching this movie while thinking about how it pushes the envelope can really open your eyes to the different means one may choose toward credibility, and how much they can change the way you feel about a film.