When we went to see Harry Potter, I noticed that the theater had changed the badges that their employees wear. Rather than being simply a name tag, the badges each had three pieces of information on them. The first, obviously, was their name, but it was other two that got my attention. They were "All-time favorite movie" and "Favorite current movie." I noticed a couple of responses to each while in line for popcorn (What? You think I went to the movies without getting popcorn? I might as well stay home.) For favorite all time movie, I saw Back to The Future and Army of Darkness. For favorite currently showing movie, I saw Harry Potter and Good Night, and Good Luck.
This of course, started me thinking about what my responses would be if I were working there. (Unfortunately, the pay is not equivalent, so I won't be changing careers.) What would I say for all-time favorite? Would I go the pretentious route and list Ikiru, my favorite of the Kurosawa films I have seen, but likely one that most people haven't seen (though given the readers of this blog, the percentages may be a bit different)? Would I allow nostalgia to take over and pick Goonies? Would I give in to my inner geek and pick Empire Strikes Back or maybe the Lord of The Rings Trilogy (my inner geek is indecisive)? Maybe I'd go with a Hong Kong action flick and choose The Killer? Maybe I could just pick by genre. A western: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Film-noir: Touch of Evil or The Third Man. Spielberg directed: Raiders of the Lost Ark. Romantic Comedy: Love Actually. Musical: Keep going, no one will notice you didn't pick one. Mystery/Thriller: The Usual Suspects. Silent: Nosferatu (ok, fine. I'm cheating here, because my knowledge of silent films only includes about five movies.)
Once I finally decided on an all-time favorite, I'd have to start in on current movies. This might not be as hard, but it would have to be repeated on an almost constant basis. I can't imagine the pressure involved in making a final decision and having to wear it on display for everyone to see. That's it. It's final. There is no way I'm going to quit my job and work at the movie theater. I just don't think I can handle such a high stress environment.
Until later...
December 01, 2005
Answer Me These Questions Three
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5 comments:
The problem with choosing favorites is how to classify them. I always think of this in terms of how I choose my favorite novel: which would I be happiest being stranded with on a desert island? Something from Dickens, probably, but Steinbeck is quickly growing on me. As far as movies go, they're so quick, 90 minutes, some, others a few hours. How could that satisfy me for years on end? So that criteria is clearly flawed when it comes to movies. Besides, my tastes constantly change. My favorite movies from 10 years ago now grace the lower half of my top twenty-five. So if I'm a geeky usher at a movie theater, I'd probably just go for the quixotic response to confuse people and flash out the Kurosawa.
(Not sure why, but it posted my comment twice.)
LOL!
I wonder, do people working at movie theaters love movies more, or the people who work at video stores?
I have a friend who's worked at both, I'll have to ask her.
Love Actually has made my top 20 list! The opening and closing sequences in the airports and the narration just make me all misty eyed. I know it's obvious and all that crap, but it makes me feel all warm and mushy inside and I just love the way this movie portrays so many different faces of love, not all with happy endings. The proposal scene in the restaurant is one of my all time favorite romantic moments. But I agree with the poster that my tastes change and my favorite movies depend on what I'm in the mood for, though To Kill a Mockingbird and The Godfather I and II have remained at the top of my list for many years.
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