MEOW! Presents: ????????

October 10th, 2012

MEOW!

What is the symbolism of cats in films? For instance, do cats symbolize bad luck?

Not all cats symbolize bad luck. In fact, there are some films where the cats that are supposed to represent bad luck (such as black cats--like Frisky) actually end up being good luck in the long run. An example would be Hocus Pocus, in which Thackery--a human trapped inside the body of a cat--helps our heroes defeat the three witches so that the spell could be broken for him and Emily, his sister. Then, there are some films where cats are the heroes or centerpiece of the film, and serve a purpose to the overall story, such as Puss in Boots, which has the most interesting dance sequence in an animated film I've ever seen involving cats. And then there are cats that are just there because...well, they're awesome, such as The 400 Blows and Precious, where they just lay around the room meowing until they recieve their paychecks. So in terms of symbolism, they can go either way, because they're cats. Meow.

What is, in your opinion, the worst well-reviewed movie?

This was a toughie, as most of the films I enjoy are very well-reviewed films (some I enjoy immensely gets severely underrated, such as Disney's absolutely brilliant version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Little Manhattan, one of the best films ever made that no one has seen yet and SHOULD.). But if there's one thing that I least admire about cinema, it's when it alienates an audience, and implicitly state that "if you don't like this movie, then you should go back to watching something your precious IQ can handle." Movies should be for everyone of every age, not for the people who think too highly of themselves. Beasts of the Southern Wild is a classic example. It was certainly a different film in every regard, but different does not always mean good. It was two hours of film that shouldn't have been wasted when some of that money could've gone to, oh I don't know, the victims of Hurricane Katrina, which this film has several unintentional references toward. I don't know. I have a few others, but that was the one that stood out the most.

Is there one, or two, movies that had the biggest impact on your life?

Two types of impact, actually. One nostalgic and one personal. Nostalgic-wise, no question, Finding Nemo. I know every line to that movie by heart. When it was re-released in 3D, I was quoting almost the entire movie. It's a great piece of entertainment with a wonderful father and son story that just happens to be a fish ta(i)le out of the blue. One film, however, had a personal impact on my life not too long ago that happened to change me for the better. That film, of course, was HUGO. I could blabber on and on based on how much of a treasure I consider this work of art to be, but for now, I'll just focus on the two pivotal reasons based on how this film changed my life. One was that it made me realize that we all have a purpose in this universe; even if you didn't realize it right now, you will realize it eventually. And when that moment hits, it'll hit you with euphoria. The other is that this movie came out at a rather personal time in my life (One that I will blog about sometime next month), and I've always believed that the movies was the perfect way to escape from the cruel realities of this world. I almost gave up on that idea until HUGO came out, and it reminded me what a magical place the cinema can be; it was so magical, in fact, that I saw it six times in 3D when it was out in theaters....not ashamed. The wonder of it all is that the magic still remains even on the laptop when I put the DVD in. That's how good this film is. I cannot reccomend HUGO enough to everyone I do and do not know. It's honestly the best film I've ever seen (Sadly, that could change. If not, HUZAH!).

What is your favorite film movement?

It almost would seem too obvious to say the "90s Disney Rennasiance," wouldn't it? I mean, it did start a movement for all of us kids growing up in the '90s. But in order to maintain my credibility as a cat-loving film buff, I need to keep my child-like wonder to a minimum. So I'll be a traditionalist and say that the "Golden Age of Cinema" is my favorite film movement. There were some truly great films coming out during that era, such as The Wizard of Oz, It's a Wonderful Life, Singin' in the Rain, the epic etc. And plus, whenever I hear the word 'golden,' I get hungry for chicken. Don't ask.

Well, those are all of the questions I have for now. I will be certain that I will do another round of these soon. If you guys have any more questions, ask them, and I'll save them for next time.

Until then,

MEOW!