The Reverend Will the Thrill Presents the Film of the Week!

Being the film geek that I am, I will always contend that movies are best appreciated in a theater.  There's something about being in a darkened room with a group of strangers, all of us appreciating the same work of art projected on a large screen, that I find rather comforting.  It's really a communal experience that I greatly appreciate which is kind of ironic because, by and large, I tend to shun people... especially in groups.  In a theater, it's easier to get lost in the film.  You tend to pay more attention to the story and the characters.  You tend to notice little details that you wouldn't notice on your home television (like the skull-shaped object on Mr. Potter's desk in It's a Wonderful Life--seriously, what the hell is that thing?).  I've found that scary movies are scarier on the big screen, comedies are funnier, action films are more intense.  Admittedly, you also have to deal with the behaviour of other people--whether they're talking too loudly or talking on the phone, but, for the most part, these things don't bother me as much as they bother others.

I go to the movies as often as I can.  I have since my early 20s when I discovered I had access to a car and disposable income.  There always seems to be something playing that I want to see.  I've often said that music and movies are the closest things that I get to religion.  Going to a movie (or, for that matter, a record store) is like going to church.  I find it comforting and uplifting on a deeply spiritual level.  Sometimes, even watching a movie at home can have that effect on me.  In fact, some of the films I've highlighted in these weekly "sermons" have left deep impressions on me that I've never been able to fully explain.

"That's part of your problem, you know, you haven't seen enough movies.  All of life's riddles are answered in the movies."

--Steve Martin as Davis in Grand Canyon, 1992

What's interesting to me is that over the last decade or so, I've enjoyed going to see older movies in theaters about as frequently as I've enjoyed seeing new movies.  A lot of these "classics" are films I might have seen at home that I never saw in a theater (frequently movies that were originally released long before I was even born).  Some are films from my youth that I enjoy watching just to feel that age again.  Others, like this week's film, are ones that I just missed the first time around and, for one reason or another, just never got around to seeing.

Most of the time, my friend Tara goes to the movies with me.  We frequently compare notes on different movies, often giving each other grief about some of the films we've never seen.  When she found out I had never seen this week's film, we immediately made plans to see it.  (Although, to be fair, as far as I know, she's still never seen The Godfather, so I think she's worse off.)

This week's film, set in the 23rd century, stars Bruce Willis as a cab driver who inadvertently picks up Milla Jovovich after she crashes through the roof of his cab.  The police seem to be pursuing her, and he feels compelled to protect her.  Despite their apparent language barrier, he figures out that she needs to see a priest (played by Sir Ian Holm) who discovers that she is the key to saving the world from a force of unspeakable evil.  Co-starring Gary Oldman as one of the most delightful villains I've ever seen on screen and Chris Tucker as a celebrity personality (I assumed he was channeling Little Richard in his performance) who is surprisingly both funny and off-putting (a combination I've never seen before).  The film was directed by Luc Besson who also co-wrote the film with Robert Mark Kamen.  Originally released in 1997 (I still don't know how I never saw it until a few days ago), this week I highly recommend The Fifth Element.

Until next week, stay safe, be good to your neighbours, and please remember that if at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.

Yours in peace, love, and rock and roll!

The Reverend Will the Thrill