HI! Long time, no talk. We’ve restarted the blog, yet a lot more casual. This is the first time I’ve written something since republishing the site and a lot has happened. In the time we’ve been away, I feel a lot has happened to the person I was when I started the blog and the person I’m growing into.
When I first started the blog, I wanted to make a space to talk about the things I love, loved, and the loves I wanted to rekindle. Ever since starting my undergraduate degree in film production, I genuinely started hating the field, practice, and even the product itself. I hated watching movies, I couldn’t find the motivation or inspiration to write, and I sure as hell had no desire to work on my craft and pursue my dream of editing. Simple class projects turned into last-minute, half-assed obligations. My brother’s request to edit a music video for him gave me anxiety and made me extremely frustrated. I didn’t want anything to do with film. My goals as an editor disappeared. I settled. I gave up.
I don’t know what changed, but I slowly started watching more movies. I think it’s because as a film kid, I only wanted to watch the best of the best, the Oscar-worthy Best Pictures, with a story that had some deep meaning and insanely beautiful lighting. My partner isn’t the opposite per-say but they don’t have that same pretentious film-eye like I do. We started watching shitty-yet-iconic movies. I found that there was so much to these stories, much more than a good-ass set design and score. There was a story that was told, it was simple to follow and didn’t leave me fucking depressed afterward. Oh, lighthearted. That’s the kind of media I started consuming. I stopped focusing on the shocking and heart-wrenching and more on the fun and wild stories we grew up on. Stories like X-Men (series) and random shit like Dungeons and Dragons (2023). I grew to love these silly stories of weddings and haunted houses, holiday rom-coms, and sexy lifeguards.
So here’s a shout-out to the silly films and TV shows that made me fall back in love with film:
Fast and Furious (Series)
Everyone knows the best of the series are The Fast and the Furious (Rob Cohen, 2001, USA), 2 Fast 2 Furious (John Singleton, 2003, USA), and The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (Justin Lin, 2006, USA) (Tokyo Drift is only included for aesthetic and soundtrack reasons only). Now, if you know me personally, I have an insane plot in my head about this series that I could talk about for ages, but let’s not get into that. What I’m really trying to say is that TF&TF is an amazing series. It’s an escape; a series with cliche and random-ass storylines, sexy fast cars, and some funny jokes. Stay for the aesthetics (and leave once they start giving genocide supporters screen time).
Sex and the City (HBO Series)
GOD. What I’d do to be alive and of age when this show was airing on HBO. I love this series for so many reasons and would love to dive into how it has impacted popular culture, fashion, and womanhood at a later date. I adore watching this series from the perspective of a 20-something year-old Black, Queer, Non-binary entity. Seeing how women were supposed to act and portray themselves; how family-building and marriage is nothing but a game two heterosexuals play for the rest of their lives, trying to find someone or fulfill some goal. Is the reason these characters want to get married for them, or is it a social construct? Or, is it a mix of both? I don’t want to dive into the stories and potential spoilers of an interesting (to say the least) story of friends and love and family and marriage and relationships and sex, but just know this show is kind of insane but in a fun way.
*** Side note: I originally watched the series on HBO Max, but recently have started rewatching it via a DVD set. I’ve noticed that some of the “jokes” and comments they said in the DVD are a little more raunchy and borderline discriminatory at times. There aren’t many changes from the DVD set and the version on HBO, nor are the comments extremely offensive, but just be aware of the times and their desired audience while watching…
The Witches of Eastwick (George Miller, USA, 1987)
I’m not sure if I’ve talked about this movie before, but I watched this movie through a free screening at the Academy Museum in Downtown Los Angeles in 2023. This movie is what genuinely got me back into film and watching movies. I had forced myself (with the help of my partner) to go to this screening. There weren’t many people here, but it was so nice. I felt like I could truly enjoy the film. And what’s more wonderful than watching a film on film? In a film museum? Nothing. DUH!
Since I watched it so long ago, I don’t quite remember too much, but I think it was the experience itself; the low stakes (free), a preview of the museum (I’m an archivist and history buff), and offered a cute little date opportunity with my partner. 🙂
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Now, you might not enjoy the films/TV shows I picked, but I’m not recommending these in particular. What I’m trying to tell you is that if you’ve been in a rut no matter how short or long, you can get out of it and fall in love with the craft again. Maybe try a different medium, lower the stakes, or look at it through a different lens. Whatever you do, don’t give up on the things you love!
