fredag 31 oktober 2014

Film as my Religion: Introduction

When I was sixteen years old, I read Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder. It introduced me to philosophy and lead me onto a new path. Examining my thoughts on subjects such as reason, ethics and faith, I no longer found Christianity meaningful. Over the next two years, I went from some kind of general theism to militant atheism. Nowadays I'm just an atheist. I am still critical of religion, but I no longer consider it the root of all evil. In fact, I appreciate numerous aspects of various religions and delight in reading and writing about them.

What does this have to with movies then? Well, at the same time I started watching a lot of movies. I began by binging on 80s slashers and horror comedies and carefully moved towards other genres. I watch almost anything, but I still have a fascination for the macabre. Unfortunately, modern horror films mostly feature haunted houses and demonic possession - themes I have a hard time fully appreciating. Unlike many other horror hounds, I don't consider the constant stream of remakes/reboots blasphemous. That being said, a lot of them failed to bring anything new to the franchise or missed the point of the original entirely. One prime example of a bad remake/reboot is Black Christmas (Glen Morgan, 2006), but I will probably discuss that one in more detail when I review the original (Bob Clarke, 1974), at some point in the future.

Back to the point; I think movies play a large role in how we view the world. A fictional narrative focusing on a real ethical issue will probably affect how viewer think about that particular issue. We also look to movies when we are in need of comfort and various film fan communities even function as congregation-like entities. Also, if you've ever participated in a passionate discussion on Star Wars, you know it is pretty similar to a theological discussion. In short, we can meaningfully say that film can be religion. There is even an academic field of study dedicated to this subject. If you wish to learn more about that, check out Journal of Religion and Film.

With this blog, my aim is to review and analyze various films. While I am a big horror fan, I will try to review films from various genres. As long as there is something about a film worth discussing, it is eligible for a review.

I will try to review at least one film every week. Every month will have a specific theme. Unfortunately, since this is the last day of October, the big "Month of Horror" will have to wait until next year. As a way to introduce myself and my taste in film more thoroughly, November's theme will be "Robin's favorites". My first full-length review will be up in a few days.

I appreciate comments and requests for reviews or themes.

EDIT: I felt like I should explain my choice of language. While I do have some non-Swedish-speaking friends who might enjoy my reviews, I mainly chose to write in English because it is the language of film. Most films I watch are English-language. Most reviews I read och watch are in English. Most articles on film I read are in English. In short, my personal movie universe is in English. Therefore, it would seem strange to me to write about films in another language. Also, while I certainly do not expect it, writing in English at least opens up the possibility of an international audience.