Once spring starts to bloom outside there always seems to be a lull at the movies. The awards season is over, and save a big release like last weeks “Oz the Great and Powerful” or last year’s “Hunger Games”, there really isn’t anything major coming out until the summer. It’s a time of year where everyone should get out and enjoy the beautiful weather and not spend so much time in the dark.
However, if you need to get your movie fix, here’s a few ways you can without having to spend your money on questionable stuff.
Catch up on last year’s films:
It’s been said a lot, but it is worth saying, 2012 was a good year for film. With all that quality it’s likely that you didn’t get a chance to see all that there was out there. Knock out some of the Oscar nominees or smaller films like “Safety Not Guaranteed” and “End of Watch”, or maybe even some documentaries. Grab a Redbox or a Netflix and just enjoy a night in.
Check out Oscar winner’s past films:
Same concept as above, except you’ll have to do a little more homework, but don’t worry it’ll be worth it. The Oscars turn niche names into household ones, and if you liked their work from last year, why not take some time and learn how they got to where they are now.
See Jennifer Lawrence before her first Oscar nom and breakout role in “Winter’s Bone” in “The Burning Plain”. How about her “Silver Linings Playbook” director David O. Russell with some his early work like “Three Kings” or “Flirting with Disaster”? There’s a lot of great past work amongst this years slate, Ang Lee, Michael Haneke, Daniel Day-Lewis, Naomi Watts. Or maybe get adventurous and try and figure out how after ten nominations Roger Deakins has yet to win Best Cinematography?
Look to the lists:
Film people love to make lists, best of the year, best of the decade, best by genre; any thing that can be made into a list likely has been. You can find some really interesting films that way. But if you want sure fired quality AFI’s top 100 films of all time is a good place to look. From Charlie Chaplin to Quentin Tarantino, there is a wide array of classics that you can’t miss if you want to be a serious film fan.
You could also make your way through the Best Picture winners. The degree of quality won’t be as high, in all honesty though. The AFI films are ones that stand the test of time; Best Picture winners are just snap shots of their particular year, but there are a lot of fun titles in the mix.
Read:
That’s not a typo, if you need a movie fix there’s a lot of great ways to satisfy that by reading. Want the latest trailers, casting announcements, any and everything having to do with film and TV? You can get all that and more through websites like Variety, Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, or The Wrap. Heck the most interesting thing that happened in the movie industry this week was the announcement of Colin Trevorrow directing “Jurassic Park 4”, which Deadline broke. You can also find a lot of opinions from some smaller websites and blogs that are worth a read.
Or you can pick up a book and read about film history. There are lots of great books on the film industry in general, or specific topics. “Easy Riders, Raging Bulls” is a fantastic look into cinema in the 1970s, and one I highly recommend. Another book that has been getting a lot of attention lately is “The Searchers”, a book that looks into the making of the John Ford classic and the true events that inspired it.
These are four fun and easy solutions to get your movie fix if there is nothing at the multiplex that entices you, in spring or any time of year. Enjoy.
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