Introduction

“There is no surer method of evading the world than by following Art, and no surer method of linking oneself to it than by Art.” I got the title for this blog from a quote supposedly by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (I have no idea whether he actually said this or not – despite hundreds of hits on the quote, I couldn't find a source). Regardless of the authenticity of the quote, it seemed to be a good description of watching a movie. Often we watch a movie as a form of escapism; other times, we go into a movie hoping to learn something, be improved as a person, or engage with our culture. But hopefully, it will be both and we will encounter art when we watch a movie. Art, if it is good, will have an impact, whether it is a painting, a book, a sculpture, a song, or a movie. This is not to say that watching a movie for escapism or pure entertainment is bad. "Why should a man be scorned, if, finding himself in prison, he tries to get out and go home?" But still, I'm hoping that at least some movies won't be just entertaining but will lead to a connection to and appreciation of art.

Writing about something is a way to think more critically about it, and as someone who enjoys watching a good movie, I want to think more critically about what I watch. Of course, I am by no means a professional – my ratings are going to be fairly subjective. I am mostly ignorant about things like film techniques.  Besides, I do have a weakness for stupid children's movies and rom-coms. But I do want to at least try to go beyond the like or dislike stage; I want to be an active viewer.

For me, part of being an active viewer is to watch through the lens of Christianity. I am a Christian, and that affects the way I see the world. I say this to point out the biases I'm approaching movies with (everyone has their own) but also to explain why I make the choices I do about what to watch. The Psalmist says "I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes"; this means something different for probably everyone, but every Christian should at least consider this in making entertainment decisions. I'll try to make a note at the end of my reviews about objectionable material but there is stuff I might miss, so please do your own research, especially if you have kids.

Lastly, let me say a brief word about my rating system. I'm going to use a 5 star system using this rubric. Despite what I said earlier about moving beyond the like or dislike stage, here is where I really let go and like or dislike a movie.

5 stars: This movie transcends to the realm of Favorite Movies. Some magic about it makes me willing to watch it over and over again. This should not be taken to mean that it is objectively better than a 4 star; it might in fact be objectively worse.

4 stars: This movie was really good. It had to be better than average and had to have impacted me in some way. I'd probably be willing to watching this movie again at least once. Or maybe more than once.

3 stars: This movie was pretty good. It's basically an average movie. I enjoyed it, but not immensely so.

2 stars: This movie was ok. I didn't get excited about it, but I don't think it was a waste of my time to have seen it.

1 star: This movie was terrible. Probably even more rare than a 5 star rating (since you can usually tell these movies from the cover and avoid them. I'm looking at you, end of the sci-fi section on Netflix.)