A couple of weeks ago I joked that I'm very uncomfortable talking about my emotions. It was only a joke in the sense that I exaggerated a little but it was still more or less true. However, it's good for my brand to let people know a little more about me and I'm nothing if not a slave to my brand. That's why I had "nerd but like a cool nerd but not too cool or obnoxious like Chris Hardwick (I kid Chris because we're friends and I'm definitely going to be on @Midnight real soon)" tattooed on my forehead in the biggest letters possible so that it all fits. Anyway, here are my favorite movies. Hopefully they'll give you some insight into my mind and that insight will be relatable to you and make you like me. (But for real these are my favorite movies. Thus ends the snarkiness.)
Almost Famous
I like a lot of things. I like a lot of movies, songs, TV shows, etc. Almost Famous is the best and most positive depiction of fandom that I've ever seen. It's about a teenager who loves music so much that all he wants in life is to be a rock writer. He gets his wish and goes on tour with a band he likes on assignment from Rolling Stone. Along the way everyone he meets is in love with music but they show it in different ways, from the musicians themselves to the non-groupie "band aids" playing the part of muse to inspire the music they love to the Led Zeppelin obsessed Jay Baruchel. In Almost Famous music is a religion and the heroes are those with the most faith, whether it's in the golden god on stage or the humble prophet scribbling on his notepad.
Spider-Man 2
When I was younger I liked the Spider-Man movies because they were about Spider-Man. When I got older I found that not only do they stand up to the test of time but they are also among the most intelligent and well made action movies that I've ever seen. I find the second one especially interesting for its themes of duality, dichotomy, and reflection. Much of the focus is on the conflict between Peter Parker the man and Spider-Man the hero. It's not a totally unique idea in superhero fiction, not even in 2004, but I don't know any story that explored it better. While Parker is struggling with his identity he is trying to rebuild his relationship with actress Mary Jane Watson, a relationship mirrored by Peter's mentor/foe Otto Octavius and his wife, a former English major. Otto goes off the rails when his wife dies, while Peter finds balance when he accepts that he can carry the burden of both his lives, but not alone. There's also a ton of reflection related imagery.
The Breakfast Club
I imagine the definitive high school movie might stop being one of my favorites at some point but it hasn't happened by age 23. Perhaps The Breakfast Club never gets old because there's a part of us all that never stops being a teenager, or maybe it's because the entire concept is that teenagers are just as complex and fully human as any other age group. Either way, it's impressive that a movie from 1985 can still be the most beloved depiction of high school for someone who graduated in 2010. I've had more discussions about The Breakfast Club than any other movie and so far the only person I know of who didn't love it was in high school with me and hadn't seen any more than a few minutes of it. Most summaries of the movies will say that it's about five archetypes who discover their similarities, but the real surprise is that the audience finds similarities to most, if not all, of the characters. The Buzzfeed quiz we both know exists without looking for it is moot. Nobody is only one Breakfast Club character. That's the point. "Each one of us is a brain and an athlete and a basket case, a princess and a criminal." But it's still pretty cool that I got John Bender.
