What makes film so addictive? Of course, anything can be addictive, depending on the person. But why have I felt such a strong bond with films, stronger than with anything else? Film I believe is particularly addictive; if you want evidence, look no further than Film General on the IMDb; a conglomeration of film buffs, geeks, fanboys; whatever. I am one of those. I'm a celluloid junkie and I need a hit every few days, and not all of them work so I need to keep searching. The root of the addiction is obvious - there is no experience like watching There Will Be Blood at the cinema. There is no experience like watching Mulholland Dr. at home late into the night; hypnotized by beauty and the dream. Great movie experiences like this that can get people hooked on film. But experiences like those don't come around very often. You have to search for them, and that leads to the discovery of obscure films and the formation of a film buff.
My performance in school has always been seriously hampered by a number of distractions over the years; Star Wars, Lord Of The Rings, video-games, LOST, but all of those fizzled out and turned out to be mere "phases." Film on the other hand, I am obsessed with; unhealthily. But those were simply outlets; something to do at the weekend when I was bored. Film I've come to discover is not just an outlet but an art form, and something that can be penetrate the soul like nothing else. As I've progressed through adolescence I've not only obtained a passionate involvement with films but with the making of films, and my taste has changed greatly over the years.
But I think what most makes film addictive is the fantasy element. Films are dreams, and they can sweep us up with their images; the snow-drenched sled in Citizen Kane, or a screaming Janet Leigh in Psycho. Many are not just escapist but cathartic, and reach a greater truth through imagination and fiction than anything else...
...of course, there is a real danger in this. Films can act as a facillitator for violent and disturbed thoughts. This can be a good thing, as well as a bad thing, for it can release these thoughts, but it can also encourage them. Of course, blaming films for violent actions is stupid, although so many do it. Quite simply, it's easy to blame films, which is why so many do it; it's an easy answer to a hard question. Of course, films can be very irresponsible, for instance Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers, which stupidly stylizes violence to the point of worshipping it. And that's a film that's supposed to be against violent media. Hypocrite = Oliver Stone (although he's made some fine films). I think a lot of films, even great ones, tend to harbour some perverse awe of or yearning for violence, especially those of Martin Scorsese and David Fincher. This is also quite irresponsible, though not to the extent that Natural Born Killers is. Other directors are very responsible with violence; showing how horrible and painful it is, like Paul Thomas Anderson. And some directors (looking at you Mr. Tarantino), can find humour in violence. I daresay I laughed when Vincent accidentally blew Marvin's head off in Pulp Fiction, even though somebody had just died. Well, it wasn't really the violence I was laughing about, it was the sheer absurdity of it. Much the same can be said of the violence in David Lynch films, although it's much less cartoonish...mostly...But the best films in my opinion are those which change us; change the way we look at things; at people. Those are the films that help us through life, that give us the best filmic experiences. But now to the question of how to control the addiction. Simple. Keep yourself busy. I watch films less and less now due to schoolwork and my own film I hope to make soon. And remember, not all films are great experiences; some are a bad batch and some are like talcum powder to a coke-addict...
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