Extra Credit -- Beca G.

I really enjoy watching films and the escape that they give me for the hour or so that they run. I've never been one to be discriminatory against watching films (or reading novels for that matter). If something legitimately holds my interest, then I am willing to watch it all the way through. Entertainment value is typically what I look for in a film - whether that entertainment be a simply enjoyment of a comedy or a "feel-good" story, or the thought provoking conversation that follows a particularly intense film - all in all, I was entertained.

Yet I've found throughout my young existence, that I really prefer to watch films that follow my mood, and what I "need" at that particular time. For instance, when I am having a terrible day, I need a funny, lighthearted comedy like Music & Lyrics, to make me laugh and forget that I have been in a foul mood. If I am in a more dramatic mood, a nice round of Casablanca cure my ail. When I am willing to use my brain (i.e. when I'm not in school) I enjoy movies that mess with your head, such as Memento. So, really, I just appreciate a good movie when it comes to the right moment.

However, through this class, I have really learned to appreciate good cinematography, and the beauty that can lay in a movie. One of my favorites from this class was In the Mood for Love, just due to the sheer beauty and grace of the film and how it moved from scene to scene. Prior, I would probably not have been as interested, but once I realized just how much effort and time goes into the artistic balance that creates such a film, I was able to appreciate the artistic value and overall grace that the film had.

With all of this fabulous knowledge of films, and how to think about them in new and different ways, I look forward to continuing to watch the varied array of films that I do, and thinking about them in a completely different fashion than I used to. :)