Movies...

Some movies don't show me anything (Die Hard, the Incredibles, Dumb and Dumber) but they are just entertaining as hell.

Some movies speak a different message based on where I am in my own life. Braveheart and Band of Brothers, for example. When I first watched them, they made me want to fight a war and earn glory and honor. Now, years later, when I rewatch them, they make me want to believe in something outside of myself. To stand firm in a conviction of unwaivering truth.

I just rewatched (500) Days of Summer. The first time I watched it, I was floored. The movie reflected something about my life that I didn't like. An ache, an agony, and a desperation. It wasn't the movie itself, it was the emotions the movie brought out of me. The second time I watched it, I was floored again. But with a completely different set of emotions. I was made happy by it.

I was talking to a friend about the way that movies can make us feel. How Sleepless in Seattle makes us want to reach out and touch someone and know true love. How Motorcycle Diaries makes us want to live out on the road to find adventure and excitement. How Life as a House makes us want to reconnect with the ones we love.

But now I'm questioning...
Are all these emotions bullshit? Are they movie magic trying to make us feel one way or another without being authentic? Or, do these movies bring up underlying things about ourselves that are already true? Are they a new kind of mirror, allowing us to reflect?

I'm settling somewhere closter to the latter. I think the emotions already exist. It's the movie that stirs the pot.

Either way, (500) Days of Summer, great movie. You can watch it here. You can actually watch almost ANY movie there.