Watch It

The awards ceremony for the Oscars a few weeks ago became more entertaining than the featured films. I do not watch awards shows but it was impossible to ignore the "slap" that was a part of the festivities. Suffice it to say, the altercation was a diversion from all the other craziness in the world. I will leave it to the experts to suss out the ethics of such weirdness.

My youth was not filled with movie theaters and multiple television channels so exposure to the world of Hollywood entertainment was quite shallow for me. The first movie I saw in a movie theater was a nature flick with a cougar as the key character. The movie's name escapes me but I remember enjoying the scenery. When I was a teenager, my friends and I occasionally went to a drive-in theater during the summer. I confess that I was more interested in my friends, the popcorn and the action around me than what was showing on the screen.

There are a few movies, however, that I think are worth remembering. The criterion is only one, enjoyment.

1) Casablanca--No matter how many times I watch this black and white film with the gravelly-voiced Humphrey Bogart and the sophisticated Ingrid Bergman, I am always stunned by the complexity of the characters and the plot. The script is filled with memorable lines and that, of course, adds to the enjoyment of the show. There is the right balance of weighty themes, interpersonal relationships and humor to keep the movie entertaining and thought-provoking. Here's lookin' at you, kid.

2) Jaws--There is no reason for me to like this movie. I am easily spooked and try to avoid anything that promotes such feelings. Jaws certainly provides fuel for grisly images and on-the-edge-of-your-seat moments. Despite such realities, I love the characters and the script of this movie. The uptight Roy Scheider and the nerdy Richard Dreyfuss keep the movie humming along with part science, part civic duty and part snappy dialogue. I have no intentions of ever flailing about in the ocean so the chances of a shark encounter for me are slim, indeed. And, if I do decide to head out into the deep blue sea, I will heed the advice of Chief Brody, "You're gonna need a bigger boat."

3) The Four Seasons--There are no earth shattering themes or profound plot lines found in this one. It is described as a romantic comedy but I would change the word romantic to relationship. The ever-skilled Alan Alda and Carol Burnett lead the cast of characters through a series of metamorphic changes happening to a group of three couples as they face new circumstances in their lives. The upshot of this frothy movie is that we are all flawed and relationships are never one-size-fits-all. The icing on the cake is the sound track which features excerpts from Vivaldi's famous concertos called, aptly so, the Four Seasons.

There is no definitive set of guidelines that determines whether a movie is worth a second viewing or is just a dud. We all have personal reactions to what we see on the screen and that is what counts. Perhaps, the universal appeal of movies is their ability to distract us. Whether it is a bunch of winged monkeys abducting Dorothy and Toto or the cheeky exploits of Monty Python's characters searching for the Holy Grail, movies should give us pause. Laugh, cry or ponder in that space, but always, enjoy the ride.