Films have always been my “go-to” when I need some entertainment. But I realized that my taste in films is pretty bad and narrow.
Unlike paintings, photos, or books—which I can enjoy even if they are centuries old—I tend to prefer newer film releases whenever possible. The image quality and sound have always been attractive to me. The satisfaction I get from visuals and audio has made me forget the actual value of art, which is its timelessness.
Recently, as my English has improved and I’ve gained the courage to step away from Vietnamese subtitles, I’ve truly had the chance to watch more movies and shows. This also applies to books, since I want to fully understand the story. However, reading through a layer of translation is never ideal; it can’t fully capture the exact meaning of the words that the author poured their mind and heart into. The same goes for films: directors deliberately choose certain actors and actresses based on suitability. At least I’ve made one good habit here—I’ve never watched dubbed films. This started when I was little, since subtitled anime was my only choice.
My way of choosing films is based on the IMDb score—the higher, the better. This helps filter out “not worth watching” films, so I don’t waste hours of my life on a terrible movie that would just leave me with a “WTF” feeling. However, by doing this, I’ve limited myself to a list shaped by others’ perspectives—perspectives I may never truly understand.
Bad films exist in every period of time, same goes for good films. I will prove this!