Geek Girl Navigating the World: In defense of the popcorn flick

I have a tendency to get very frustrated with so-called “chick flicks.” Largely because, if I want to have a good cry, it’s probably a far more reliable bet for me to go out and drop a shovel on my foot or throw myself down an exceedingly large hill. I freely admit that when it comes to movies, I much prefer the escapist route. I want to be entertained.

So many of the so-called heroines of chick flicks seem to be just ridiculous caricatures of women. They tend to be flighty, meek, insecure, and indecisive or inordinately tough, rude, and cold. I’m sorry, but if you’re in a movie in which Javier Bardem’s character is offering to whisk you away in a boat for a couple of days so just the two of you can spend time together, the only answer to that question is “yes!” (This statement can be totally disregarded if, in fact, you’re a character in the movie No Country for Old Men, in which case, if you should even catch sight of Javier Bardem’s character you should run as quickly and quietly as you possibly can).

It’s difficult to watch strings of horribly stupid decisions that never backfire on the main character the way that they really should. There’s nothing wrong with stretching the limits of believability, but there are times when it would be nice if the movie would at least break the formula a little bit.

In the interest of disclosure, I’m going to have to admit that I do have a few chick flicks peppering my own DVD collection. Most of them are of the “romantic comedy” subgenre, and all of them have made the grade to be included, so to speak. I don’t begrudge anyone their mindless entertainment, and I’m certainly not going to tell anyone that they shouldn’t watch something unless they’re really asking for my opinion.

When I’m looking for something to watch, I tend to gravitate towards more fast-paced and, quite possibly, even more ridiculous fare. I admit it, I really love watching action movies. There’s something about a good revenge story or a modern day knights-in-shining armor kind of story that makes me really happy. I’ll even take a good anti-hero (like the Punisher) any day.

I have very few, if any, problems watching movies that have been adapted from comic books. After a few huge disappointments, I’ve learned to compartmentalize the comic book and the movie as completely separate entities.. They are each a different piece of entertainment in a different medium, so expecting them to be exactly alike is just asking for trouble. A comic book artist is only limited by his own talent (and the talent of his crew if he has one) and the actual cost of his own art supplies. Directors and producers are limited by budgets and technology, as well as the talents of the people that they hire.

There was an interesting fact in an issue of Entertainment Weekly just a couple of weeks ago, in a cover story about 3D movies. While the box-office totals were very high this year, the number of people going to see movies was at the lowest it had been in five years. Hollywood laments that it costs more to pay the talent, the rising cost of everything, and that it’s all because of the economy.

I’m starting to find, though, that Hollywood seems to have become completely enamored of statement movies and driving themes and constantly recycling the same garbage because it totally sold once before. Somewhere along the line, they’ve forgotten that movies are supposed to be fun. Just because it’s summer, that doesn’t mean we want to spend our money watching some regurgitation of a TV show that wasn’t that great when it was airing on TV. If you don’t make good movies, or promote the movies that you did make that were good, then people will just find something else to do.

So, did I actually see any movies this year that I thought were completely worth the $10 I had to shell out to see them? The good news, which allows me to continue to have hope, is that I did. The best movie that I saw so far this year was The Losers.

It was, at its heart, a total popcorn movie. It’s a pretty classic revenge story that stars Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Idris Elba, Chris Evans, and Zoe Saldana, and it was adapted from a comic book. It doesn’t necessarily make perfect sense, because I’m still not entirely sure exactly what the weapon that became kind of central to the plot was actually supposed to do, but it was supremely destructive and, to be honest, that’s all I really needed to know for the movie. There were plenty of explosions and gunfights and a car chase or two, but most importantly, it was funny. There are some great lines in it and, I have to say, it had one of the most awesomely hilarious uses of Journey that I have ever heard in a movie soundtrack. The sad thing is that whenever I mention this movie to recommend it to people that I know will really like it, most of them don’t have any idea what I’m talking about.

Now, maybe, if Hollywood would make a few more movies that really are just about entertainment and escapism, without falling prey to the idea that there must be a larger point, they’d get more people flocking to see movies. Not every film has to be a great piece of cinematic art. It’s perfectly okay to make a few movies that are just fun that aren’t aimed at the small-fry set. Adults like to be entertained, too, and it would be nice to have a few more movies that we could sit and watch with our friends and families that don’t require any deep discussion. I suppose the general upshot of this is, well, I know I’m not the only one that likes this stuff, so, surely, Hollywood is neglecting or misjudging a pretty vital piece of their market.