MY TOP 5 FAVORITE FILM GENRES
NUMBER 5
WAR
I'm against war, who isn't? All it does is bring nothing but violence and sadness; with that said, I am interested in learning about it. War films to me can be done in so many different ways. They can be a biography on someone ("The Diary Of Anne Frank", "Patton", "Schindler's List"), they could just be good action flicks ("The Dirty Dozen", "Inglorious Bastards", "The Great Escape") or they can make good comedy's if done right ("Good Morning Vietnam", "M.A.S.H." and "Tropic Thunder"). The ones I enjoy are war dramas like "Saving Private Ryan", "All Quiet On The Western Front", "The Deer Hunter" because they show the sadness and tragedy of war. To be fair so do the other genres of War but the ones I love are the ones take war seriously than just take it as a simple action flick. On top of it, there are many different types of war movies to choose from like "The Civil War", "W.W.I", "W.W.II", "The Holocaust", "Korean War", "Vietnam War" and so on. The war that interests me the most is the "Vietnam War" because my class barley taught it, the films I've seen on Vietnam has moved me and interested me in learning about it and I like to learn both sides of the coin from the America's perspective to the citizens and enemies perspective. I put War low on the list because again I'm against war and I do find any war film depressing at the very least but it's good to know that Hollywood are making films that show sadness, the tragedy and horror from the war, which I think is just as important as we read our history books on War.
NUMBER 4
COMEDY
We went from a depressing genre to a genre of nothing but smiles, laughs and giggles. Comedy plays an important role not just to the entertainment world but also for us human beings, without it, life would be dull, boring and depressing. Comedy is what takes us out of the dark, out of the sadness and brightens up our day as well as helping us get rid of our troubles for a little while. Who can forget the legends of comedy, the writers and directors who write the stuff we laugh at, the famous duos that double the laughs, I can name a millions of them but then we'd be here forever. There's also the many different genres of comedy such as slapstick, parody, satire, dark comedies, insulting comedy, gross comedy, surreal comedy, musical comedy and the list goes on! It's hard for me to pick my favorite types of comedy and comedic performers and writers because they're so many out there that it's really hard to just pick a top 10 or top 50, might as well be a top 100 not even! Even choosing the comedies that make me laugh the hardest is no easy task either! Ok you guys all know that my heroes in comedic performing are Doug Walker and James Rolfe but other than them, it's very hard because I learn a lot from all the different comedic performers that I've seen. So I guess your wondering why this genre is number 4 instead of being higher on the list. Let's be honest, every comedian, writer, director and duo are more likely to make a whole bunch of bad comedies and jokes that don't work or go to far. I know that's also with films in general but seriously almost every person in this genre has made something that doesn't work. Personally I think a lot of comedies made today, don't put the same heart and soul that comedic performers and writers did back in the glory years. It's like they're more focused on making something marketable, relying on over using their comedic talents and cliches and will do anything to get a laugh instead of taking the time to create something creative, artistic and memorable. I'm not saying the old days didn't do that either but it's so obvious in today's world that comedians will do anything for money. When you see a trailer or a poster for a film like "Grown Ups" for example, it sounds like a funny film with all those big named stars in it but when you actually watch the film, you can tell they're not trying, they're just filling the film up with nothing but pointless childish humor to make money then trying to write something funny and clever. Even parody films like the "Movie" series are just trying to make the reference than smartly mocking a film. However, with all that said; comedy has and still will appeal to us for many years and generations to come and as long we are able to laugh it'll never die.
NUMBER 3
MUSIC
Another important thing that lifts our spirits as well as showing our culture, love, emotion and personality is music. Music, no matter what you listen to or what you consider to be good or bad is more than entertainment, it's a language and a way to express our selves which is why I put this higher than comedy. Now while I enjoy the traditional movie musicals, the type of music related films that I really enjoy, go nuts over and that I've always interested in watching are usually rock films. Documentary films about concert, artists and events in music history ("Woodstock", "The Last Waltz", "The Beatles Anthology"), films that tell the story about a musician, band or a fictional group ("The Doors", "Ray", "Walk The Line", "This Is Spinal Tap", "The Blues Brothers") and films that star great musicians (Like the Elvis and Beatles films for example). I've been a big fan of Woodstock, the classic rock musicians and artists, I listen to a lot of music from the 50's to the 80's and for the majority when I see these musicians on film or see a film about them, it gives me the same joy I get when listening to their music or going to a concert, only difference is they offer more insight on the artist and have a story. Even the rock music films that do suck like "The Jazz Singer" starring Neil Diamond or The Beatles "Magical Mystery Tour" at least inspire me to listen to their music and the songs featured in the film. Half of the musicians and bands that I want to see live are dead, old or have broken up and to see a film that at least has footage of them performing in their prime is not only the closest thing I can get to seeing them performing live but it also inspires and motivates me to perform and makes me remember why I enjoy music so much.
NUMBER 2
GANGSTER
Gangster films have always appealed to me even as a kid. I can remember watching the old time gangster films such as "The Public Enemy", "Angels With Dirty Faces", "Little Caesar", "Scarface: The Shame Of A Nation" and they would star some of my favorite old time tough guys such as Humphrey Bogart, Edward G. Robinson and my favorite of all James Cagney. As I got older and saw films like "The Godfather", "Goodfellas", "Scarface", "Once Upon A Time In America" and so on, I found myself more attached with the characters, story lines, colorful dialogue and violence than I ever was. While knowing they were bad guys doing bad things and being a person who wants to do good in life, I still rooted for them as if I were a young kid rooting for the bandit or robbers in those old school Western films. The reason why I rooted for them is because I saw some them as actual people than villains. People who want power and respect, people who want to make a name for themselves, people who want to earn a better living but the difference is they do it the dishonest way and in the end they get whats coming to them which is Jail, death or losing everything they have. Not only do I feel bad for them in the end but it always left me that strong moral and impression that crime doesn't pay which to me sets a perfect example on why most of us choose to live an honest life. Who can also argue against the many great stars who've been in these films (Such as Deniro, Pesci, Keitel, Pacino, Brando, Caan and so on) and not only are they fit for their character but it's acting at their best. I love Gangster movies so much that my Top 2 favorite films of all time are gangster films. I was also introduced and exposed to plenty of creative cinematography, editing, narrative structure, use of action, great music, again plenty of great actors as well as discovering a few of my favorite directors (Tarantino and Scorsese). Gangster films played a big part in my journey for my love for films (In fact, the Gangster Alley sequence in "The Great Movie Ride" was what started both my love in film and in gangster films) and while I'll always root for the hero; it's the Gangsters that I find more complex and interesting, as well as being identifiable.
HORROR
I've always and I mean always been a huge horror fanatic for as long as I can remember. I was always interested and fascinated with monsters, villains, demons, haunted houses, zombies, vampires, ghosts, the supernatural and scary and surreal imagery as a kid. When I got older and saw slasher films, psychological horrors, thrillers, blood and gore films, that only increased my love for horror films and made me appreciate them even more! Whenever I see something horror related, I would always be interested in what they had to show me, even when it came to the stupidest of ideas or when it came to be a spin off, remake or sequel. While I can think of plenty of horror films that can be just pure crap, 90% of horror movies that I've seen (Even the ones that are not good or are just stupid) they still have a worth watch and entertaining value to them! Sure they're not scary or heck as great and clever as many other great horror films but it's like going on a roller coaster ride or riding a cheesy haunted house ride. You know what you're going to be in for but as long as you keep an open mind, you might find yourself enjoying the experience. Horror can be shown and done in thousands of ways (Like Comedy for example) and chances are there's something in that genre for everyone. Horror also has so many great stars, so many great writers and directors and so many iconic monsters and villains that trying to point them all out would require me making a list that probably goes over 50 or heck even a hundred. Horror for the most part has always given me what I want to see. Whether it's something clever and scary or something dumb and mediocre, I always find myself entertained as well as appreciating the various creativity that's been put into one.
Those are my Top 5 Favorite Film Genres, tune in next week for another list!
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