How to Watch a Good Film

I watched Departures at Gurney Plaza yesterday. It was a very good film.

I'm not aversed to blockbuster hits like the recent Transformers and Terminator movie but I prefer to watch good films.

What is a good film?

There is no technical way to tell whether or not a film is 'good'. You can read all the reviews you want on magazines, newspapers and rottentomatoes.com but because of our diverse preference, a good film is really a personal opinion. However, you could easily find out whether or not a film is worth your time. After watching a certain film, what do you feel?

1. If you feel that you would love to live in the scenes in the film or resemble the hero or heroine's personality or physique, the film you just watched is a novelty or a well-liked hit film.
2. If you feel that you should have spent your money eating at a nearby mamak restaurant, the film sucked.
3. If you feel that your are overcame with a very strong emotion like bitterness, excitement or fear, the film is well orchestrated and has a strong unforgettable storyline.
4. If you feel that you are shrouded with feelings and emotions you have never felt before, be assured that the film will be or is a cult classic.

Any of these feelings (except for no.2) are clear indications of a good film. Like food, it depends on your reception and reaction to what is being presented. Like food, some like it salty, some like it rich. Some ate salty food so frequently that they need something sour to give them that extra kick but most people prefer to stay on the safe side and only eat what they are used to.

For me, a good film depends on the weight of my heart after watching a particular film. If it feels light as if elevated from its usual position, it's a good film. If my heart soared so high resulting an out of body experience, it's a great film

Some people might find that their hearts fluffed when they watch zombie or horror films and others knows for a fact that they can only be stimulated with heavy romance films. People with eclectic taste like me take any films with a pretense of learning so when a technique, plot or style is duplicated tastelessly, I'll walk out from the cinema and go to the nearest mamak restaurant.

So there's no telling what is a good movie. It is very much like love. You can't tell who you love but when it hits you, you know it in you that it's there and you can't do much to resist it.