What makes cinema special for you?

The actors and actresses. In a word: performances.

I've said it this before, and it remains true (and doubtless always will): a great film, for me -- much like a great stage play -- unfailingly equals at least one top-notch, forever memorable acting job. In this, I tend to value the director of any given picture considerably less than do most film aficionados. With the obvious exceptions of the very few outright geniuses (Kurosawa, Renoir, etc. -- you surely know the list), a film's director is, from my POV, chiefly a technician; whereas the actor(s)/actress(es) are the essential magic and allure.

I've thought the same thing. The two most important aspects of a film are the actors and the writers. Yet film fans are steeped in the idea that the director is omnipotent. Some directors who 'do it all': write, cast, edit and produce their movies are indeed close to omnipotent, especially auteur directors who's unique style inhabits their films. But for a lot of films, especially older films where the director mainly directs you could replace competent director 'a' with competent director 'b' and still get an excellent movie.

One of the many reasons why cinema is personally special to me is that it is the only art form that can relax me when life gets heavy. Also when the writing and acting captivates me and the background score relaxes my mind into a trance like state, nothing feels more magical. When everything comes together like that, a movie can forever change me.


The film Donnie Darko is a great example of a movie that had this effect on me. The surrealism in the directing and the social surrealism in the strange but beautiful dialogue and the odd and awkward moments that would occur in the film. Also visually Donnie darko looks like something out of a dream, and that's what good movies are like for me. Just like a dream, more often than not in movies we never know what occurred before the cameras started rolling or what will occur after the credits roll. Our characters are stuck in that little time frame in which we the viewer can watch and spectate

What makes cinema special for you?

Like tears in rain...