Editorial Columns

For the Love of Movies

            The plane landed about 3 p.m. last December 30, with me and 300 members of Penn State's marching band in tow, returning from a nice win at the Alamo Bowl. I arrived in the nick of time to unpack my bags and head to the movie theater.

        I had to see two more movies that night, and two more the following afternoon, before I could send out my annual holiday movie reviews.  After all, more than 600 people were waiting for the reviews, and dozens of them had already hounded me about the fact that I was later than usual in getting them out.  So out they went via email on the eve of New Year's Eve--just short 40 to 60 word reviews of 25 movies, all seen between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day.

            The first reply that came back was from Dan Glickman, the CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America.  He said he agreed with most of my reviews, that we had similar movie tastes, but that I had neglected to see and rate three movies that he especially liked and thought would be in contention for Academy Awards. 

"Dan," I wrote back, "You have access to movies before they are released, and those three have not reached any theaters I have access to!"

For a split second I asked myself whether I ought to be more careful with my hobby of 25 years if people like the head of the MPAA, who serves with me on the Committee on Higher Education and the Entertainment Communities, is carefully reading my reviews.  

The second reply came from Mike Marcus, a friend and loyal Penn State alumnus, who is the former president of MGM and now an independent film producer.  He said he loved that I gave You Kill Me three-and-a-half stars (on my scale of four stars).  He said he and the director of the movie, with whom he had shared my reviews, were thrilled to be in the company of other movies I rated at three-and-a-half stars such as Michael Clayton, The Great Debaters, Charlie Wilson's War, and Across the Universe.  

            His email reminded me of something that had completely escaped my attention: His company had co-produced the movie, which critics liked but which had not done well at the box office.  Whew, I thought--I'm glad I didn't pan it and anger one of Penn State's favorite alums. 

            I have no special training or expertise in film reviewing.  I just like movies, and the two hours away from it all.  University presidents on hundred-hour workweeks don't have much time to fool around. For me, it's racquetball, performing magic, playing percussion (a washboard with 24 instruments attached) in some bands, an occasional dinner out, and movies.

It is escapism, to be sure. It is a connection with popular culture.  It is the marvel of the big screen with surround sound.  It is the racing heart that accompanies the action found in American Gangster, the twists and turns of Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, the opportunity to marvel at the acting excellence in There Will be Blood, the dramatic creativity of No Country for Old Men, the disturbing but heart-warming plot of The Kite Runner, and the romance and beauty that accompanies a film such as Atonement. I gave them all four stars, my highest rating. 

            I laugh loudly in funny movies (Little Miss Sunshine, one of my all-time favorites, got four stars the year before last), and I cry at sad, touching, or emotional movies (P.S. I Love You, two-and-a-half stars).

I am not someone who goes to the movies to critique them for the purpose of tearing them apart. I would be uncomfortable pretending to be superior, trying to say precisely what is wrong with a movie and why it should be mocked or shunned. There are others who are expert at that sort of thing. I rarely bother to even think about what's wrong with a movie.  OK, sometimes it stares you in the face and you'd be crazy not to admit it.  

            As a child, I went to the 25-cent movie theater in Highland Park, Ill., the Alcyon, on Saturday afternoons. The first movie I ever saw was Earth Versus the Flying Saucers.  At age 8, I thought it was a masterpiece. Later, in my years as a professor of human development and family studies and sociology, it became a favorite activity for my wife and me to see movies with friends. 

            But as a vice provost, then provost, then chancellor, then president, time became more scarce. Apart from a few spurts of  time in the summer, most of my annual movie-watching is concentrated during the long Thanksgiving weekend and the break that we get starting a few days before Christmas and ending about New Year's Day.  That is why my reviews are year-end only.  I can't do a Top 10 list for the year like professional reviewers, since I'm usually unable to see some of the great movies that come out during the year. 

            During these two holiday breaks, I will sometimes see three or four movies a day, plotting out my course from one theater to the next, or from one screen to the next (yes, I always go back to the counter and pay). I used to drag various relatives along during Christmas, but over time I have met with growing defiance, rolling of the eyes, and even ridicule from those who prefer that trump card of holiday activities--shopping.  But they humor me and allow me to go alone.             

Now, after years of such reviews, I feel something of a responsibility to keep it going.  But the best part is that just putting out my list is like an interactive holiday card.  Most people write something back--a short reaction, a friendly hello, and often a nice update on their lives since last year. One young man who is now a film maker, the son of one of my closest friends, sends me long rebuttals, usually including a friendly scolding for liking a movie that he hated. 

        Most people on my list share it with others, and every year more and more folks ask to be added.  This is an added bonus if they are alumni or donors (he said with a wink).

        I'll keep my day job, as they say.  As for the answer to the most frequently asked question I am asked about movies, my favorite movie of all time is The Wizard of Oz.  Thanks for asking.  I'd explain why, but time is scarce, and I'm off to the movies.