Should Entertainment Make You Think?

Since moving to a town with a small community cinema I have started going regularly to see new releases. The experience in a one screen cinema is vastly more satisfying for me than the effort of visiting a vast multi-screen establishment. and it is something that I thoroughly recommend. It provides an intimate, relaxing and enjoyable experience that adds to the pleasure of seeing a film. I have therefore seen quite a number of the films released in the couple of years and while I have enjoyed most of them, I have noticed the popularity of a number of films that I have found disappointing.

In my opinion, a good film needs have something to recommend it beyond being well shot or well acted. I saw a film just yesterday with those attributes and nothing more. Walking home, we had nothing to discuss about it, except that my partner thought that it had been "quite fun". Sadly I just found it quite dull.

I can understand why people like action movies, although they are not my personal favourite. They provide an adrenalin rush that even I can sometimes appreciate. A thriller with a good plot, something based on history, a story that gives an insight into a different culture, an adaptation of a classic novel... All of these can give me an experience I don't have in my everyday life. They can provide food for thought, show me something about the world that I had not previously thought of or give me an insight into another way of thinking or behaving than what I consider as the norm. In a word, they give me something I can discuss afterwards beyond a simple expression of liking it or not liking it.

This same factor can be applied to all forms or art and entertainment. Something that is 'purely' entertaining, designed just to occupy the audience's eyes or ears, to keep the children quiet for half an hour is to me deeply unsatisfying. Like sweet chocolate, there is only so much of it that I can take before I feel a little sick. However, the same old stories and tricks are reproduced time and time again in formulaic books, films, plays and music.

I am not suggesting that every entertainment needs to be serious and worthy, but I am advocating that we seek out art and entertainment that has an element of originality or surprise about it. Something well-done, that makes us look at the world a little differently, that helps us to understand our own thoughts and feelings better.

And when we come across something refreshing, challenging, enjoyable and enriching, let's celebrate it!