Sometimes I sure as heck do. And I’m willing to bet most of you would say the same.
But, escape from what? Am I talking about the weather? When it’s frigid outside like it is today, then escaping to a tropical island is definitely on my mind, but that’s not the kind of escape I mean. I’m talking about escaping from daily life. Just for a little while.
Now, since most of us here are avid readers, you might think I’m going to talk about books. But I’m not. Don’t get me wrong, books are great. Probably the best form of escapism there is, especially if you want to get into a story with some real depth to it. But sometimes, you want something faster, more immediate. Maybe you don’t have the time to dig into a good book. For times like that, there’s nothing better than a great movie. Especially if you need to just turn off your brain and get away from whatever’s bugging you.
As a writer I find that on occasion reading simply doesn’t offer the escapism I need. Not like it used to before I started writing. The problem is that I can’t always turn off my pesky internal editor long enough to just relax and enjoy the story. Other times (and I know this is practically sacrilege to say), I’m just plain tired of reading. I can hear the outcries over that one now, but the reality is that I read all day long on the computer and at the end of the day sometimes my eyes are just plain tired. At times like that I want to kick back and let someone else do all the work.
And that’s when a completely different medium than the written word is what hits the spot for me. I’ve always loved movies. My dad is an avid movie-watcher so it was always a part of our home while I was growing up. And that hasn’t changed today.
Over the years I’ve developed a fairly eclectic taste in films. I like everything from animated/computer generated movies like Finding Nemo and Ice Age, to suspense/thrillers like Cellular, or The Terminator, and everything in between. Like action adventure movies along the lines of Pirates of the Caribbean and Raiders of the Lost Ark, Science Fiction movies like Star Wars and Serenity, Romantic Comedies (which are probably my absolute favorite), like The Holiday or Love Actually. I even love musicals, like Phantom of the Opera, Hairspray, and my newest favorite, Mamma Mia. I could go on and on listing movies because I have so many favorites that I enjoy watching simply because they entertain the hell out of me.
As it turns out, Mamma Mia is the movie that got me thinking about this topic in the first place. After watching it the other night, it struck me just how powerful a tool movies can be. They can totally turn your day around. At least they can for me. For example, the other day things weren’t going very well with my writing at all. Nothing was going right and I was getting really frustrated. In fact, I was almost in tears by the end of the day. I was getting nowhere and I finally decided, deadline or no, I had to take a break. To say the least, I really needed cheering up, so I pulled out Mamma Mia and let me tell you, by the end of that movie I was in such a good mood even I was surprised by the change.
It totally altered my outlook for the day, and made me feel great. I went to bed humming those catchy tunes, had a good night’s sleep and the next day I got up ready to take on anything. And major bonus, everything just fell into place. Things that the day before had seemed unfixable practically fixed themselves. And the really great thing is that it works just as well for life’s general frustrations. The ones that don’t involve writing. And I’m sure we’d all agree, there’s no shortage of those. LOL
These days, it’s so easy to have your own little collection of favorite movies that you love to watch over and over. I mean, if you keep an eye out, you can pick up older titles for only four to ten bucks. For escapism, you can’t beat it. A couple of hours of pure entertainment where you don’t have to concentrate on anything. Just sit back, relax and enjoy. And is there anything simpler than popping in a favorite DVD, to watch something you want in the privacy of your own home, whenever you feel like it? I’m thinking no.
So, whether you’re in the mood to go on an adventure, step back in time, head into the future, be scared out of your wits, cry your eyes out, laugh your ass off, sing yourself hoarse, or remember what it feels like to fall in love, movies are a great way to do it if you don’t have time to read a book. At least they are for me.
What about you, have you found movies to be a great escape? If you have, what are some of your favorites? =)
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Anara
Romance that’s sexy with a touch of sass
The Trouble with Curses – Available Now
www.AnaraBella.com
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