5. Rose-Tinted Spectacles
While it may only be the current generation that are growing up with literal glasses on in the form of those horrendous plastic monstrosities forced on us thanks to the rise of 3D, everyone has been watching films through perspective altering lenses. Rose tinted glasses are an ever present mental block that leaves us thinking the past is better than the present. To quote Alan Moore, the past, even the grimy parts of it, keep on getting brighter. The reason we think there were fewer bad films, the reason we forgive our lack of objectivity, all stems from a fondness for recollection. The past will always seem better than it was in some aspects and time allows us to forgive a films glaring faults. We will always say that our era is the best because, particularly for those involved with blogs such as this, films were a big part of our growing up and led to numerous happy memories. But that blinds us to the fact we can often view something as flawless for entirely personal reasons. Take (and I apologise to any disgruntled fans for this) Back to the Future. This is a great, funny film that never fails to leave me grinning, however, any comment on it being anywhere close to a perfect movie, or one of the greatest of all time, is sadly entirely born of a nostalgic affection. I know plenty of people who, while recognising is as an enjoyable couple of hours, are happy to say it is nothing special. For all the iconography, the film's illustrious reputation is thanks to (back to the first point) those who experienced it at the peak point of adolescence being in the position to influence opinion in the media. This isn't grumpy dissatisfaction I think its a brilliant film it just isn't as great as those who were teenagers in 1985 claim. Ultimately, film enjoyment is a personal experience and Im of the opinion that if you are not entertained, then no matter the beauty of the cinematography or astounding the acting, then a film cant be called good. And obviously films you watched with naivety or remember through affectionate memories will obviously be more entertaining. But thats an incredibly personal experience and doesn't translate to cinema as an art form. What do you think? Share your thoughts below.