Indeed, the randomness and complete accessibility of a public library’s collection lends itself to experimentation, and as someone who grew up using the public library to fuel my movie obsession, it never occurred to me to make my selections any other way: you go in, pick up what’s interesting, and if you don’t like it, there’s no consequence (assuming you return it on time.) Inevitably, one thing leads to another – you discover actors and directors whose work you want to check out, you see old trailers for movies you never knew existed, and pretty soon you have a mental queue of movies you want to see. Whether you ultimately find those movies in the library, at a video store, on TV, or through Netflix is irrelevant – the point is that you are in a constant state of discovery. Using this as a springboard, Christopher encourages us all to get out of the new release rut and expand our movie horizons.
Personalities ranging from Julia Sweeney of “It’s Pat” fame to Halley Feiffer (daughter of Jules Feiffer), weigh in with their movie suggestions, with each chapter offering a new way to look for movies. If the titles themselves don’t move you, perhaps the themes will inspire you to make your own list. How about nontraditional Christmas movies? If you don’t want to see Rosemary’s Baby or The Silent Partner, perhaps you’ll be reminded of other films set around the holidays…perhaps Die Hard or Lethal Weapon sound more appealing. The point is to brainstorm and explore everything the world of film has to offer.
Though cinephiles will recognize many of the films listed in Queue Tips, it’s always fun to compare notes and see which movies you have and haven’t seen, and there will certainly be new discoveries for even the most experienced viewer. The final section of Movie Resources is also helpful for anyone wishing to take their movie obsession even further. The book’s almost academic approach to movie viewing lends weight and credibility to something most of us do for fun. It’s kind of nice to be taken so seriously for a change.
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