Why am I writing about movies and what qualifies me to do so? Well, I’ll tell you. I don’t have any formal training in film, but what I have is a lifelong love of movies. My true goal is to remind people of movies they have already seen and encourage others to see movies that they have not.
I grew up in the south and was virtually raised by the afternoon movie that showed on local channels. I still remember being around 10-years old when I first watched the original Dracula (1932) at home by myself after school. Other movies, like The Monolith Monsters (1957) took years to track down and rewatch as an adult.
Another important aspect of my youth was the drive-in movies. Well, you really have to understand the place of the drive-in in Americana. World War II and the Korean Conflict were over and Vietnam was still over the horizon. Americans were raising their car-crazy families in suburbia and were looking for good family entertainment. Well, the drive-in provided this with a car full of kids and a bag of food and everyone was ready for a good time. The kids could play the playground near the projector booth and the adults could watch the movie in the relative privacy of their car. Just a green mosquito coil burning on the dash to keep out the little pests. Of course, you could always bring a bottle or a six-pack. Young lovers on dates would park on the front row where you couldn’t really see the movie but you were somewhat alone.
It was social and private at the same time. If someone turned on their lights the community honked their disapproval. But the movies are what is important. Single, double, triple features. The quality of the movies when down proportionally as the night continued. So while the first movie might be a mainstream hit the second or third feature could be a horror film, a biker flick, or a low-grade skin movie. So with this beginning, I learned to love movies of all types. Not necessarily the best movies but just movies.
Following the Army, I became a professional archaeologist. You wouldn’t think it at first but this career, studying patterns of culture, prepared me to watch movies and find deeper links.
My other hobby is bonsai trees. This hobby is about growing regular trees in small pots. Since the trees are cared for, they have the potential to live forever.
