Well, gosh, it’s been a long time, hasn’t it? My sister got married, the holidays happened, depression settled in, blah, blah, blah. A tale as old as time. Not putting any pressure on myself to keep up with this, but will gently remind myself a bit more often that I have this outlet, so maybe I’ll be inspired to use it, even if for nothing special.
I’ve started watching old movies. And somehow, managed to start on a Frankenstein kick, watching the 1931 Frankenstein film, followed by 1935’s Bride of Frankenstein, and finishing tonight with the 1948 comedy, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. I was always curious about the old-school monster movies, but never really sat down and watched them. Not being a fan of horror films, I wasn’t sure what I’d think of them.
Well, a couple of things have come out of this trio of films. Firstly, if the 2 serious Frankenstein films are anything to go by, I don’t think I’ll have an issue with the rest of the “classic” monster movies. While I can totally see how these films were scary back in the day, I think my opinion as far as what constitutes a scary movie is a bit more modern. So no issue there, I’m pleased to say!
The second thing is that I think I genuinely like watching old movies. I know I’m only 3 movies deep in this stretch, but so far, I’m in love with what cinema used to be. The acting styles were so different decades ago, there was no CGI so it was all practical effects, and something about the black and white imagery makes these films compelling. Thanks to a bunch of people on Mastodon, I’ve got a whole list of films (which I’ll post here at some point) to watch, many of them black and white, and I’ve never been more excited to watch movies!
The third thing to come out of this is that I now find myself with a hopeless crush on Lou Costello. I mean, how could I not? He was a handsome guy, had a killer sense of humor, and he just had the air of “genuinely nice guy” about him. Plus, he had a wild FBI file, and if you’re pissing off J. Edgar Hoover, you must be doing something right. I realize the man’s been dead for 65 years, but golly….he was adorable and if you disagree with me, well….that’s your right to do so.
Anyway…what I think I might start doing is blogging my thoughts when I watch a new movie? As a record for me, and in case anyone would find it interesting. Plus, it’ll give me something to do between job hunting and studying for my ham radio license. Because I apparently need another project.
So that’s what I’m thinking. Won’t be an every day thing, but it’ll get me posting more often here, and I think I need that. So, I’ll just leave it at that, with this pic of a 20th Century Smokeshow:
