By Emma Weidmann | Staff Writer
Movie lovers can be divided over what makes a good film. Is it explosions, or is it explosive romance? Is it attention to detail and plot, or is it the way the movie makes you feel that really matters? Two Baylor students weighed in with their opinions.
Lancaster sophomore Daniel McCowan is an action and drama fan, while McKinney junior Shea Berthelot is a proud lover of rom-coms.
What is your favorite movie or director?
McCowan: “My favorite is Wes Anderson. Wes Anderson is, by far, on the top of my list when I go to watch movies. I remember watching ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox.’ It’s just a great movie. I love the stop-motion and the lighting, everything. I liked ‘Grand Budapest Hotel’ for its story — how [the main character] was the busboy going and experiencing all these things.”
Berthelot: “I recently watched ‘You’ve Got Mail,’ which is really, really good. I would say ‘You’ve Got Mail’ is my favorite right now. I read a lot of rom-coms, so that’s a lot of where I get my stuff, too.”
What do you think is the biggest difference between these genres?
McCowan: “I haven’t seen many rom-coms except ‘Clueless.'”
Berthelot: “I love all types of movies. When you just need something to watch that is not part of a whole universe and does not have big stakes or a whole series — to just enjoy and not have to think about — I wouldn’t sit down and watch ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ or ‘A New Hope.’ I’d watch ‘You’ve Got Mail’ or another movie like that.”
What is something about romantic comedies that you don’t like?
McCowan: “Sometimes they’re really sappy, and they’re hard to get into at first. Once you get into it, it’s too much. But, I liked ‘The Devil Wears Prada.’ I liked the fashion and the central theme about being in the working world and moving up through that while trying not to wrong anybody.”
Berthelot: “I recently watched ‘Sleepless in Seattle.’ I just don’t get it. No. 1, if the roles were reversed, it would be so creepy. No. 2, they didn’t really have a connection until the very end. I felt like it was not emotionally involving. She was so stalkery, and it was creepy. A lot of times, I feel like they’re not as fleshed out as they could be, and some toxic relationships are overlooked. I watched ‘Jerry Maguire’ recently, and it was not a feel-good movie. I was stressed out the entire time, and I feel like people can idealize unhealthy relationships in these movies. I don’t know why they’re sticking around so long.”
What is something about dramas that you don’t like?
McCowan: “Sometimes they’re slow. But that can be good, because I can multi-task and tune back in 15 minutes into the movie and I’m not too lost.”
Berthelot: “I love action and drama, but you have to be in a certain mood to watch it and you have to be committed to watching the whole series to understand what it all means. With Marvel movies, it can be kind of a confusing experience if you’re not completely invested and obsessed with it.”
What stuck with you about your favorite genre?
McCowan: “The scene in ‘Black Widow’ when they were all around the table and revealed they were really secret operatives and not a real family — it was dramatic to me, but it was done really well. That’s why Marvel movies are really good, because they’re like a mixture of a straight Michael Bay film and just really good content.”
Berthelot: “That’s a tough question. The world is always tough, and it’s nice to come back to and rely on a rom-com. Even if it’s predictable, even if it’s corny, those are oftentimes the best ones. The stupid, crappy little Hallmark movies can be the best when you’re just in a horrible mood. When the world is so crazy and you don’t know what’s going to happen next, you can always rely on a rom-com as a steady factor.”
