Maybe 2027 is the year I watch The Godfather.

I watched 12 Angry Men (1957) for the first time recently and I wish I was exaggerating when I say it felt like I crossed a huge milestone in my life. This is partly due to the fact that it unfortunately did live up to the hype and I’m kind of embarrassed I put it off for so long. I went back to watch the 1957 trailer, and it was pretty terrible but I’m also grateful because if this movie came out in 2026, the trailer would've given the whole plot away. 2026 has been a golden age for movies but it’s also sparked a lot of conversation around who gets to call themselves a “cinephile.” Outside of the ego wars that exist in these types of discourse, what really makes someone a true movie lover? 

(from 12 Angry Men directed by Sidney Lumet)

The one and only Francis Ford Coppola film I’ve ever watched (compliments to 8th grade English) was The Outsiders (1983). I’ve been putting off watching The Godfather (1972) for years and the avoidance gets stronger every day. It’s not that I don’t want to watch it, but there’s some defiance whenever I’m met with external pressure from the mainstream to watch a classic. Google’s definition of a cinephile is “a person who has a deep, passionate interest in cinema as an art form rather than just casual entertainment.” While I agree that, as an audience, we have a responsibility to critically analyze and understand films, I don’t think that you have to watch every cult classic to refer to yourself a cinephile. Although, if you express your disdain for something, naturally you would be asked to explain why you don’t like it and before anything I’m an educated hater. 

(The Godfather 1972)

Realistically you can call yourself whatever you want because there’s no one ready to take you out back and shoot you for saying your favorite movie is Monsters, Inc. and not some random film from 1941 in black and white. Because the irony is these same pretentious film connoisseurs are ignorant to anything that’s not for a western audience or in a foreign language.

(got straight to the point with this post because all I'm thinking about this week is halloweekend ngl)

Happy November :)

socials: byissuethirteen