Indie Films

So in my other blog, I mentioned that I listened to indie music. I realize that I didn't really clarify what it is that I liked about it. First off, I should mention that indie stands for independent. Certain media is independent because: It is not developed by a major company, or it is not considered to be attractive to the mainstream society (pop music and major motion pictures with special effects is mainstream). Indie music and movies seems to have more meaning than mainstream, which is why I like them so much.



Major motion pictures can be produced by Paramount, 21st Century, Columbia, Universal, Lionsgate, and some others. Indie films are made by smaller producers(like Phase 4), or producers from the major companies that are meant for indie films (such as Fox Searchlight, Paramount Vintage, and Sony Pictures Classics).

Another thing that makes a  movie independent is what the movie is about. Indie films have less of a soundtrack and special effects, and more of a moral that makes you think. Cerebral movies are really great to watch, since you are entertained and improving your mental capacity simultaneously.

Unfortunately, the average indie film is rated R. Usually it's just for strong language (which I can handle), but other times it's because of things that I don't need to know about at my age. This is usually a problem because a movie can have a really good, but I can't watch it. Sometimes my mother would watch it with me , but that's only if it sound good to her.

I first discovered indie film in the spring of 2012. My mother and I went to get some Redbox movies, and found three movies: Another Earth, The Art of Getting By, and The Descendants (these are some examples of mature movies that was okay to watch since she watched it to). She told me that all of these movies are indie films, and I didn't know what she meant. She gave me the same explanation I gave you. So when we were watching them, I compared her description to the movies themselves. Especially with Another Earth. That movie was about a hypothetical replica of Earth not too far from this one, and how it affected this one woman (Brit Marling) and this man that were in an accident, coincidentally involving the other Earth. It made me wonder how people would react if they were standing in front of themselves (not like looking in a mirror, but similar). Even mirrors seemed like something more than reflections.

So those were the first indie films that I've ever seen (as far as I'm concerned). I believe that Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is independent too since I first saw some of it on the Independent Film Channel (IFC). That movie is about a man named Arthur Dent who just so happens to be friends with an alien in disguise Ford Prefect (Mos Def), who rescues him from the Earth when stubborn aliens blow it up to build a bypass. The movie is about how Arthur and Ford travel with the president of the galaxy Zaphod Beeblebrox try to find the ultimate question to life, the universe, and everything  (seeing as the answer to life,the universe, and everything is 42, they had to find the question). I liked how the movie created a different way of looking at life. One of my favorite things about the movie is the improbability drive, where they press the button and show up anywhere in the universe, making highly improbable that you will show up where you want to go (sounds like the improbability of life to me).

Since my discovery, my favorite indie films have been: Little Miss Sunshine, Take Me Home, Mr. Nobody, The Visioneers, Moonrise Kingdom, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Sound of My Voice, and Safety Not Guaranteed. I find new indie films by looking at IFC, Sundance Channel, and Indieplex. I also go to www.landmarktheatres.com/ to see what's new or coming soon. I really want to go to an indie theater to see a good indie movie, but the closest ones are too far right now. The day I get to go to a Sundance Festival would be one of the best days of my life!

Now don't get me wrong. There are movies that appear at Regals and United Artist that I don't mind watching. It's just that I find independent films to be more intriguing. They have a sense of meaning that mainstream films may not be able to include due to what the popular consumer consider to be entertaining. I may have to watch them with my mother most of the time, but at least we get to discuss the movie afterwards (or if something we see is so debate-worthy, we may have to stop the movie immediately and discuss. That happened a lot during The Sound of My Voice).