I'm not saying that all big release films are not entertaining, there are many great films that millions of people have seen and will watch again, they are timeless classics that win on Oscar night and that do a superb job of telling the story through the art of film making
The films that I'm talking about are the ones that you stumble upon late at night when channel surfing or that catch your eye five minutes in and you watch the rest to find out what happens.
When I was studying for my HSC, in English we watched a great film that was filmed in Russian (with subtitles); it was called 'The Return', a story of two brothers whose father comes back after a 12 year absence to take them camping. It won a few international awards for best foreign film, but it was made on a budget of under $500,000, surprisingly short by today's multi-million dollar budgets that blow out of proportion.
Another film that caught my attention was a British teen film 'Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging', it would give most Hollywood teen films a run for its money as it had a simple storyline, a natural performance from the lead actor who is not the usual good looking blonde, tall character but is what a genuine teen should be shown as. She wants to have a good birthday bash, get the dream boy while trying to keep her parents happy.
Though you can be too old for the film (teen generic), you can enjoy the world that these girls experience – they want to be adults because they are 'too old for toys, yet too young for boys.
It important to remember the old tale of don't judge a book by its cover and the same can be said for films, though it may not be well known or the vast majority have not seen it. As a result of these HSC type films, I've learnt now to be open-minded when watching a film and be prepared for the unexpectedly good film. Moreover it can be a major cinematic production just as much as it can be a small production or even a Gospel film.
Christopher Archibald lives in Sydney and is an under-graduate student.