[He Said] With movies, I am a details guy

Now, I would like to take a moment and briefly respond to Jen's last post.  First of all, I agree with Jen's comments in regards to those two films specifically (Up in the Air was great, and Did You Hear About the Morgans was between fine and fairly entertaining).  I do, however, have thoughts on this detail person vs. big picture issue.

I can agree that, much of the time, when it comes to movies I am a detail person.  Jen articulated it well by mentioning my attention to the nuances in acting and settings etc.  I also understand that Jen is a big picture person.  She is right; she rarely misses the big picture, and her analysis skills are very sharp.  She is excellent at filling in the blanks.  More than being good at it, that is often the way she likes to watch movies.

But, here's my thing:  I can fill in the blanks as well, but the small things are important to me.  It is so often the case that the brilliance of a movie is in the details.  Those small moments, those bits of charm, those short glances, those looks into a characters thoughts and feelings etc. can be so special.  For instance, during Up in the Air there are several points where Natalie (the young businesswoman fresh out of Cornell) sits alongside Ryan (George Clooney) and watches him lay off a whole list of employees.  She is trying to learn the ropes of professional firing.  Well, the subtle tearing look in her face was, at times, pretty powerful.  Those scenes had several layers of emotions going on apart from the obvious story line action.  The big picture might be that it is difficult to lay off employees whose lives are often dependent on their jobs.  It can be a hard task on many levels.  Filling in the blanks might be done by recognizing that the young Natalie is affected by the reality of it all and has possibly gotten in over her head.  But, in my opinion, to fully appreciate the depth, emotion, and art within a movie, you often have to pay attention to the details.  Details can turn even thorough understanding into more of an experience.  It can make a good movie great, or a great movie spectacular.

Of course sometimes, in many movies, the details mean exactly zip.  It can be all about the comedy, witty dialogue, action, or whatever.  I'm just saying...  I do, however, fully accept the way Jen watches movies, and I think nothing less of it.  She is a big picture person, and she also picks up on the little things so incredibly easily.  Most importantly, she enjoys movies her way...  I am just a details guy.