Lately I have been realizing that I haven't seen as many films as I have thought. I am 19 years old and I have friends who are actors in their mid to late 20's and when conversations about film come up i'm the big joke!

I always have to hear "you haven't seen (....)????!!!!!"

So I dont know if the problem is I haven't seen a lot of the classic movies out there. Which I think is true, and it also has to deal with the fact that I kinda stopped watching movies throughout high school.

Either way up until high school the movies I would love were the cheesy action movies of the late 80's early 90's...

Now here is my thought on this topic. I have not seen a lot of the classic movies but could be because

1. With my age (19) I grew up with movies like American Pie not Porkys Etc.....

So when someone is 10 years older then me and their movie knowledge is greater than me a lot of it has to do with age

2. I am a joke and I need to catch up on my movies!


What do you guys think? I meen this is a touchy subject for me because I will be networking with people and when they see i haven't seen a lot of movies it seems like they don't take me as seriously!

So now as a young adult it seems like I have no time! Right now im lucky if I watch 2 movies a week! How am I supposed to catch up with hundreds of movies and keep up to date with new ones??????

What do you guys think?

I have thought about buying a guide about movies and studying it to at least make me look more intelligent and maybe I will be taken more seriously.

Also what I have thought about doing is watching every movies on the IMDB.COM top 250 movies ever. Im guessing that would help me out..

The short answer is "No", especially if you ARE watching films you're likely to get cast in. Which is the most important thing, from a professional point of view.

This said, if you're networking with people who are true cinephiles, yeah, it'd be better to know some film history. But the question there is how important those relationships are, and how much those people expect you to be like them, rather than just liking you for who you are.

It's also true that there's a lot of good to be had from seeing the great films. You get an idea of what types of stories have most affected people, who the great actors are (and the difference between acting and star power), etc. And you'll then have fun seeing all the ideas that get copped by more recent directors.

But it's also a never-ending task, even if you only stick to American films (and many of the great black and whites are French), so it's not like it's to everybody's taste.

So, sure it would be good for your overall culture to know the history of film (as it would also be good to read poetry, go to museums, travel a bit, etc.), but if you're watching contemporary films (and the better, or at least more influential, TV shows) regularly, you may well be ahead of a lot of other actors.

Think of watching films and seeing plays as part of your training!! You need to understand the context of your work.
You see just 2 movies a week, and you are 19 with no kids!? You should be able to add another one per week--how about one classic or great acting film per week!? Get Netflix and dig in!

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It always amazes me/frustrates me when I am trying to talk films with an aspiring actor and throughout the conversation, I am told "haven't seen it" or "never heard of it" or "Who is that Scorcese guy you keep mentioning?" Fine if you are a little young for "Goodfellas" but "The Departed" came out last year! (or 2006 but why split hairs.) In which case, movies such as "Goodfellas" etc are always on tv anyway. Stay at home once in a while! I mean, think about it. If you are not even into movies in the first place, what exactly is it about acting that drew you in to begin with? Obviously not the love of the art and let's face it. Movies ARE the most accessible medium in which to first experience it (art, that is). If not that, is it the possibility of wealth, chicks or fame? If that is yours or anyone else's focus or motivation here, it might be time to rethink things a bit- hmmmmm?

I do like movies though, now i am really making an effort to watch more movies and since I started watching more movies I have been a lot happier. Im shooting for a movie a day and I have go my netflix all set up. Im also watching a lot of classics right now.

It's really fun to watch the classics and discover actors you can steal from! You may find some forgotten (or hugely famous) actor you look up to and can borrow ideas from. I have learned a lot by watching the greats work. Watch Bette Davis avoid eating a piece of candy while fighting with her lover in "All About Eve" for a master class in working with props, for example!