What Was and What Is

Some things change over time. I'm talking about what we like and dislike.

I can recall when I would practically gag at the thought of eating a mushroom. Now I try to eat them as often as I can. Same with Miracle Whip, lettuce, broccoli, cocktail sauce, and picante sauce.

On the other hand, I no longer care for Fig Newtons, certain candies, and the like.

When I was young I loved monster movies and stories. Now they annoy me. Maybe it's because I prefer the old monsters: Bela Lugosi's Dracula; Boris Karloff and Glenn Strange's Frankenstein Monster; Lon Chaney Jr's Wolf Man. I find the modern versions of these, and other monsters, quite dull.

There was a time when I was very interested in science fiction movies. Never liked reading it, though. Now I'm not so keen on even the movies. Still like Star Trek, though. Star Wars is okay, too. The rest? Meh.

Some things don't change.

Still like ice cream and watermelon. Spaghetti and roast beef are still my favorite foods. I still laugh at Bugs Bunny. And I love reading/watching fantasy. Even when it's not great I still enjoy it. When it's pretty bad my joy fades considerably, but mostly I like it.

The truth is, good fantasy in films is almost impossible to find. Special effects have improved, but the storytelling has not. In fact, I would venture to say that with the improvement of special effects, the quality of storytelling in films has actually decreased. The original King Kong captivated me. The remake not so much.

I think there is something about simplicity which appeals to imagination. My son has always played more with the toys which don't do anything than those which have all kinds of special gadgetry. His hard plastic Batman figures get much more play time than those which can do all kinds of poses. The cars, tanks, and other vehicles, who's only moving parts are wheels that go round and round, are played with far more than those which shoot foam darts, steer, and do other things.

Simplicity. It leaves so much to the imagination, which makes the film or book so much better. That's kind of how I see it anyway.