Cinema Schminema (don't tell Cinema I said that)

So people, we are reaching 2.5 weeks to the day of when Boris closed cinemas.

Now on that day I had about 10 individual people asking how I would cope, given that my local Cineworld is basically my second home... and on that day I was okay because I knew it wouldn't be for long, and it definitely wouldn't be forever.

But with more and more films delayed... some by like a year (Fast and Furious 9 I'm looking at you) it's beginning to get hard. Black Widow, the Marvel movie EVERYBODY has been waiting for has been delayed after literally YEARS in the making. Mulan, probably the only film Josie will be seeing in the cinema for the rest of the year, has been delayed, and probably being released straight to Disney Plus. James Bond's final hurrah in No Time To Die was the first to delay and is now being released in November... A Quiet Place II (not that I've seen the first one, nor will I see this one because I'm a wuss), Wonder Woman... all delayed. And we have no idea when we'll be allowed back into the hallowed popcorn-smelling hallways of our cinema screens again.

Now I know you think I'm pathetic for missing cinemas this much, but for someone who loves film as much as I do, even the really crap films, it's a kick to the gut to think we won't be getting back in until June... or maybe even longer. And having just checked IMDb to find inspiration for this post, never would I thought I'd see the day where there are no Blockbusters on there.

But you know what? The more I think about it, the more I realise that there is silver lining out there. Lots of it.

Cue the inspiration.

The silver lining for me (and probably many others) is the fact that A) Disney Plus went live last week and there are over 500+ movies on there, B) I also have Amazon and Netflix, which also have a catalogue of around a billion films between them, and C) I have an actual physical library of nearly 1,000 DVD/Blu-Rays to watch... some of which are probably still in their plastic wrapping.

So I choose to think of this time as an opportunity to watch the films I gloss over when choosing Marvel movies time and time again. The forgotten gems. The needles in haystacks. Because there are SO many of those.

And that's what we did today. We picked a film that has been staring at me for weeks now (because my chair is sat next to the Gs on my DVD shelf) and today, I said 'yes' to it asking me to pick it up.

Today, Ladies and Gentlemen, was the first time my sister watched Good Will Hunting. Yeah, it surprised me too.

Now, I love watching films, you all know this, but what I also quite like is watching films with people who haven't seen them when I have, because I like watching their reactions. It's weird, maybe, but I like it because it gives me an insight into what they think without me having to explicitly ask.

About 3/4 of the way through, after a particularly emotional scene, Josie said very quietly that this was a really good film, and Josie doesn't usually give any kind of notion or liking or not liking a film, so that was pretty cool. And it means it MUST be good.

Everyone knows that if you put Matt Damon in a line-up of actors and ask who is my favourite, I'll choose him in a heartbeat. But although he is a pretty big reason as to why I watch it, it isn't quite the entire reason.

Now the story itself is pretty straightforward, predictable maybe. But it's still a good one. And a story that's written by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck themselves (and won an Oscar to boot!). Damon's Will Hunting is a self-taught genius. He has an eidetic memory, and spends his time reading scientific, mathematical and historical books when he isn't with his friends or getting into trouble. But at the end of the day, he's still a kid. He's a scared kid, who's afraid of all the normal things.

But he also doesn't know what he wants to do or who he wants to be. Being as smart as he is, he's scared people will just want to use him. All he thinks he wants to do is solve the tough, mathematical problems no one else can solve, because it's fun. He thinks he wants to hang out with his friends, drinking, fighting... because it's all he knows. And yet he's surprised when his friends tell him he's worth more. He thinks he wants to spend time with a beautiful girl because he feels loved, but then he doesn't let her in.

After a traumatic childhood, his whole life he's believed he's not good enough, and nor will he ever be, so there's no point striving for more. And if people tell him he is good enough, that they're only using him for his knowledge. It's so prominent in the storyline that you think that's where they're going with the story... but it's not.

But what I like is the growing friendship Will and Sean, his court-ordered psychologist, and one of my favourite scenes is when Will finally lets someone in. Talking about his childhood, Sean keeps saying, 'It's not your fault' and Will keeps responding, 'I know that'. But Sean keeps repeating it until it sinks in, allowing Will to accept something on his own terms. It's the raw emotion in the repeated 'it's not your fault' that gets me.

Another one is Ben Affleck. This is probably one of my favourite Ben Affleck films too. And all because of one line. "You got somethin' none of us have..." He has a ticket out of a crappy life, a chance to be someone and make something of himself... A chance not to be stuck. Okay maybe there are two lines. "You what the best part of my day is? For about 10 seconds, from when I pull up to the kerb to when I get to your door... because I think maybe when I get up there I'll knock on the door and you won't be there. No goodbye, no see ya later, no nothing. You just left. I don't know much, but I know that." I just love that quote.

Like I said, the story itself is straightforward. A troubled boy with a gift, a quirky psychologist and a cute girl... and the film ends the way you think. But the story isn't the reason I love this film so much. It's the individual moments that make this film what it is.

And that's not something I can tell you or describe for you. So you have to go and watch it.

And for that reason alone I give this a 4.5/5. And because it's Matt Damon, it's definitely a 6/5... :D (What? I love him.).

(You have to say that last quote in a Boston accent. It's the only way to do it...)