Mind Coffee: CGI overload causing me to lose track of some films I've seen

Shawn Ryan

As a fan of the "Star Wars" universe, I plan to see "The Last Jedi."

First, though, I have to go back and watch the previous film, "The Force Awakens," because the only scene I remember is the final one where - spoiler alert! - Luke Skywalker turns around and is all bearded and everything. Nothing else is in my memory except some small, round robot that's a knockoff of R2-D2.

This isn't the first time I've lost movies. A while back, I ran across a film review I had written for the Times Free Press on "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug." I don't remember ever seeing this film. At all.

It's a scary feeling and, to be honest, I'm sure part of it is the effect of aging. As they say, the three main characteristics about growing old are loss of memory and ... I don't remember the other two.

But I think a bigger part of my film forgetfulness may be a case of CGI overload.

In 2016, I saw about 10 films at the theater, which is extremely low for me. Even with the reduced number of films, however, I only remember the details of three: "Moonlight," which I thought was incredible; "Deadpool," which was just a lot of silly, R-rated fun; and "La La Land" because I hadn't seen a musical in more than a decade and I liked the romantic story.

"Star Trek Beyond"? I remember it wasn't very good and the scene with Kirk riding a motorcycle through a junkyard was beyond stupid. "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children"? Some kid was able to float and had to wear metal shoes to keep her on the ground. That's about it. "Doctor Strange"? The city buildings rolled up real cool, but who was the villain?

Do you see the similar track on the movies I don't really remember? They are all CGI-heavy.

Now I love me some CGI, hence the massive load of movies with plenty of it. But the films that stick with me, for the most part, are the ones without many special effects, the ones in which story overrides the oh-wow.

And as I think back on the films I've seen over the past few years, they tend to be story first, even if there's CGI - "Arrival," "Birdman," "Spotlight," "The Big Short."

So yeah, I still like movies in which everything blows up, but, as I get older, it's the smaller films that are sticking with me.

Now excuse me while I track down a DVD of "The Force Awakens."

Contact Shawn Ryan at mshawnryan@gmail.com.