Contributor Introduction – Ty Francis 🇺🇸🇩🇪

Hey there, movie lovers!

Ty here. As the founder of ReSee Movies, you’ll probably most often catch me writing about why I believe so strongly in the future of movie theaters, why said theaters need to be allowed to evolve and adapt to better serve their audiences, and how engaging local communities is the key to realizing the brightest future for our biggest screens. But every now and then, if you squint hard enough and the moonlight hits your phone screen just right, you might catch me writing about movies, too. Because I really, really love movies.

It’s hard to tell whether I love cinema more because of the entertaining stories and the act of watching films, or because of the way those stories affect me after the end credits roll. Thankfully, I don’t have to choose one side of the cinema coin.

On one hand, there’s no better way for me to decompress than by shutting off my phone, turning on a movie, and immersing myself in a compelling story for a couple of hours. I’m a very social person who puts a lot of time and effort into maintaining relationships, plus there’s the whole “trying to launch a startup” thing, so I’m basically wired in for 90% of my day. Watching movies is pretty much the only time I’m not compulsively checking my phone screen. But when I watch movies? That’s pure, unadulterated me time of the highest caliber. Whether it’s in a theater or at home (and my cell phone is off in both places), I emerge from watching a film feeling refreshed and renewed, like Genie finally getting out of the bottle in Aladdin, or Baron Harkonnen emerging from that weird balsamic jacuzzi in Dune. I’m practically levitating.

On the other hand, I look at how films have helped me discover who I am, define what matters to me in life, and find the courage and inspiration to do bold things, and it’s hard to argue that the way cinema constantly shapes then reshapes my world view isn’t what truly draws me to it. For example, I’m pretty sure Lost in Translation is the primary reason I decided to start solo traveling, embracing that feeling of loneliness instead of letting it deter me. I’m not sure I would have ever moved from DC to LA, then from LA to Berlin, had that film not sparked my wanderlust many years prior. I still have to listen to Alone in Kyoto every time I take a solo train ride through a new country. You could even say that ReSee Movies would not have existed had I not watched that film.

So, what kind of movies do I love the most? Which ones have the power to shake me to my core, heal my spirit, and change the way I see the world? For me, I’d say it all boils down to two things: compelling stories and complex characters. The more I revisit a movie to question what I would have done or how I would have felt in the protagonist’s shoes, the more I love the movie. But great stories come in all flavors, so I’ll just give you my Top 10, listed in no particular order. Feel free to drag me in the comments:

• Lost in Translation (see above)
• The Nightmare Before Christmas
• Blade Runner
• Shoplifters
• The Last Dragon
• Big Fish
• The Matrix
• Paprika
• Parasite
• The Lobster

My list changes as often as the wind blows, but as you can see, I love everything from understated independent dramas to big-budget, mind-bending science fiction. Plus, I’ve got a sweet spot for both animation and foreign films. I just try to switch it up as often as I can and keep my spectrum of film as wide as possible.

If there’s a third and final thing I truly love about cinema, it’s the ways in which it connects us all. Movies allow us to imagine humanity from thousands of unique perspectives – to walk a mile in the shoes of others. They give us an opportunity to build common ground with people all over the world who have experienced the same story, either personally or via their own screens. Whether it’s staying up all night talking to one of my closest friends about a movie, or just randomly engaging with someone online halfway across the world, the conversation surrounding movies is extremely important. These days, we should embrace whatever common ground we can find.

That third reason is why I hope to find time to take my founder hat off and just share a personal story on this blog every now and then. But if you don’t hear from me, don’t fret: over the next few weeks I’ll be proudly introducing you to members of the ReSee content team who hail from all corners of the world, and whose stories are as diverse and rich as cinema itself. My hope is that each and every member of our burgeoning community can check this blog every now and then to find a post from a writer they identify with and from whom they can draw inspiration for both their life and their next movie night. So keep an eye on this blog and our socials, let us know how we’re doing, and don’t forget the popcorn.