Colby James West

When I was little, my parents were divorced. My sister and I ended up living with my mother from our first day of kindergarten all the way up until the day we left for college. We would see my father on the weekends as well as one Thursday a month. He was and still is a woodworker, and a good one at that. Sometimes he would have to work while my sister and I were with him for the weekend, so we often spent time at his shop on Owl Brook Road in Holderness, playing in the woods and entertaining ourselves.
At his shop, he had a Betamax player, but he only had three movies for it. As you can imagine, I watched them over and over again on rainy days and can now recite, on cue, just about every line in each.
These are the movies that helped to shape me into the person I am today. My imagination, my sense of what is possible, my first glimpse of heroism, love, and relationships, and the idea that there was something beyond my little world were all formed from many weekends in front of that tiny screen.

Big

I was too young to understand most of the emotions and things happening in this when I was little, but the scenes that stuck out in my mind were the ones where Josh, the main character, is enjoying his life as an adult in the way only a child could. Now, when I watch this film, it reminds me to enjoy what I have because I haven’t always had it and it could very well all go away at any time. There is also a scene in which you see Elizabeth Perkins in her bra. For some reason, that scene stuck out in my mind, as well. Hmmm.

Star Wars: A New Hope

This movie lead to my love of science fiction, super heros, and war movies.
My father’s copy was an original that he must have bought when it came out for the first time in the 1970′s. Therefore, the actual tape was warn and the video quality was terrible. In fact, the entire first 15 minutes of the movie were so messed up, that I didn’t even know Luke’s aunt and uncle died. I was 13 when I got the “remastered” version in my stocking and finally saw their burned carcasses. I was devastated, but that much more emotionally moved by the power of bad verses good, or I guess in this case Dark verses Light. I love all of the movies in the six part series and have watched each countless times. What gets me is that the Emperor planned out the entire thing. He knew what needed to be done to rule the galaxy and even did it semi-legally through a popular vote. The only thing he didn’t count on was the emotion and love that a father had for his son. When I was little, this movie helped me to understand the importance of being on the good side of things, that it’s never too late to make the right decision, and lasers are really cool.

Top Gun

I had a toy jet when I was 11 and used to fly it around the woods pretending I was destroying MiG’s over the Persian Gulf. Later on in high school, someone told me that I was about the right size to be a fighter pilot and I almost hit the roof with excitement to think that I could possibly be like Maverick. I quickly realized that I don’t have nearly enough strength, balls, or mental capacity to ever compare to those aerial soldiers or any other soldier, for that matter, but it’s still fun to pretend. This film definitely had something to do with my chosen profession and was a major factor in my decision to get a motorcycle. If Tom Cruise has one, then why can’t I?
To me, this one is about living life to the fullest and not being afraid to push yourself to the edge with whatever you do. When I was in college trying to decide what to do with my life, making the decision to jump headlong into being a skier was the most thrilling and adventurous thing I have ever done. I know it’s not exactly fighting for your country as a naval pilot, but I think it takes the same kind of adrenaline seeking nut to jump off of cliffs and hit hundred foot jumps.
Maybe I can try out being a heroic badass in another life. For now, I’ll just pretend the weekenders and tourists are MiG’s that I’m dog fighting while skiing as fast as I can and carving down the hill.

I love the instincts and emotions that movies can instill within a person. I hope to influence people in the way the actors and directors of these movies affected me. Films are much more than simple art. They bring feelings of joy, fear, excitement, sadness, heroism, hope, ambition, and pretty much anything else you can imagine. The possibilities are endless. Watch these films when you get a chance and let yourself get lost within the struggles, hopes, and successes of the characters. I do all the time.
What movies influence you?