The Unibrow Monkey

Highbrow, middlebrow, lowbrow? I've concluded the lifelong movie monkey on my back is unibrow. And like the unibrow that adorns my face, that monkey is a little weird, probably noticeable to others at times, and infrequently, embarrassing to me.

For example, lowbrow as it makes me, I have to admit I'm usually not drawn to foreign films, despite their subtlety, at least compared to those BIG Hollywood blockbusters. Until recently, documentaries didn't entice me much either, even though I've always considered myself a thinker and learner.

But, I'm not real fond of romantic comedies, less tolerant of action or superhero films, and repetitive film characters like Bond, Bourne, & Rocky leave me as cold in the movies as they do in books. In addition, when a filmmaker panders to the audience - usually to mask the absence of a compelling narrative - by interjecting either ... a car chase ... something exploding ... an attractive woman removing her blouse ... I get really annoyed. I've got nothing against seeing any of those things, but make it relevant, OK? So in all these situations, the highbrow monkey lurks.

What is middlebrow, anyway? Animation? Despite the often affirming messages, as an adult I can't recall ever picking an animated film for an evening's entertainment. When I do watch one, I get that gooey good feeling you're designed to get but that's probably why I don't get in line when Dory is at the multiplex a few years later. Are period pieces middlebrow? I can count on two hands the number of films I've really enjoyed featuring people dressed in earlier era costumes. 

What's left, you reasonably ask? Somehow the unibrow manages to find lots of stuff that juices him. But don't include "Going In Style" on that list.