The Fear of Becoming Jaded

As I sit here tonight, I'm pondering my review of Clash of the Titans (2010), I wonder how I've changed. I'm concurrently discussing the movie with the friend I saw it with who loved it. As I'm defending my points to her, I'm realizing that not so long ago, I would've left the theater after this movie reeling on its awesomeness; probably using words like, "ZOMG!" and "kewl!".

So, it's no surprise that I've been watching highly praised classic movies and reading everything I can get my hands on in preparation for graduate school, but to what cost? I remember asking one of my music professors from undergrad what it's like listening to new music for someone who's studied Mozart, Beethoven et. al for years. Her reply was that the first time she hears it, she determines its quality, then the second time around she starts getting into it analytically. Granted a ten minute sonata is not quite the time constraint of a two hour movie. But I think I'd like to try to tackle a similar perspective. My feelings on a movie are completely different from ten minutes after I leave to three days after.

I've been comparing viewing this movie to the time I saw Live Free or Die Hard. I remember getting very excited about seeing it, even to the point of getting annoyed with my then roommate who was way ahead of me on the movie analysis track. His constant pessimism to how he thought the movie was going to turn out was a huge buzzkill on my excitement for it. (It turned out, of course, that he was right). This scenario mimics the exact same scenario I was in with Clash with the exception that I might actually be wrong (!).

Rightness or wrongness aside, being someone who plans on spending the rest of my life studying film, am I forever doomed to nitpick every movie? I stand by my points of contention with the movie, but have I forgotten how to let go of my brain and just enjoy what I'm seeing on the screen? Is this an issue of over-analyzing or being spoiled from too many 'classics'? Did I just have a personal opinion about the movie because the original affected me so much? I had no problem suspending my realities for Hot Tub Time Machine (2010) and enjoying that farcical reflection of the past.

Anyone have any tips or suggestions on how to go through film school without becoming Jaded?