What is it that film promises? What does it give us? In some regards, it is the promise of something sublime and heroic. It is the promise of transcending everyday morality and convention to become a kind of being that cannot be affected by the cognitive boundaries of science and philosophy. For lack of an appropriate analogy, it promises a kind of life beyond the confines of this mortal coil.

As Hamlet put it, in so many words, there are indeed more things in this life than are known to our philosophies. Perhaps this is what drives our fascination with film. While it has been with us for more than a century, we do not seem to be showing any signs of abating. We want more -- more stories, more action, more romance, more of the elements that have come to codify film into strict genres.

While few of us would dare to become actors -- it is, after all, a grueling profession -- we all enjoy the fruits of other people's labor. Yes, it took Jack Nicholson nearly ten years to make it into the business as an A-list actor, yet, now he is a perennial fan favorite. Audience will go to great lengths to see him perform, even as he settles into his seventies.

This explains why certain technologies, like those of companies like Yoostar are always in such high demand. These technologies allow people to transpose themselves into clips from classic movies. In essence, they supplant the old actor and stand in his or her place. This is a very powerful statement on the nature of stardom and the power of film.

The movies that mean the most to us are the films that offer some kind of method. A hunger to be free is championed in Easy Rider, while the courage of standing up to convention can be enjoyed in Napoleon Dynamite. Regardless of the thematic at work, what is key is how we relate to the films -- how we long for the kind of world where a heroic action is a jump cut away and the dullest of chores can be accomplished via a montage.