I love film. I love television. I love drama, comedy, horror, tragedy and everything in between. I love big-budget Hollywood action films and tiny indie films about the human condition. I love nail-biting dramas that keep you guessing from week to week and sit-com slices of Americana where everything is wrapped up in 22 minutes. I love it all.

You all know this of course. It’s why I write this column. But I’m sad to say that after two and half years, my time with you has come to an end. Yes, dear readers, I am graduating in May, and this will be my final column.

So I’ve been feeling a little nostalgic lately. I’ve been going through old issues, looking at some of the thoughts I’ve shared with you. I’d like to think that in the nearly 30 columns I’ve written, I have made you laugh at least once or twice, and hopefully made you think a little more about the way you watch movies.

Film has always been important to me. Some of my earliest memories are of trudging through the snow to my local cinema to watch whatever kids’ film I had insisted my parents take me to. Some were good (The Lion King), and some I can’t believe they even sat through (Blank Check).

Thankfully, my taste has improved a bit with time.

Television came later. Other than Saturday morning cartoons, I didn’t watch much TV as a kid. But as an angst-ridden teenager, I found solace in Joss Whedon dramas on the WB. Slowly I discovered that following a television program offered an expanded view of characters that was impossible in film. I was hooked.

It was not until college, however, that I began looking at movies and TV with an informed and critical eye, and most of that was due to taking film classes here. I even wrote my senior thesis on a film. But this column was an important part of my film education. Sitting down every two weeks to write about film, to look at the state of Hollywood and articulate my thoughts about it, was an invaluable experience.

I’ve had people tell me that studying film has actually ruined their ability to enjoy going to the movies. They say all they can do is focus on the filmmaking style and technique, and they lose the magic and escapism of the cinema.

I could not disagree more.

The more I learn about film, the more I enjoy it. I find new ways to enjoy movies I already love, and I discover movies I would probably never appreciate if I could not see what makes them great.

So this is my advice to you: If you love film, learn everything you can about it. Take the classes the English department offers. Explore Gelardin’s catalog of classic films. Hell, just scour Wikipedia and TVtropes.com. But go beyond your immediate interaction with Hollywood. There is more to film and television than what you notice on the surface. I promise you, the deeper you go, the richer your experience will be.

In the end, it’s about passion. This is my passion; it makes me happy. And if film is your passion, you need to soak up every drop of it you can.

For two and a half years I’ve written about Hollywood. I’ve decried the greed and the excesses of its executives. I’ve celebrated its innovation and the preservation of its greatness. And I’ve tried to encourage you to see film as I do, as a beautiful art and an essential part of the American experience.

Now, at the end, I’m reminded of the words of late director John Huston. “Hollywood has always been a cage. ... a cage to catch our dreams.” For all its faults, Hollywood is still a town of magic. They are the music makers; they are the dreamers of dreams. And we are the watchers.

So keep watching. You know I will.

Patrick Thompson is a senior in the College and a former senior Guide editor. He can be reached at thompson@thehoya.com. This is the final installment of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.