Hello Mick:As I age, I find escapism to be a primary motivation behind my movie viewing — I tend to get enough reality with daily reality. Given your vocation, whenyouwant to “escape reality,” I could see how you might be drawn to other activities. If you do watch movies to escape, however, I’d be interested in learning which titles you most enjoy.

Anatole Gordon, Los Altos

Hello Anatole:I’m not sure that I use movies in this way, though it’s possible I might just be getting stopped by the phrase “escape reality.” To me, that means being in one state of mind and wanting to alter it, in which case a house call from Dr. Ardbeg 10 might be called for. Or maybe just going out and seeing friends. Or relaxing and listening to music. Or putting on a Rick Steves video. Or meditating, if I could meditate.

I don’t find that movies take me out of myself when I need a mental break. When it comes to movies, I’m more likely to put one on that reinforces the mood I’m already in.

Dear Mick:You ask, “Why is Dorothy living with her aunt and uncle? And why are they so old?” Remember, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” was written in 1900. Mortality rates in 1900 across all levels of society were much higher than they are now.

Abby Eller, Menlo Park

Dear Abby:True, but there’s something weird going on, nonetheless. The Auntie Em and Uncle Henry that we find in the movie appear to be the age of Dorothy’s grandparents. That means her actual grandparents on both sides are dead, her parents are dead, and her immediate aunts and uncles on both sides are dead. I can’t speculate as to the cause, but it’s another reason that Dorothy needs to get out of that house immediately.

Dear Mick LaSalle:Completely agree with you: Why hurry home to a pill like Auntie Em and a buffoon like Uncle Henry? And as charmed as I was by “The Wizard of Oz” as a young child, when I got a little older, I was perturbed by Dorothy’s closing line, “If I ever go looking for my heart’s desire again, I won’t look any further than my own backyard.” Huh? I was growing up in Jersey City and couldn’t wait to get the heck out of there.

Deborah Burstyn, Walnut Creek

Dear Deborah Burstyn: I know Jersey City and can’t blame you. When a city’s biggest cultural attraction is the Pulaski Skyway, you know you’re in trouble. But the thing about that line of dialogue is that it’s not only the worst line in a good script, it’s completely disingenuous. They knew it wasn’t true.

Dear Mr. LaSalle:Curious about movie criticism. How would it change things if you watched a film twice before you wrote about it?

Keith Sedgley, Napa

Dear Mr. Sedgley:我不确定,我想这取决于电影. If I watched every movie twice, I’d probably pick up on more visual elements. But audiences watch the movie once, right? Thus, to review a movie after watching it twice might be to report on an experience irrelevant to that of an audience. Plus, some movies are so horrible I just can’t imagine sitting through them twice (“Venom: Let There Be Carnage,” “Black Adam,” “The Batman”).

Other movies are inarguably good, and so I have to say so in my review, and yet for some reason of personal taste, I hate them, anyway. For example, to sit through “The Shape of Water” again would be pure torture for me. I knew it was good the first time and don’t need to suffer through it again.

Have a question? Ask Mick LaSalle at mlasalle@sfchronicle.com. Include your name and city for publication, and a phone number for verification. Letters may be edited for clarity and length.