Well, it has been nine months since my last post. (Sorry, I couldn't resist that beginning...) Good grief. I could have gone through an entire gestational period and given birth to an urchin in the length of time I have neglected this baby. So I refuse to think of it as broken promises or a resolution renewed. Instead, it is just a new beginning. And something about it seems altogether promising.
I'm not sure exactly what has gotten the creative juices flowing again. I've seen 2 excellent movies in the past week; both were well-written & well-acted. I think I must be a writer at heart to look at a movie in that order. Anytime I view a movie that was based on an excellent screenplay, I think to myself "I could do that..." Purely delusional thoughts, I know, but something about the notion gives me the warm fuzzies. And I must admit, while other people play air guitar and imagine themselves as the next great American Idol, I envision myself at Sundance. Or better yet: the Oscars. Strolling down the red carpet, trying not to get all googly-eyed over the REAL stars. Who should I get to design my tuxedo: should I go with the funky hipness of Dolce & Gabana or the classic elegance of Gucci?
Ok. Back to reality. The aforementioned 2 films were/are "The Queen" and "Blood Diamond." I thoroughly enjoy good films but too often procrastinate making the trek to the theater until it's too late. All too frequently, it seems the truly good movies are only showing on a few screens clear across town or are only around for a week or two. Which could possibly be indicators of several different things: 1. the more intelligent movie-goers reside across town (I hope this isn't the case and that theater owners take note of the residential makeup of Inglewood and plan to open a hip theater in our area for quality and independent fare) 2. the majority of movie-goers are teenage boys whose IQs are only slightly larger than their ... shoesize, and this Friday night/mall crowd mentality would much prefer to see a blonde bimbo being slashed than dare put forth the effort to actually contemplate a world outside Playboy pinups or comic book heroes gone awry.
My faith in the intelligence of younger movie-goers is being somewhat restored by 2 of my nephews (who just happen to be brothers.) One is living in Amarillo with his sweet wife and their new baby, and despite the demands of starting a new family, they still manage to get out to see GOOD films. I enjoy our late-night conversations about what we've each seen lately, who his directorial faves are, and upcoming productions he's read about. And his younger brother has become my regular movie companion of late. He works on a catastrophe team for an insurance company, and although he is always on call for the next big disaster, our weather has been catastrophe-free for about 6 months. He is also girlfriend-free at the moment (which I'm sure will end all too quickly), so that gives us some much-enjoyed time together. It makes me feel good that my nephews still think I'm cool enough to hang out with without embarassment.
About the movies...
"The Queen" is that rare film that deftly handles a true event whose media coverage rivaled any of the late 20th century, and it tells the story with aplomb. Stephen Frears incorporates actual film footage of Princess Diana seamlessly throughout the story without it seeming tawdry or gruesome. And Helen Mirren is Queen Elizabeth. She inhabits the role so completely, she makes one forget she's acting; that's what great acting is all about. Just when the viewer wants to hate her for her seeming inability to feel ANYTHING, she redeems the character with her display of compassion and ultimate sorrow for the ruthlessly pursued buck which was eventually hunted down and killed. But just as the viewer feels her empathy for the wild animal which met a such horrid end, you recoil in exasperation when you realize she shows more feeling for an animal than she does for a human being -- the mother of her grandsons -- who was pursued ruthlessly and ultimately hunted down to her own death. Fabulously written and flawlessly acted.
"Blood Diamond" is that increasingly rare movie that draws the viewer in with it's star power/A-list cast, but then rewards us with a story that educates and enlightens us to the plight of a world outside our own cushy existence. It makes the viewer THINK. In this consumer-driven Western society we live in -- a society driven to excess in Jaguars and BMWs, while wearing the latest designer duds and talking on I-Phones held in diamond-encrusted hands -- what price are we actually paying for our excesses? Do we consider the southeast Asian sweatshops our name-brand clothes were made in? Do we think of the underpaid factory workers who produced the nuts and bolts for our Hummers and Rovers but whose own families will never own a car of their own? Do we contemplate the actuality that lives may have been lost for us to sport that "bling-bling" on our fingers, ears and wrists? My dear friend and neighbor knows me for the choco-holic I am, and she gifts me periodically with some very fine chocolate. But what sets this chocolate apart is the fact that it is produced by an eco-friendly company who then donate a portion of their profits towards the conservation of endangered species, habitats and indigenous peoples of the areas from which their chocolate came. THIS is the type of contemplative consumerism we all need to practice. Sure, it takes a little longer to research and seek out responsible companies who actually care about more than their profit margin, but the bottom line is this: it matters. Maybe, just maybe, with the box-office draw of a big name like DiCaprio, more people will leave the theater with a better sense of the actual cost of what we desire, and not just how much money it takes to purchase it.
I'm not sure exactly what has gotten the creative juices flowing again. I've seen 2 excellent movies in the past week; both were well-written & well-acted. I think I must be a writer at heart to look at a movie in that order. Anytime I view a movie that was based on an excellent screenplay, I think to myself "I could do that..." Purely delusional thoughts, I know, but something about the notion gives me the warm fuzzies. And I must admit, while other people play air guitar and imagine themselves as the next great American Idol, I envision myself at Sundance. Or better yet: the Oscars. Strolling down the red carpet, trying not to get all googly-eyed over the REAL stars. Who should I get to design my tuxedo: should I go with the funky hipness of Dolce & Gabana or the classic elegance of Gucci?
Ok. Back to reality. The aforementioned 2 films were/are "The Queen" and "Blood Diamond." I thoroughly enjoy good films but too often procrastinate making the trek to the theater until it's too late. All too frequently, it seems the truly good movies are only showing on a few screens clear across town or are only around for a week or two. Which could possibly be indicators of several different things: 1. the more intelligent movie-goers reside across town (I hope this isn't the case and that theater owners take note of the residential makeup of Inglewood and plan to open a hip theater in our area for quality and independent fare) 2. the majority of movie-goers are teenage boys whose IQs are only slightly larger than their ... shoesize, and this Friday night/mall crowd mentality would much prefer to see a blonde bimbo being slashed than dare put forth the effort to actually contemplate a world outside Playboy pinups or comic book heroes gone awry.
My faith in the intelligence of younger movie-goers is being somewhat restored by 2 of my nephews (who just happen to be brothers.) One is living in Amarillo with his sweet wife and their new baby, and despite the demands of starting a new family, they still manage to get out to see GOOD films. I enjoy our late-night conversations about what we've each seen lately, who his directorial faves are, and upcoming productions he's read about. And his younger brother has become my regular movie companion of late. He works on a catastrophe team for an insurance company, and although he is always on call for the next big disaster, our weather has been catastrophe-free for about 6 months. He is also girlfriend-free at the moment (which I'm sure will end all too quickly), so that gives us some much-enjoyed time together. It makes me feel good that my nephews still think I'm cool enough to hang out with without embarassment.
About the movies...
"The Queen" is that rare film that deftly handles a true event whose media coverage rivaled any of the late 20th century, and it tells the story with aplomb. Stephen Frears incorporates actual film footage of Princess Diana seamlessly throughout the story without it seeming tawdry or gruesome. And Helen Mirren is Queen Elizabeth. She inhabits the role so completely, she makes one forget she's acting; that's what great acting is all about. Just when the viewer wants to hate her for her seeming inability to feel ANYTHING, she redeems the character with her display of compassion and ultimate sorrow for the ruthlessly pursued buck which was eventually hunted down and killed. But just as the viewer feels her empathy for the wild animal which met a such horrid end, you recoil in exasperation when you realize she shows more feeling for an animal than she does for a human being -- the mother of her grandsons -- who was pursued ruthlessly and ultimately hunted down to her own death. Fabulously written and flawlessly acted.
"Blood Diamond" is that increasingly rare movie that draws the viewer in with it's star power/A-list cast, but then rewards us with a story that educates and enlightens us to the plight of a world outside our own cushy existence. It makes the viewer THINK. In this consumer-driven Western society we live in -- a society driven to excess in Jaguars and BMWs, while wearing the latest designer duds and talking on I-Phones held in diamond-encrusted hands -- what price are we actually paying for our excesses? Do we consider the southeast Asian sweatshops our name-brand clothes were made in? Do we think of the underpaid factory workers who produced the nuts and bolts for our Hummers and Rovers but whose own families will never own a car of their own? Do we contemplate the actuality that lives may have been lost for us to sport that "bling-bling" on our fingers, ears and wrists? My dear friend and neighbor knows me for the choco-holic I am, and she gifts me periodically with some very fine chocolate. But what sets this chocolate apart is the fact that it is produced by an eco-friendly company who then donate a portion of their profits towards the conservation of endangered species, habitats and indigenous peoples of the areas from which their chocolate came. THIS is the type of contemplative consumerism we all need to practice. Sure, it takes a little longer to research and seek out responsible companies who actually care about more than their profit margin, but the bottom line is this: it matters. Maybe, just maybe, with the box-office draw of a big name like DiCaprio, more people will leave the theater with a better sense of the actual cost of what we desire, and not just how much money it takes to purchase it.
1 comment:
Hey there! This is my second attempt to post a comment! GREAT post by the way! I'll have to see Blood Diamond now. So glad you're writing again!
Kisses,
Lisa
P.S. I can see you at Sundance, too!!!
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