Day 205: The Godfather

If I haven't already made it pretty explicitly clear, I've never seen any movie ever. It took this project to get me to see Top Gun. I mean, you should REALLY lower your expectations about what movies I have seen. This is partially due to the fact that watching a movie in the dark will make me fall asleep. Watching movies while laying down make me fall asleep. Watching anything but a current dramatic film will probably make me fall asleep.

It's ridiculous.

Anyway.

I had this really great idea that for my next year-long New Thing-type project, that I'd watch all of the movies on the AFI Top 100. I don't want to be that girl who hasn't seen any movie ever. I want to understand the references, quotes, actors, directors, the whole nine. To get me used to watching movies on this list, I thought it would be appropriate to watch The Godfather--a movie Mark already has, and the #2 on the AFI list.

So we did.

It was reallly hard for me, though. We started the movie at 8:30, and, seeing as how it's a 3-hour movie, that meant I was trying to watch a movie at 11:30 at night, which is just silly. Absurd, actually. I just can't do it.

I ended up pinching each one of my fingertips to try to stay awake (a habit to stay awake in college classes), I stood up just about as often was permissible for a person watching a movie ("uh, the dog needs to go out again!), I DID JUMPING JACKS, I sipped water, I nibbled popcorn, etc. etc. etc. It was ridiculous, but I made it! I stayed awake the whole time, even when my eyelids got heavy.

For the most part, I could talk to you about the story in decent detail (which you don't really need to hear because I'm sure YOU'VE already seen this hundreds of times), so I'll consider the movie-watching experience a success. I don't think, however, that the AFI movie project would be a good one for me.

Does anyone else have this problem? I can't be the only one!!

Day 193: American History X

A looong time ago, during college, I sat down with some girlfriends to watch American History X. It was 11:00 at night, we may or may not have indulged in a few adult beverages, and we were watching the movie on a computer screen in one of those friends' bed. Any movie that I start after 9:00 will result in a virtually narcoleptic sleep. Taking the whole situation into play, where I was on a bed...comfy...under the influence...watching on a small computer screen with limited sound?

Out like a light.

I obviously didn't see much of the movie, and when this came up in conversation, I told Mark that I slept through it. His response to me was as if I had personally offended him. "How is it possible to sleep through American History X??? That movie is so intense. What were you doing?"

And with that, we started our lazy Sunday off with a movie.

This time, I most certainly did NOT sleep through AHX, but on the contrary was so engaged and enraged and into it, that I was glued to every word of every character, every plot twist, every flashback and every moment.

And although I want to, I almost feel like I can't talk about the movie without giving away some piece of it that might impact your viewing. Like, I enjoy coming into a movie having not heard or seen anything about it, just so that I don't have any preconceived notions of what to expect. So, for this, I'm going to leave the description of the movie empty.

I will say that it was just hugely powerful and gave me hope about the possibility for some people to change their perceptions and attitudes for the better, even when they are living on the furthest brinks of their beliefs. It also inspires me that the reform of one person can inspire the reform in many.

Although I've stared at this page for a while wanting to write more and give more away, I think you really need to watch this and judge for yourself.

Day 135: Sick Movies

For the regular followers of this blog, you'll know I'm almost a week behind, so these next posts will be pretty short. I was still battling illness throughout these days and I was also traveling for business to San Diego. San Diego sounds fun and all, but when my time there is maxed out to include just enough hours in the day to do work, and I mean timed down to the hour I was needed to the hour I wasn't, it makes the trip no fun.

Day 135 was a Friday and I was still sick from all of the coughing, congestion, and an on-setting ear infection. Again, not a day I wanted to do New Things. Mark came home though with dinner and a movie, so I watched Eat, Pray, Love as my New Thing adventure.

Your judgment of me as a sentimental woman, easily captivated by destination travel and a woman finding herself, would be accurate. I don't care. I loved it. Bring me more movies just like this, with beautiful destinations, handsome suitors, and a story of self-redemption.

I read the book so I was pretty sure I'd like the movie too. I only really had one qualm with the whole thing--why on earth did they change the destination names to "Italy, India, and Bali"? In the book, the whole tie in at the end is that she went to Italy, India, and Indonesia--all destinations that started with the letter "I" and that were indicative of a journey of the self. Then, they butcher that whole thing to add a sexy name in the itinerary?  Why not say "Rome, India, and Indonesia" or "Italy, New Delhi and Indonesia"?

It's one of the fundamental rules of sequential grammar, you use the same type for all the things you're listing.

Small, but it bothers me. And you read my blog so you have to listen :) Giggles.

Day 50: "Too close for missiles, I'm switching to guns!"

I don't exaggerate too much when I tell people that I've never seen any movie, ever. I could probably do this whole project on movies and surprise you all every day.

I spent most of my K-12 years heavily committed to school and dancing, which significantly limited my ability to watch a lot of movies. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but it does elicit a lot of "What do you mean you haven't seen The Godfather?" and "You haven't lived if you haven't seen Mission: Impossible." "OMG..." *Commence exclusive talk about when he said yadda yadda and then the big plot twister where blankity blank happens.*

Well, one of those movies that has come up a lot is Top Gun, so today I donned my wings, feathered my bangs, got my wingman (Mark!) and watched it.

Good things:

• I do love that Tom Cruise is seemingly cool and not all Scientology-ed out, saturated in boyish charm, and, well, a Maverick. 
• I loved all the fighter pilot scenes because those guys are certifiable badasses. 
• I especially loved Kenny Loggins rocking out throughout, to the obvious, Danger Zone, but even more, the ever-so-slightly homoerotic scene where the fighter pilots are playing beach volleyball to the tune of "Playing with the Boys." 
• I'm glad I got to see what all the fuss was about with "Take My Breath Away."

But with all these pluses, I can't say that I loved it as much as I hoped I would. I guess I was taken away by all the fuss and didn't get that "O-M-G" moment. Hype gets the best of me. It always has.

I am still confused about a couple things though. How on earth did they get all of that film of them in those fighter jets? Did the U.S. Navy just send over a billion dollars worth of air equipment for these guys to play with? Okay, so I know that the actors weren't flying, but that must have been a big deal to arrange those kinds of props right?

And why were the men so sweaty? I couldn't tell at some points whether they were sweating or crying. You have to know why this was confusing to me.

Overall, I would probably watch it again for awesome '80's cheesiness and top-notch action scenes. But what I will watch over and over and over and over again is the "Danger Zone" music video I found  in Bonus Features. It was better than the whole movie to me. I can't get enough of Kenny Loggins laying on white sheets, staring blankly into the camera while fighter jets explode in the background. Watch this and live.

Day 46: A Very "Social" Movie Experience

Today, I went to a movie alone and saw "The Social Network."

Why that film choice?

Irony.


After being an only child for 23 years and eating alone rather comfortably, this was a piece of cake. It was dark and everyone was watching the screen. No one was walking past me judging me or anything. AND there were two other women who were solo too!

I'm thinking these "doing X alone" type challenges aren't challenging me very much. I'm good at doing things by myself and quite comfortable in my own company. Perhaps convincing people to do things with me is more of a growing experience.