I've been thinking a lot the past few days about how a finished project, or the direction a project is taking, can change so drastically from its original vision. And the heart that is lost in the process.
While it's not a movie, Glee is one of my favorite TV shows and that's what started the ball rolling on this. At least it used to be one of my favorite TV shows. But this second season has not lived up to the first and that makes me sad. It used to be about overcoming adversity, believing in yourself, supporting your friends and following your heart - even when where it leads is a scary place. But it is becoming more and more about high school drama, "I love my boyfriend, but I can't get over you," "you slept with my girlfriend," and on and on. Unfortunately, this is what the "teen" audience seems to want to see, since it's what 90% of the shows are about for this audience. So it makes me think that Glee is selling out to the pressures of the studio and the audience to produce what is popular and not what Ryan Murphy's original plan was.
Of course, this happens all the time. See my earlier post on Twilight and how the movie could never live up to the message and feeling the books portrayed. Someone, somewhere, decided it needed to be all about the romance and sexual tension and everything else was lost.
But at what point does the creative drive and heart of the creator get completely lost? At what point is the product no longer an extension of the writer/director? Is Hollywood simply producing what they think people want to see and creativity be damned?
This is one reason I loved Inception so much. Christopher Nolan dared to step outside of the box and create from his soul. True, it was still an action-packed, adrenaline-inducing ride (what the audience "wants") but he didn't stray from his vision. Then again, he both wrote and directed the film, so he was able to retain more control.
That makes me wonder who makes these decisions and what makes them such experts? There was a great "teen" show on WB years ago called Veronica Mars. It was great because it wasn't just about the shallow, over-dramatic lives of teenagers, it was about a strong, confident, smart girl who tried to solve real-life crimes and supported her friends through crises. The show was cancelled after three seasons. Yet crap like Beverly Hills 90210, Dawson Creek, Degrassi, One Tree Hill.... on and on and on... all run for years!! And their entire premise is high school drama and the depiction of high school in a completely unrealistic way.
Bottom line is this: To me, and I'm sure to millions more like me, I watch a movie or a TV show because of the story, the dynamic and well-developed characters and the message. I want to relate to the characters, I want to put myself into the story and live through them. I want to feel something. The last thing I want is another cookie-cutter story, whether it be about high school drama, vampires, aliens or the end of the world... Just tell me a story, preferably a new one!
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Monday, February 7, 2011
Football in the Movies
Apparently, there was some kind of game on TV yesterday... supposed to be a really big deal…
Just kidding, I watched the Super Bowl like any red-blooded American! Of course, I spent the time folding laundry and only paid close attention during commercials, but I still watched it!
The Longest Yard (1974/2005) – I am listing both versions of this film because the original is my favorite of the two, but the remake did a great job of being true to the story while adding modern-day flair. I especially love the nod to the original by casting Burt Reynolds, who played the lead character in 1974, as the coach in 2005. This is the story of a group of guys in prison who are mistreated and disrespected by the prison guards. Anger and violence run rampant among the inmates until the coach convinces them to join together as a team and let out their aggression on the football field. The goal: to beat the prison guards in a way they have never been able to before. The great thing about this movie is that it takes a dangerously violent setting and turns the story into a comedy.
Just kidding, I watched the Super Bowl like any red-blooded American! Of course, I spent the time folding laundry and only paid close attention during commercials, but I still watched it!
So, in honor of the Green Bay Packers’ Super Bowl win (sans Brett Favre, thank God!) I think I'll recap my top 10 favorite football movies...
The Blind Side (2009) – Probably my favorite sports-related movie, this film is more about human kindness and compassion than about the actual game of football. It tells the story of a homeless high school boy from a rough background who finds a place to belong on the football field and in the family of his football coach. This is Sandra Bullock’s one and only non-romantic comedy role I really enjoyed and respected her for. A tough character with a huge heart, she plays Leigh Anne Tuohy honestly and with heart and soul. Not to mention Tim McGraw doing such a good job as an actor you forget it isn’t his main profession. Based on a true story.
Remember the Titans (2000) – The first movie in which I really noticed Denzel Washington, this movie is another heart-wrenching tale of humanity. It shows that our upbringing and the values we learn by watching as children are very hard to overcome. A black coach (Denzel Washington) takes over as head coach of a high school team in 1971 Virginia
The Longest Yard (1974/2005) – I am listing both versions of this film because the original is my favorite of the two, but the remake did a great job of being true to the story while adding modern-day flair. I especially love the nod to the original by casting Burt Reynolds, who played the lead character in 1974, as the coach in 2005. This is the story of a group of guys in prison who are mistreated and disrespected by the prison guards. Anger and violence run rampant among the inmates until the coach convinces them to join together as a team and let out their aggression on the football field. The goal: to beat the prison guards in a way they have never been able to before. The great thing about this movie is that it takes a dangerously violent setting and turns the story into a comedy. 
The Replacements (2000) – Maybe it’s Keanu Reeves lloking bashful, or maybe it’s watching a group of big burly guys do the electric slide, but something about this movie just makes me happy! When a professional football team goes on strike, the league brings in a hapless group of slackers to play. Not very original, but still lots of fun to watch!
We Are Marshall (2006) – Another one based on true events, this is a powerfully moving story of perseverance and dedication while honoring the past. When almost the entire football team at Marshall University in West Virginia
Gridiron Gang (2006) – Eerily similar to The Longest Yard, but without the humor, this is the story of a juvenile detention center, whose inmates are drawn together through football and sportsmanship. Leading the cast is Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who I almost think shines brightest when he’s not waving around a gun or baseball bat. But the kids in this film are also strong, hard-hitting characters. Based on a true story.
The Waterboy (1998) – Far from being based on a true story, this movie is purely for laughter’s sake. Now I normally am not a fan of Adam Sandler’s toddler imitation, but for this Cajun naive loser, he really hits the spot! Raised by an over-protective mother in the depths of the Bayou, slow-minded Bobby Boucher discovers he has a knack for tackling. The cast is completed superbly with Kathy Bates, Henry Winkler, Fairuza Balk and Jerry Reed. Farcical and hilariously stupid, you really have to be in a silly mood to truly enjoy this one.
Little Giants (1994) – This is the story of a group of kids who want nothing more than to play football. They are led by the sports-unwise Danny O’Shea (Rick Moranis) whose brother, Kevin O’Shea (Ed O’Neill) is the football superstar – and coach of the rival team. The story is predictable with the misfits coming around in the end. But the journey is so much fun, especially when John Madden and Emmett Smith stop by for directions and give the kids a few pointers.
The Best of Times (1981) – Who would have ever thought they’d see Robin Williams play football… While this movie is far from Williams’ typical physical comedy, it is lots of fun and a great character study. Williams plays Jack Dundee, a meek and mild banker who can’t overcome the memory of fumbling a pass in high school, failing to win the game. He convinces the town and his high school best friend to replay the game, hoping for a different outcome.
Jerry Maguire (1996) – I include this movie, not because it’s really one of my favorites, but because it marks my husband’s first time wanting to buy a romantic comedy. I guess if it’s about football, it can’t really be a chick flick, right? It also introduced Cuba Gooding, Jr. as the college quarterback who stands firmly to his beliefs and refuses to sell out to the NFL. Probably the reason this isn’t higher is because I’m truly not a Tom Cruise fan.
A few honorable mentions for Radio and Rudy, which I understand are great based-on-real-life stories, but I couldn’t sit through either of them. Sometimes an underdog story just makes me want to yell at them to quit whining… Yeah, I know, I’m a bitch…
Friday, February 4, 2011
The Power of Music
Wow, what I lazy ass I have been with my blog this week! Okay, more like incredibly busy, but still, I feel neglectful... (is that a word?)
A good friend and fellow Movie Geek saw my list of favorite/least favorite movies and promised to make his own (which he never did, by the way) and said, if he could, he would put Moulin Rouge as the worst in every category. And that happens to be one of my all-time favorite films. Now, I could write a whole post about Moulin Rouge, but that's not what I want to talk about today. I think the root of its power, to me anyway, is the use of music to convey the intensity of the story. And it's also the strong musicality of the movie that makes people hate it.
For some reason, music speaks to our souls in a way that mere words cannot. I admit I have a bit of an obsession with movie music and download an awful lot of soundtracks. By listening to the music, I am taken back to the pivotal moment of the story and can relive it in my head. It's what keeps the story alive in my heart.
But even if you don't obsess over soundtracks, you have still been touched by the power of the musical score. Would The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars or Harry Potter be anything at all without the music behind the action? It's what gets our hearts racing and lets us know when to pay attention, something important is coming our way. Think of any scary movie - even the cheesy ones - and you'll realize you always know when something big (bad?) is going to happen. The music tells you so.
It's when the music becomes a much more obvious aspect of a film (or TV show or play) that people begin to get uncomfortable. My husband doesn't like anything with spontaneous singing and dancing (with the exception of cartoons and Christmas shows, for some reason) and I think that's because no one does that in real life. It's not social acceptable to express our joys, heartaches and excitement with synchronized musical numbers. Unfortunately. It makes people uncomfortable. For some reason.
So if music affects me in such a powerfully positive way, why do blatant musicals affect others so negatively? For example, I love Broadway shows but have always lived far FAR away from that world so I don't get to see many. When I had the chance to see Les Miserables, I jumped at it and my husband was happy to come along. Of course, I already knew all the music and cried through most of the show. My husband was bored. After the play, the only thing he had to say was, "I don't know why they couldn't just talk." It's okay I still love him...
I was able to see Wicked on New Years Eve this year (AMAZING!) and the next one I would love to see is American Idiot, based on the music of Green Day. When I read a review of it, someone said the soundtrack is "bubblegum" music, comparable to Glee and Kids Bop. I was offended. Obviously, this person does not understand the power of music in telling a story. Plays based on someones music (like American Idiot, Mamma Mia, etc) and even Glee isn't about re-recording existing music... it's about re-inventing music and using it to express feelings, themes, morals, basically the entire story, in a new way. We relate to the music we already know and are familiar with and that pulls us into the telling of the story.
So that's why I think music is so important in movies, TV, and theater. Whether consciously or not, the musical score carries our emotions and gets us connected to the story. Which, of course, is the whole point of telling a story. But you have to be open to the experience.
So, what's your favorite soundtrack?
A good friend and fellow Movie Geek saw my list of favorite/least favorite movies and promised to make his own (which he never did, by the way) and said, if he could, he would put Moulin Rouge as the worst in every category. And that happens to be one of my all-time favorite films. Now, I could write a whole post about Moulin Rouge, but that's not what I want to talk about today. I think the root of its power, to me anyway, is the use of music to convey the intensity of the story. And it's also the strong musicality of the movie that makes people hate it.
For some reason, music speaks to our souls in a way that mere words cannot. I admit I have a bit of an obsession with movie music and download an awful lot of soundtracks. By listening to the music, I am taken back to the pivotal moment of the story and can relive it in my head. It's what keeps the story alive in my heart.
But even if you don't obsess over soundtracks, you have still been touched by the power of the musical score. Would The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars or Harry Potter be anything at all without the music behind the action? It's what gets our hearts racing and lets us know when to pay attention, something important is coming our way. Think of any scary movie - even the cheesy ones - and you'll realize you always know when something big (bad?) is going to happen. The music tells you so.
It's when the music becomes a much more obvious aspect of a film (or TV show or play) that people begin to get uncomfortable. My husband doesn't like anything with spontaneous singing and dancing (with the exception of cartoons and Christmas shows, for some reason) and I think that's because no one does that in real life. It's not social acceptable to express our joys, heartaches and excitement with synchronized musical numbers. Unfortunately. It makes people uncomfortable. For some reason.
So if music affects me in such a powerfully positive way, why do blatant musicals affect others so negatively? For example, I love Broadway shows but have always lived far FAR away from that world so I don't get to see many. When I had the chance to see Les Miserables, I jumped at it and my husband was happy to come along. Of course, I already knew all the music and cried through most of the show. My husband was bored. After the play, the only thing he had to say was, "I don't know why they couldn't just talk." It's okay I still love him...
I was able to see Wicked on New Years Eve this year (AMAZING!) and the next one I would love to see is American Idiot, based on the music of Green Day. When I read a review of it, someone said the soundtrack is "bubblegum" music, comparable to Glee and Kids Bop. I was offended. Obviously, this person does not understand the power of music in telling a story. Plays based on someones music (like American Idiot, Mamma Mia, etc) and even Glee isn't about re-recording existing music... it's about re-inventing music and using it to express feelings, themes, morals, basically the entire story, in a new way. We relate to the music we already know and are familiar with and that pulls us into the telling of the story.
So that's why I think music is so important in movies, TV, and theater. Whether consciously or not, the musical score carries our emotions and gets us connected to the story. Which, of course, is the whole point of telling a story. But you have to be open to the experience.
So, what's your favorite soundtrack?
Monday, January 24, 2011
Hornets and Pilgrims and Schmucks, oh my!
It was an incredibly busy weekend for me and movie watching! I watched 3 movies, two of which I really liked and one I could have done without.
The Green Hornet
I was pleasantly surprised by this movie! I was expecting a bumbling-idiot sort of hero who somehow saves the day in the end. Something along the lines of Blankman or Get Smart. This is partly because of the way it was advertised and partly because... well, it's Seth Rogen. I was as surprised by Rogen's transformation from raunchy sexual humor to everyman's superhero as I was by Jake Gyllenhaal's transformation from awkward scrawny kid to epic adventure hero. Rogen wholly embraced the new genre and role and made Britt Reid believable and well-rounded. I really liked the character development, as I was just about to write the character off as a selfish jackass when he got the proverbial slap-in-the-face and the character transformed.
In fact, the entire cast was great! Jay Chou was amazing as Kato, with moves as impressive as Jackie Chan, while infinitely less choppy. Kato kicked ass and if it he hadn't needed Reid's money, he would have ruled the superhero world on his own! Cameron Diaz, as always, brings flare and beauty to the screen, and does so gracefully. I am always impressed with a celebrity who embraces their age openly and doesn't look like they're made of plastic. I loved James Franco's small part as the drug lord on high. But I think my favorite character was Chudnofsky, played for Christoph Waltz. This character desperately wanted to be as powerful, charismatic and feared as Colonel Landa, the role Waltz played in Inglorious Basterds and for which he won an Academy Award. But Chudnofsky just can't get the love. And his frustration is so apparent... and almost... well, cute!
Now, I haven't ever read the Green Hornet comics, but I very much enjoyed the "comic book" feel of the film with several fun special effects and the cinematography we have come to expect of superhero movies. The plot developed nicely. There were a few minor errors I noticed, the most obvious being that the newspaper staff were talking about the outlandish things the Green Hornet was doing, including shooting out a red light camera.... which he doesn't do until the next scene.
The 3D was unnecessary and was only really "cool" during the end credits. If you're gonna go 3D, go full out! They did a neat scene transition at the very end with a comic book feel and a great 3D hornet. If they had incorporated that throughout the film, it would have made the 3D worthwhile. As it was, I could have done without the uncomfortable glasses.
Overall, really fun movie - oh, and the score was great! Worth seeing, but if it's available in 2D, I would save the extra $3.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Okay, this movie isn't gonna be for everyone. I can see how some people are going to hate it. That said, I loved it! It was so cute!
Scott Pilgrim was a graphic novel and is now an old-school type pixelated video game. So the movie was filmed as a graphic novel/video game hybrid that was so much fun to watch! But, you have to embrace the process and concept to really enjoy it. For example, when he "kills" an enemy they disappear and coins fall on the ground. And when he does something that develops his character, he earns a new weapon or an extra life.
Again, I've never read the graphic novel, so I can't compare it to that, but the story was original and well-developed and the characters were hilarious! Scott Pilgrim is the type of character Michael Cera fits so perfectly. Mary Elizabeth Winstead lends a great balance of cynicism, heart and deadpan humor to Ramona Flowers. And Kieran Culkin is hilarious as Scott's gay roommate.
Overall, this is a super fun movie that I will definitely add to my "I need to own that!" list. Truly entertaining!
Dinner for Schmucks
I rented this movie because my husband loves "dumb humor" and I have to admit, many of them are really entertaining. He seemed to like this movie, though probably not enough to own it. I, on the other hand, really didn't like it at all. It's not an all-time worst, but I certainly won't be watching it again.
The premise of this movie is that Paul Rudd's character, Tim, wants a promotion and he's told that he's in the running for it. But the last "deciding factor" is a dinner to which each of the candidates are invited and they must each bring a guest. The catch is that the guest must be a "schmuck," someone weird and freakish... and the one with the most freakish guest will get the promotion.
Along comes Barry, (Steve Carrell) who becomes Tim's schmuck. Predictably, once Tim gets to know Barry and learns his sad story, he feels bad and has a change of heart. It reminded me a little of Planes, Trains and Automobiles where John Candy played the "schmuck" character and Steve Martin's character is stuck with him and hates him... until he gets to know him and his sad story, then has a change of heart. The difference is that John Candy and Steve Martin are (were) amazingly talented comedians and developed their characters well.
The problem with Dinner for Schmucks is that the characters are far too stereo-typical and completely unbelievable. Paul Rudd plays the only "straight man" and does him well, but that's kind of Paul Rudd's thing. It seems Steve Carrell is much like Jim Carrey, Will Ferrell and so many other comedians today - he does one part really well and everything he does is that same character! Barry's stupidity and knack for ruining people's lives is too over-the-top. I've never in my life met someone as obnoxiously annoying as he is and couldn't imagine this being a real person. Along the same lines, Tim's co-workers were truly horrible people, openly laughing in the faces of the dinner guests and making fun of them behind their backs. The whole concept was so terribly cruel and I couldn't imagine anyone actually doing that in real life. Not only that, it's not like Barry's "sad story" is really all that sad. His wife left him. Oh bummer. She didn't die or anything, he just had his heart broken by a floozy woman.
The shining light in this movie was Zach Galifianakis, who I've never really liked, but he played Barry's crazy mind-controlling boss so well! I probably liked this because his over-obnoxiousness worked so well for the character he was portraying.
Overall, watch this movie if there's nothing else on... Don't waste money on it.
The Green Hornet
I was pleasantly surprised by this movie! I was expecting a bumbling-idiot sort of hero who somehow saves the day in the end. Something along the lines of Blankman or Get Smart. This is partly because of the way it was advertised and partly because... well, it's Seth Rogen. I was as surprised by Rogen's transformation from raunchy sexual humor to everyman's superhero as I was by Jake Gyllenhaal's transformation from awkward scrawny kid to epic adventure hero. Rogen wholly embraced the new genre and role and made Britt Reid believable and well-rounded. I really liked the character development, as I was just about to write the character off as a selfish jackass when he got the proverbial slap-in-the-face and the character transformed.
In fact, the entire cast was great! Jay Chou was amazing as Kato, with moves as impressive as Jackie Chan, while infinitely less choppy. Kato kicked ass and if it he hadn't needed Reid's money, he would have ruled the superhero world on his own! Cameron Diaz, as always, brings flare and beauty to the screen, and does so gracefully. I am always impressed with a celebrity who embraces their age openly and doesn't look like they're made of plastic. I loved James Franco's small part as the drug lord on high. But I think my favorite character was Chudnofsky, played for Christoph Waltz. This character desperately wanted to be as powerful, charismatic and feared as Colonel Landa, the role Waltz played in Inglorious Basterds and for which he won an Academy Award. But Chudnofsky just can't get the love. And his frustration is so apparent... and almost... well, cute!
Now, I haven't ever read the Green Hornet comics, but I very much enjoyed the "comic book" feel of the film with several fun special effects and the cinematography we have come to expect of superhero movies. The plot developed nicely. There were a few minor errors I noticed, the most obvious being that the newspaper staff were talking about the outlandish things the Green Hornet was doing, including shooting out a red light camera.... which he doesn't do until the next scene.
The 3D was unnecessary and was only really "cool" during the end credits. If you're gonna go 3D, go full out! They did a neat scene transition at the very end with a comic book feel and a great 3D hornet. If they had incorporated that throughout the film, it would have made the 3D worthwhile. As it was, I could have done without the uncomfortable glasses.
Overall, really fun movie - oh, and the score was great! Worth seeing, but if it's available in 2D, I would save the extra $3.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Okay, this movie isn't gonna be for everyone. I can see how some people are going to hate it. That said, I loved it! It was so cute!
Scott Pilgrim was a graphic novel and is now an old-school type pixelated video game. So the movie was filmed as a graphic novel/video game hybrid that was so much fun to watch! But, you have to embrace the process and concept to really enjoy it. For example, when he "kills" an enemy they disappear and coins fall on the ground. And when he does something that develops his character, he earns a new weapon or an extra life.
Again, I've never read the graphic novel, so I can't compare it to that, but the story was original and well-developed and the characters were hilarious! Scott Pilgrim is the type of character Michael Cera fits so perfectly. Mary Elizabeth Winstead lends a great balance of cynicism, heart and deadpan humor to Ramona Flowers. And Kieran Culkin is hilarious as Scott's gay roommate.
Overall, this is a super fun movie that I will definitely add to my "I need to own that!" list. Truly entertaining!
Dinner for Schmucks
I rented this movie because my husband loves "dumb humor" and I have to admit, many of them are really entertaining. He seemed to like this movie, though probably not enough to own it. I, on the other hand, really didn't like it at all. It's not an all-time worst, but I certainly won't be watching it again.
The premise of this movie is that Paul Rudd's character, Tim, wants a promotion and he's told that he's in the running for it. But the last "deciding factor" is a dinner to which each of the candidates are invited and they must each bring a guest. The catch is that the guest must be a "schmuck," someone weird and freakish... and the one with the most freakish guest will get the promotion.
Along comes Barry, (Steve Carrell) who becomes Tim's schmuck. Predictably, once Tim gets to know Barry and learns his sad story, he feels bad and has a change of heart. It reminded me a little of Planes, Trains and Automobiles where John Candy played the "schmuck" character and Steve Martin's character is stuck with him and hates him... until he gets to know him and his sad story, then has a change of heart. The difference is that John Candy and Steve Martin are (were) amazingly talented comedians and developed their characters well.
The problem with Dinner for Schmucks is that the characters are far too stereo-typical and completely unbelievable. Paul Rudd plays the only "straight man" and does him well, but that's kind of Paul Rudd's thing. It seems Steve Carrell is much like Jim Carrey, Will Ferrell and so many other comedians today - he does one part really well and everything he does is that same character! Barry's stupidity and knack for ruining people's lives is too over-the-top. I've never in my life met someone as obnoxiously annoying as he is and couldn't imagine this being a real person. Along the same lines, Tim's co-workers were truly horrible people, openly laughing in the faces of the dinner guests and making fun of them behind their backs. The whole concept was so terribly cruel and I couldn't imagine anyone actually doing that in real life. Not only that, it's not like Barry's "sad story" is really all that sad. His wife left him. Oh bummer. She didn't die or anything, he just had his heart broken by a floozy woman.
The shining light in this movie was Zach Galifianakis, who I've never really liked, but he played Barry's crazy mind-controlling boss so well! I probably liked this because his over-obnoxiousness worked so well for the character he was portraying.
Overall, watch this movie if there's nothing else on... Don't waste money on it.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
The Obsessive Mind of the Movie Audience
It's strange how the mind works... I had a thought yesterday afternoon and it seems everywhere I have looked since then, things seems to relate and compound on what I was thinking.
After I posted yesterday about Inception, I remembered another point I wanted to make. I really love the scene when they go to Malaysia to get Yusuf and he shows them the dozens of people who come in everyday to dream for hours on end. They can only live in the fantasy world and come there to be woken up into the real world. I thought this was such a telling statement on human psychology.
I even laughed to myself because I used to work with people who would play World of Warcraft for 4-5 hours a day, up to 12 hours on their day off, and all they talk about at work is where they went, who they killed, what they discovered, what gear they picked up and how they are better than you - in a game! I chuckle because they never talked about their actual 3-dimensional lives.
This morning FX was showing The Talented Mr. Ripley (the newer one with Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jude Law), which I love so I watched it. Tom Ripley is one of these people. He creates a whole world in which he can escape and be someone new.
But then I realized what I am doing here - the entire reason I began this blog was to verbalize the thoughts and revelations and feelings I have about one of my own obsessions: movies, TV, books, basically the story of a life other than my own. How sad.
So what drives us to live our lives pretending? I know most people have boring lives. Rarely does anyone lead a life as interesting as that portrayed on film. But some people take it further than a mere distraction. I know when I hear a good story, my mind replays it over and over for days. Hence, the need to form my thoughts into words to escape the vicious analytical cycle.
I think I know where my obsession with story formed. I had a truly crappy childhood. My obsession with movies began at about 12 years old. I would watch them over and over, memorize entire scenes, buy all the Teen Beat magazines to learn all about my favorite actors - this was long before the Internet brought so much more information instantly to our fingertips. I was obsessed with favorite actors. At that time it was Sean Astin, and later turned to Michael J. Fox and Neil Patrick Harris. Then I began to do theater myself and that opened a whole world to me where I could escape my own nightmare and be someone else, somewhere else, for a little while. Unfortunately, I always had to go home again, so I began to pretend I was one of these characters all the time. It wasn't until I met my husband that I began to live my own life.
Okay, that is far more information about myself than I would normally share, but since there are pretty much 2 people who will read this - one who knows me really well now and one who knew me then :-) - I feel okay saying it. I need to get all this out of my head to see where it leads and hope it leaves me feeling better.
So, anyway, I immerse myself in story to escape. Even though my life now is fairly idyllic. Okay, I hate my job, but who doesn't, really? I have a happy marriage, good (though somewhat aggravating) kids who love me. Yet I still feel the need to escape. Why is that?
Is it that the people in the stories are so much more interesting? I know when I watch a movie or TV show, especially the ones I really like, the reason I enjoy them is because I can see myself in the character's place, going through their experiences and reacting to the their world. This, ultimately, is the secret to exceptional film - creating characters that the audience relate to, ones they can see themselves as, and truly care about their well-being. Without that, we just don't care. We're not invested in the story and don't hang on the outcome.
Unfortunately, some people take this too far and begin to feel they know these people. And most probably don't know if they are connecting to the characters or the actors. The tabloids create a million-dollar industry! All because we think we know these people, that we can share in their joys, empathize with their pain and - above all- laugh at them and their misfortunes. Again, how sad.
Now, I don't really care about "celebrity stories." I think that everyone should have a personal life and they have a right to keep that private. I was standing in line the other day when John Travolta and Kelly Preston were on the cover of a magazine with their new baby. I glanced at it and moved on to the candy bars... But the woman behind me started telling her friend a drawn-out story about how she thinks they used (gasp) a surrogate because no one really saw her pregnant! Who the hell cares??? Isn't that their right? It's not illegal, and she is 48 years old, why not?
It is truly frightening to me how quickly you could go from being a fan of a show, character, or celebrity, to being a stalker. Especially if you happen to cross paths with one of these people and imagine you had a real-life connection. I don't think I would want to be a celebrity if this is the kind of scrutiny and inspection I would receive.
Now, I'm not saying I don't have favorite actors that I feel a connection to, because I do. You should have seen how happy and proud I was when Chris Colfer won his very first award for acting last week at the Golden Globes. A virtual nobody who was being recognized for portraying a character. I actually felt pride - like I had anything to do with it! But I am aware that no one in Hollywood (or New York, or anywhere else for that matter) has any clue I even exist and if I walked up to them on the street I would be just another face. In fact, I'm betting I wouldn't even like most of them once I got to know them.
I'm really not sure what my point is today. I'm feeling very random and rambled. I just wanted to spend a moment exploring the obsessive mind. I hope this doesn't mean I will turn into a stalker and serial killer. It's a fine line to walk, isn't it?
After I posted yesterday about Inception, I remembered another point I wanted to make. I really love the scene when they go to Malaysia to get Yusuf and he shows them the dozens of people who come in everyday to dream for hours on end. They can only live in the fantasy world and come there to be woken up into the real world. I thought this was such a telling statement on human psychology.
I even laughed to myself because I used to work with people who would play World of Warcraft for 4-5 hours a day, up to 12 hours on their day off, and all they talk about at work is where they went, who they killed, what they discovered, what gear they picked up and how they are better than you - in a game! I chuckle because they never talked about their actual 3-dimensional lives.
This morning FX was showing The Talented Mr. Ripley (the newer one with Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jude Law), which I love so I watched it. Tom Ripley is one of these people. He creates a whole world in which he can escape and be someone new.
But then I realized what I am doing here - the entire reason I began this blog was to verbalize the thoughts and revelations and feelings I have about one of my own obsessions: movies, TV, books, basically the story of a life other than my own. How sad.
So what drives us to live our lives pretending? I know most people have boring lives. Rarely does anyone lead a life as interesting as that portrayed on film. But some people take it further than a mere distraction. I know when I hear a good story, my mind replays it over and over for days. Hence, the need to form my thoughts into words to escape the vicious analytical cycle.
I think I know where my obsession with story formed. I had a truly crappy childhood. My obsession with movies began at about 12 years old. I would watch them over and over, memorize entire scenes, buy all the Teen Beat magazines to learn all about my favorite actors - this was long before the Internet brought so much more information instantly to our fingertips. I was obsessed with favorite actors. At that time it was Sean Astin, and later turned to Michael J. Fox and Neil Patrick Harris. Then I began to do theater myself and that opened a whole world to me where I could escape my own nightmare and be someone else, somewhere else, for a little while. Unfortunately, I always had to go home again, so I began to pretend I was one of these characters all the time. It wasn't until I met my husband that I began to live my own life.
Okay, that is far more information about myself than I would normally share, but since there are pretty much 2 people who will read this - one who knows me really well now and one who knew me then :-) - I feel okay saying it. I need to get all this out of my head to see where it leads and hope it leaves me feeling better.
So, anyway, I immerse myself in story to escape. Even though my life now is fairly idyllic. Okay, I hate my job, but who doesn't, really? I have a happy marriage, good (though somewhat aggravating) kids who love me. Yet I still feel the need to escape. Why is that?
Is it that the people in the stories are so much more interesting? I know when I watch a movie or TV show, especially the ones I really like, the reason I enjoy them is because I can see myself in the character's place, going through their experiences and reacting to the their world. This, ultimately, is the secret to exceptional film - creating characters that the audience relate to, ones they can see themselves as, and truly care about their well-being. Without that, we just don't care. We're not invested in the story and don't hang on the outcome.
Unfortunately, some people take this too far and begin to feel they know these people. And most probably don't know if they are connecting to the characters or the actors. The tabloids create a million-dollar industry! All because we think we know these people, that we can share in their joys, empathize with their pain and - above all- laugh at them and their misfortunes. Again, how sad.
Now, I don't really care about "celebrity stories." I think that everyone should have a personal life and they have a right to keep that private. I was standing in line the other day when John Travolta and Kelly Preston were on the cover of a magazine with their new baby. I glanced at it and moved on to the candy bars... But the woman behind me started telling her friend a drawn-out story about how she thinks they used (gasp) a surrogate because no one really saw her pregnant! Who the hell cares??? Isn't that their right? It's not illegal, and she is 48 years old, why not?
It is truly frightening to me how quickly you could go from being a fan of a show, character, or celebrity, to being a stalker. Especially if you happen to cross paths with one of these people and imagine you had a real-life connection. I don't think I would want to be a celebrity if this is the kind of scrutiny and inspection I would receive.
Now, I'm not saying I don't have favorite actors that I feel a connection to, because I do. You should have seen how happy and proud I was when Chris Colfer won his very first award for acting last week at the Golden Globes. A virtual nobody who was being recognized for portraying a character. I actually felt pride - like I had anything to do with it! But I am aware that no one in Hollywood (or New York, or anywhere else for that matter) has any clue I even exist and if I walked up to them on the street I would be just another face. In fact, I'm betting I wouldn't even like most of them once I got to know them.
I'm really not sure what my point is today. I'm feeling very random and rambled. I just wanted to spend a moment exploring the obsessive mind. I hope this doesn't mean I will turn into a stalker and serial killer. It's a fine line to walk, isn't it?
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