Big World

Filed Under life changes, solitude | 4 Comments

February is ending; it’s been a month of opportunities and stress. I’ve started a new business, accepted a marriage proposal, and lots of changes in my work. I am physically exhausted, with a sinus headache going on day three. This is truly one of those times when a universal “pause” button would be nice to have. I know that what’s on my plate right now is nothing compared to what others are dealing with; nonetheless, I’m feeling overwhelmed.

The other night I was at a friend’s house watching the Oscars, and there was one segment in particular that I liked for sentimental reasons: a montage of renowned foreign language films from the last 50 years. I’d seen many of the featured films, and was suddenly reminded of how satisfying they were, and how few foreign films I’ve seen in the last year, and how much films used to be a part of my life. These days, I’m too busy doing other things, and have far less “alone” time. It used to be that I’d go to the cinema three or four times a week, and watch whatever sounded interesting from the film journals. There were no apologies or explanations or negotiations. There was never a need to find that “common denominator” movie that everyone was willing to see. And I never had to defend my opinion of a movie when it was over.

I miss that. Back in the day I wanted desperately to have more friends, or a sweetheart to go to the movies with. But it was a real gift to be able to develop my taste in cinema on my own.

Maybe it’s because of all that’s been going on in my life lately, but in those few minutes of watching that montage, I longed for my world to be so small again; for the ability to escape my life so completely just by settling down in front of an art-house drama.

Circumstances have changed dramatically - which is exciting! And I’m learning many things. Nevertheless, I want to reintroduce a few of my old habits, like watching really deep movies by myself. While that was something I started doing out of necessity, at some point it became something I need to do (once in a while) to feel like me.

Popularity: 11% [?]

Feb

15

Valentine’s Day Reflection

Filed Under life changes, love | 16 Comments

Last night, my Donut Husband proposed to me for real! I said yes. I’m engaged!

Popularity: 11% [?]

Feb

4

Vision in the Children, Labyrinth

Filed Under movies | 3 Comments

Not so often, while watching a movie, the thought will pass through my mind that I am lucky to be alive, to have been born in this time, in this country, with the means to see this film. This happened when I saw Pan’s Labyrinth. It demonstrates the latin literary tendency to bring together the living and the dead. I went in only having a few clues as to its subject matter … little girl … Spanish Civil War … otherworldly creatures. That’s probably all anyone needs to know about the plot before they see it.

A lot of movies are like the coupons you get in the Sunday paper. They take up a lot of space, and you won’t have much use for them unless you consume large quantities of stuff. But once in a while there’s a story like Pan’s Labyrinth that actually feels necessary; it couldn’t have been told any other way except through film.

There are several scenes of terrible violence and pain; my response to this was to close my eyes and cover my ears. My tolerance for on-screen gore steadily decreases, and I have no idea why, but I won’t fight it. Don’t let this deter you from seeing the movie - you can always tell when the violence is about to happen. The film isn’t perfect, but it is exquisite, even when depicting the grotesque. Guillermo del Toro’s vision is strongly evident. No one else could have made this film.

I have to contrast this with my disappointment about Children of Men. The premise captured my attention: a world in which children are no longer being conceived. What would such a world look like? I love questions like this, so I was puzzled at how the movie turned out. I know that it was adapted from a novel, but something felt … missing. Eventually I realized that what I didn’t like was how the focus turned away from the characters to become extremely plot-driven. While that’s not typically viewed as a problem by most people, I saw it as a problem for this story. It became an action movie. Kind of like how Saving Private Ryan was basically an action flick set in WWII. One by one, supporting characters are picked off; the only real question is, how many people will have to die before the protagonist accomplishes his mission?

This is appropriate in horror movies and true action movies (e.g. Predator, a personal favorite), but I’ve got no need for it in dramas. It’s even worse when it’s imposed on a really original idea, because a really original idea should exceed the limitations of this formula. I have no idea how it all goes down in the novel, but ultimately Children of Men didn’t feel like an Alfonso Cuarón film. It felt like any competent director could have put it together, calmly placing one frame after another. I don’t know what happened. I’ve been a fan of Cuarón since A Little Princess, so this was a real bummer. All that being said, it was a decent movie - it just fell short of its potential.

Right now I’m most interested in films that bear the unmistakable mark of the visionaries who make them.

Random comment:
Notes on a Scandal was not so great to me as it was to others. Yes, Judi Dench offers an amazing performance, but when does she not? As a character study, it was successful, but in the end I left the theater wondering if I should have seen Babel instead. The Prestige was far more engaging mentally, and I actually enjoyed it just as much the second time around.

(Studio photo: Scene from Pan’s Labyrinth. Almost every shot in the film is worthy of framing.)

Popularity: 8% [?]

Feb

4

Thanks and Best Blogs

Filed Under blogging itself | 3 Comments

I’d like to say thanks to the folks who nominated and voted for me in this year’s UU Blog Awards. My blog only averages 22 visitors a day, so it was very unexpected to be in the top five in six categories. In the end, I received the most votes for Best Commenter and Best Non-UU Themed Blog . I was second for Best Lay Blog, and Best single entry Anecdote or Narrative. I had no idea that Choosing to Love was so well-received - only one person has ever commented on it, and it’s not one of my most visited posts. I guess you just never know! I’m most pleased about the Best Commenter final numbers because I do spend far, far more time reading and commenting on others’ blogs than I do posting to my own.

On that note, I want to give a shout out to two of my favorite blogs - debitage and it’s all one thing.

In debitage, Stentor Danielson offers insightful cultural analysis (not just commentary); Stentor bucks the blogging trend of knee-jerk responses to political problems.

Will Shetterly’s it’s all one thing is the only blog listed in my Bookmark Toolbar. I frequently use his “search” function to find posts he’s written in the past - because there’s so much good information in them. It’s hard to choose just one of his posts to highlight because the sum of his blog is much greater than its individual parts. If I were to rate blogs based on their measure of influence on my daily life, it’s all one thing (along with Rev. Clyde’s A People So Bold!), ranks highest.

The other blogs I read the most are Joseph Lyons’ Radical Hapa (busy UUA seminarian), Peacebang’s Beauty Tips for Ministers (fashion-opinionated minister), Philocrites (the gateway drug to UU blogging), and the new Fat Girl Slim Chronicles, which I think deserves a prize for best name!

Congrats to all of the winners and nominees in the UU Blog Awards. Big thanks are due to the UUpdater (who I still don’t know the name of) and more thanks to all the people who took the time to vote. It looks like participation was up this year, and hopefully the 4th Annuals will be even bigger.

Popularity: 11% [?]