One
time I remarked to my mother that I really don’t enjoy suspense. “I know,” she
said. “When you were little, I spent many a Sunday night walking you around the
block while Grandpa and your dad watched Alfred Hitchcock Presents.”
And
as I’ve gotten older, I haven’t gotten better. I still don’t enjoy suspense,
and I don’t like conflict either. Mike finds my choice of movies rather
limiting.
“You
don’t like anything,” he says. “We’ll find a nice Disney movie for you.” I
really think there are movies on intelligent, thought-provoking themes – a few –
but they often don’t show in our community. It’s not what sells here.
In
fact, I did want to see Saving Mr. Banks about Walt Disney’s production
of Mary Poppins. It was showing at our local theater but only at 9:00
p.m. Neither one of us wanted to see a movie at that late hour. And apparently
it didn’t get good reviews. Not sure I really care.
Then
a friend called and highly recommended Last Vegas. It was playing at the
“dollar cinema,” he said, and really funny. We were skeptical – I don’t have a
good funny bone either -- but we agreed it would be nice to get out. And the
price was right.
But
– when I checked the movie schedule, I saw that Captain Phillips was
also playing at the dollar theater. Mike really wanted to see it, so we opted for
that instead.
We
(especially Mike) really like to get out to a movie now and then, but the
problem with movies (in our community anyway) is that show times are either 6:00
or 9:00. We have to eat early – or late. Mike doesn’t like to eat early, and I
don’t like to eat late. Captain Phillips was at 6:00, so I prepared
creamed tuna and spinach and set it aside for a late supper.
I’m
sure Mike enjoyed Captain Phillips. It’s a “guy flick” after all. Never
mind that this is a high-grossing, highly-praised movie, I saw through the plot
in the first five minutes and took an immediate dislike to it. I felt
instinctively that the real event was something other than portrayed (isn’t it
always?) and that the character of Captain Phillips was embellished. If I had enjoyed it, it wouldn't have mattered. I just
couldn’t resolve the tension. I wanted to be someplace else.
I
tried to retreat within my mind. “It’s just a movie,” I told myself. I wished
for something for my hands to do. “Let’s see – what else can I think about?” I
wondered. A trip to the restroom could be stretched into five minutes at most, but
I took advantage of it.
Well
– that’s my assessment. I just didn’t like it. And indeed, apparently others don't see the real Captain Phillips as he is presented in the movie. 
Bess
stayed in her crate while we were out, so there was no question but that Nellie
was the one who tore the dog pillows apart while we were gone. Yes, that was
wrong, but Nellie isn’t a destructive dog, and as I told Mike, something about
those last pillows I bought just isn’t working. Giving her the benefit of the doubt, the cheap pillows tear easily as she
endeavors to fluff them. I’m getting a little tired of spending my time mending
them. KW
I'm totally with you on the movies. I want to be entertained, not scared or shocked. As a result, we don't go to many, but I will say they offer early (like 4:30) movies up here. These days I prefer to wait to hear all the pros and cons, then purchase a DVD so if need be, I can hide around the corner until Dan tells me it's safe. :-)
ReplyDeleteThe theater offers matinees and late afternoon showings for some movies, but Saving Mr. Banks was showing only at 9:00 p.m. There are some movies I think deserve to be shown late, but that isn't one of them. It's probably a very slow movie but I don't think it would offend my sensibilities.
ReplyDelete"...offend my sensibilities," is exactly right about so many movies. Do people actually enjoy being shocked, terrified and offended? There must be, but I don't know any of them.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I forgot to say, throw the cheap doggie beds out and order some from LLBean, where they say, "Our products are guaranteed to give 100% satisfaction in
every way. Return anything purchased from us at any
time if it proves otherwise. We do not want you to have
anything from L.L.Bean that is not completely satisfactory."
I don't know -- I'm afraid our young people have come to expect and enjoy those unrealistic computer-generated effects. We don't see that as meaningful story-telling. But then -- we all pick according to personal preference.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip on the dog beds. I checked L.L. Bean, and as Mike pointed out, they are expensive. However, I said, "Look what we have into the pillows now -- not to mention my time." But -- I think a nice dog pillow from Costco will be good and we can put together a couple of others for substitute use.
After reading your comments on Captain Phillips, I went to the internet to see what it was all about (my only knowledge of him was the movie trailers on TV), and it appears that perhaps he wasn't such a nice guy? I wasn't planning on seeing the movie (theater or DVD), but think I probably won't if given the chance. When the crew files suit...
ReplyDeleteHi Chris! Those were my thoughts exactly. But one blogger pointed out that it's really fictionalized history and as long as we remember that, what do we care if it isn't exactly the truth. I'm still mulling that over.
ReplyDeleteAs the movie ended, I didn't see Captain Phillips as a hero. He was just alive at the end of an ordeal. But - maybe we could celebrate Tom Hanks' acting abilities.
I can celebrate Tom Hank's skills, but it seems a shame (or worse) to make a hero out of someone who put those in his charge in danger and knew he was doing it.
ReplyDeleteThe subject of historical movies came up at a meeting of museum "professionals" I attended. I said that I like to see some time pass before we make movies of actual events. A movie cannot show an event the way it really happened no matter how hard we try, and I think it's wrong to present that distorted picture to the public when we still have a collective memory of it. People didn't agree with me.
ReplyDelete