A fresh, young interpretation of the magical movie moments that define us all, those moments that give us pause and make us wonder why we didn't write it ourselves.
While Love Actually is filled with possibly some of the cutest romantic comedy scenes I've come across, this is by far my favorite and no one says a thing. I don't know if it's realistic, but hey that's what movies are for, right?
I don't really have any profound thoughts here, other than the fact that sometimes not saying anything can be more powerful than babbling. I mean, it's so easy to forget what to say or maybe you say something you don't mean. Things get lost in translation all the time. But body language, looks, stares, whatever, sometimes tells us more than what words can. It's like the motto "actions speak louder than words."
Anyways, if you've seen Love Actually, what's your favorite scene? It's hard to pick one, though I suppose if you detest the movie, as many do, you could easily tell me the faults in the one I chose.
Maria: I can't seem to stop singing wherever I am. And what's worse, I can't seem to stop saying things - anything and everything I think and feel. Mother Abbess: Some people would call that honesty. Maria: Oh, but it's terrible, Reverend Mother.
For the next few posts I'm going to attempt to travel through the decades, beginning with 1950s cinema. I felt it appropriate to begin with The Ten Commandments (1956) because many people watch this movie during Holy Week or the day before Easter, when it is on network TV. I've watched it almost every year at that time. Here's the trailer, just in case you've forgotten one of the greatest (and longest) films of all time:
Moses: What change is there in me? Egyptian or Hebrew I am still Moses. These are the same hands, the same arms, the same face that were mine a moment ago.
[Vizzini has just cut the rope The Dread Pirate Roberts is climbing up] Vizzini: HE DIDN'T FALL? INCONCEIVABLE. Inigo Montoya: You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.
***
So, confession. I had never seen The Princess Bride until this past weekend when one of my friends said that she felt like watching it. Having not watched a movie in forever, meaning approximately since spring break, I decided to give it a go, since she claimed it to be one of her favorite movies. "You'll love it, Mady, I promise," she told me in so many words.
Settling down onto her comfy couch, I grabbed some candy, set up a word document to attempt to do a little homework while watching (and I actually did write a few paragraphs of a journal entry), and we began. If anything, I enjoyed being able to sit on someone else's couch, which by the way, is way more comfortable than my futon. Surprisingly, however, I actually found myself laughing at the movie. In a good way.
I knew that I wanted to use something from this movie in my blog, partly because when I originally conceived this blog, I had wanted to watch some movies I hadn't seen before, giving me a "fresh" perspective. However, I found that I don't have a lot of free time, at least at the end of the semester. Thus, I was really excited when I sat down to watch The Princess Bride.
Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), I didn't find a profound moment in the movie. I mostly thought that much of what the characters said was silly or satirical, but I suppose that's the point of the movie. It reminded me of Monty Python (which I really don't like...sorry Monty Python fans!) mixed with something that I just still can't put my finger on.
Anyways, I chose these lines from the movie because I just about rolled off the couch in laughter at the words. INCONCEIVABLE. I mean, come on, we all have that friend that has the one-word catch phrase. That guy who constantly says one word in retort to everything everyone says. Maybe it's as obnoxious as "presh" or "perf." The shortening of words is a popular trend these days. Or maybe you know people who respond with "ridiculous" to everything that couldn't possibly be positive. Either way, I'm sure you know your "inconceivable" person.
On a serious note, this selection got me thinking about the overuse of words. Sometimes when we use the same words, I wonder if they somehow evaporate their meanings. It's kind of like using "love" or "hate," two words that we hear so much. Sometimes I think if we use them too much, they don't mean anything anymore. This goes for other words, but I know we're all a little guilty of saying "I love this" and "I love that" all the time. Love seems like a word that's lost it's weight.
Today in my literature class, we had the inevitable "what is literature" debate. Though I am quite liberal on my definition of literature, mostly because I think scholars are much too elitist for their own good, I wondered what other people thought about literature and how many people truly believed that the canon should only be made up of terribly complex works that seem inaccessible to many people.
To get the point, this isn't a blog about books after all, these ideas were mulling around in my brain when I came across this blog post: Steven Soderbergh's Movie List. Soderbergh is a major Hollywood movie director. An Oscar winner. Many times we forget that movie directors are kind of important people in the film industry. This guy directed Erin Brockovich, Ocean's Eleven, and Traffic, to name a few.
Soderbergh
Essentially, Soderbergh wrote down every piece of media he consumed in a year. If you take a look, his movie list is quite extensive and pretty all-encompassing. Looking at his list, I got to thinking: what constitutes a film? What's the consensus on the film vs. movie debate?
It seems to me that the literature debate stems from those who believe that works of literature have a social/political function: they're meant to change the world in some way. Seems palatable, right? If you're writing, why not evoke social upheaval, right? The other side of the coin involves those that snub the social context and want literary works to be somehow a technically complex exhibit of the human experience. And then there are some who believe both to be true.
Does the same go with movies? Are there standards that the industry has? Standards other than dollars and cents? I mean, this respected director watched Academy Award nominated films like The Social Network and Inception, but also watched Salt and Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. There aren't really any romantic comedies, so maybe that was a snub there, or maybe Soderbergh just doesn't like chick flicks since he doesn't make them and he's a guy.
I feel as though The Social Network was a movie that really depicts our time, my generation and how social networking is changing the way we operate. It's not changing the world; it's just a reflection of it, so I suppose you could label it as complex. It seems to me that the films doing work in the world are documentaries, but maybe I'm not reading into the films I watch enough.
This could be the case, since right now I'm using movies as an escape, turning off my analysis-minded brain and just relaxing.
I'm sure there are movie snobs, just as there are music and literature snobs. I've met some before. But I'm still wondering what constitutes a film? The person who made it? The venue it's shown in?
Dear readers, do you have any thoughts on this?
P.S. If you didn't read the actual post I'm responding to, you should at least jump over and check out his list of movies. It's pretty extensive and it's got some good ones that I've seen this past year as well. The Fighter, Inception, The Social Network, In Cold Blood, Se7en. Check it out!
Before you all jump down my throats and tell me that this is a terrible movie not worthy of my analysis, I'm going to give a little disclaimer: I've actually never seen the movie. Nope. I've heard about it. So why, might you ask, did I pick this random, potentially terrible movie to the be topic of my next blog? Chalk out of ideas, not having been able to watch any movies lately, I asked my roommate what her favorite movie was. She said she didn't have one (safe answer!), but that she loved Stick It!. So this one's for her. And actually, this monologue isn't half-bad. For a Disney/tween movie.
Note: I'm only using the first 30 seconds or so.
Haley Graham: There are things you wish for before big moments. I wish my friends were here. I wish my parents were different. I wish there was someone who got what was happening, and could just look at me and tell me we weren't crazy, that we weren't being stupid. Someone to say "I'm proud of you, and I got your back... no matter what."
Now this isn't a golden movie moment by any means; it's not going down on the 100 top movie quotes of all time. However, I think there's something here we can relate to.
We've all been through those big moments, or at least moments we think are big. You know, like graduation, the championship game, a recital, a spelling bee, something completely personal. A moment when time slows down and all that matters is that you're there and it's happening, then it's gone.
When it's gone, you're kind of sad. Or in a state of disbelief, as if what happened was so surreal that you're pinching yourself. Maybe a combination of the two. Either way, it's over and it's a memory.
Have you ever noticed how weird it is when something completely random pops into your mind before these moments? It's like when we're so focused, when we know something big is about to happen, something we maybe didn't realize before comes to us.
I know that I've had my share of "big moments." I'd say the biggest moment so far in my life was giving the commencement speech at my high school graduation. This was a big deal, especially since I had beaten out one of my high school "rivals" in the audition process. I wasn't nervous when I walked onto the stage and took my seat in front of 3000 people. Actually, the room, a gymnasium, was kind of warm and there was a low murmur of fans and whispers.
I remember being so excited to have this one big moment that I'd remember forever. I hoped that someone would remember something I said. I hoped that I would make my grandma tear up when I mentioned a quotation that she always had posted at her house. But what I thought about most was how I wished every teacher, every coach and every friend that had ever believed in me could be there to hear my thanks to them. I wished that they could all be there, nodding in recognition that they were partially the reason I was standing at that podium.
There have been other moments of lesser caliber, but just as memorable. Softball games that I actually got to play in, research presentations, certain award ceremonies, band concerts. Moments that I wished my friends could have been there, supporting me. My family usually was, but sometimes they weren't.
As I look to the future, I think of all the big moments to come that will be for me and me only. My friends and family won't always be there when something big is about to happen in my life. So I suppose that's it: our lives are in fact our own, and sometimes we just have to remember the good times for ourselves. Though it'd be lovely to have someone there after every step of the way patting our backs and telling us "great job," things just don't work out that way. We have to be there for ourselves, proud of what we've done or what's happened to us.
I guess that's just growing up and claiming our lives for our own.
Okay, so this is a movie blog, but who says that TV shows can't have good monologues? They totally can. Grey's Anatomy has excellent monologues, usually in the form of voiceovers. Today, however, I decided to actually pick a scene from Grey's that I find memorable. It was tough...but I think this one is wonderful. Hopefully it's a bit lighter that some of the previous posts...it is from a doctor's TV show after all.
If you've never watched the show...sorry for your loss. However, if you just know that the two characters in the video have been on and off since season 1 and that you're watching the end of season 6, you'll be perfectly fine. It's very much like a soap opera, except not really.
Grey's Anatomy is and has been one of my favorite TV shows. It's been a long haul so far: 7 seasons of love twists, medical emergencies and stressful situations. I rooted for Meredith and Derek from the beginning; there was just something about them that made sense, despite their obvious flaws and obstacles in the way of their being together.
Seriously, this couple has been through it all: psycho mother/sisters, ex-wives, cheating, lying, drinking, bomb threats, diseases, and stressful job environments. The odds were stacked against them from the beginning; he was her married boss (unbeknownst to her) and she was an intern working 80 hours weeks while taking care of a medically deteriorating mother. Talk about characterization!
I'll spare you the juicy details, although if you're interested, I can enlighten you or suggest the best/most dramatic episodes, because I really wanted to pause and examine this scene more closely.
On the top most layer, this scene is what Grey's Anatomy fans have been waiting for FOREVER. Literally. We finally get there and it's so freaking cute; how could it not be?
For those of you that just vomited in your mouth, I promise that there's more here than romance. Sure, McDreamy is all perfectly moussed and gelled, talking of his big-shot surgeries he's done. But, he levels with Meredith, saying that her dark and twisty-ness is a strength. In case you forgot, Meredith continuously refers to herself and her past as "dark and twisty," which essentially means she's "messed up."
This scene reminded me how our pasts are a part of us, making us stronger. Sure, it seems cliche, and maybe it is, but some cliches are completely true. What's happened is always there, reminding us of what lies ahead. For Meredith, it's her mother, the now-dead famous female surgeon. It's her father, who dumped her for a new family. It's her kid sister, who now works with her. And it's her friends, one of whom is sick in this season. She somehow takes all of this and turns it into something to propel her forwards.
Of course she's fallen backwards many times, like everyone else. She's had her nights of inappropriate sexual conduct and excessive drinking. But she's never given up. Despite everything up against her, and it's been a lot, she's pushed forward and gotten through it. And I think that's what Derek loves most about her: that she can pick up the pieces and move on.
Perhaps this is what I too love about Meredith Grey: her humanity. Some people can't stand her. She's not particularly funny compared to other characters and she's not the most mysterious either. We know almost everything about her. With that, we know her flaws, her weaknesses, her insecurities. She's very real, besides the fact that she somehow has beautiful men pining for her.
Either way, the point is that we can't look completely backwards. We can't look completely forwards either. We'd never look to the here and now. We also can't dwell on our flaws and trying to decide if they're normal or not. Perhaps by accepting them, we become a stronger human being, like we know ourselves better. It's part of who we are whether we like it or not.
Note: It's easier to put on the video, which only has audio, and follow along with the text since it's especially long, but incredibly good. Unfortunately, there were no videos of the actual movie.
Atticus Finch: Gentlemen, I shall be brief, but I would like to use my remaining time with you to remind you that the case of Mayella Ewell vs. Tom Robinson is not a difficult one. To begin with, this case should have never come to trial. The state of Alabama has not produced one iota of medical evidence that shows that the crime Tom Robinson is charged with ever took place. This case is as simple as black and white. It requires no minute sifting of complicated facts, but it does require you to be sure beyond all reasonable doubt as to the guilt of the defendant.
Miss Ewell did something that in our society is unspeakable: she is white, and she tempted a Negro. The defendant is not guilty, but someone in this courtroom is. I have nothing but pity in my heart for the chief witness for the state, but my pity does not extend so far as to her putting a man's life at stake. She knew full well the enormity of her offense, but because her desires were stronger than the code she was breaking, she persisted. The state of Alabama has relied solely upon the testimony of two witnesses who's evidence has not only been called into serious question, but has been flatly contradicted by the defendant.
I need not remind you of their appearance and conduct on the stand. They have presented themselves in the cynical confidence that their testimony would not be doubted. They were confident that you, the jury, would go along with the evil assumption that all Negro's lie, and are immoral. Mr. Robinson is accused of rape, when it was she who made the advances on him. He put his word against two white people's, and now he is on trial for no apparent reason- except that he is black.
Thomas Jefferson once said that all men are created equal, a phrase that the government is fond of hurling at us. There is a tendency in this year of grace, 1935, for certain people to use that phrase out of context, to satisfy all conditions. We know that all men are not created equal in the sense that some people would have us believe. Some people are smarter than others, some people have more opportunity because they are born with it, some men have more money than others, and some people are more gifted than others.
But there is one way in this country in which all men are created equal. An institution that makes a pauper the equal of a Rockefeller, the ignorant man the equal of any president, and the stupid man the equal of Einstein. That institution is the court. But a court is only as sound as its jury, and the jury is only as sound as the men who make it up.
I am confident that you gentlemen will review without passion the evidence you have heard, come to a decision, and restore the defendant to his family. In the name of God, do your duty. In the name of God, gentlemen, believe Tom Robinson.
***
To Kill a Mockingbird is among my favorite books. It's one of those stories you can come back to again and again and get something new out of it. The movie is of similar delight, as, correct me if I'm wrong, this speech is essentially lifted right out of Harper Lee's novel and put into the screenplay by Horton Foote. Gregory Peck captures the very essence of Atticus Finch, who is perhaps my favorite character simply because he has kind of a mysterious aura to him; he's a man who's worked incredibly hard at doing the right thing.
The monologue I chose is from Atticus's closing argument, one of the most jaw-dropping, exciting, provoking, moving moments of the entire film. It helps if you read the entire monologue as if it were a letter or actually in the novel, in addition to listening Peck perform.
Now, to some of us, the concepts of the speech seem foreign. Not all men are created equal? What's the big deal with a bi-racial couple?
There are so many things I could tackle or say about Atticus's speech, but I simply do not have the time, space or brain power at this moment in time. Here's what I can tell you: when I stumbled across this monologue, I knew instantly that I had to use it in some way, simply because I have diversity issues on the mind and this monologue was the first to relate in some way.
When I first read it, I was taken aback by his statements in the third to last paragraph. He calls one of our favorite American phrases (all men are created equal), "a phrase that the government is fond of hurling at us." He claims that not everyone is equal, in the sense that not everyone has the same opportunities, skills, intelligence, etc. This is completely true. Depending on the circumstance, we aren't all equal...except in the court, in the eyes of the justice of our fellow man.
It is terrible to think that in 1935 a black man would be on trial because he "raped" her, when really the white woman was lying. I think that this happens frequently, even today, as we still have stigmas associated with African American men and violence. But what gets me is the lack of evidence on part of the prosecution. People believed that the white man's word was of more gravity than whatever evidence the defense could come up with. The case was a done deal. Therefore, Atticus's notions are unspeakable, radical, crazy to the packed courthouse.
There are many people who pass judgment before consuming all the facts. There are also many people who are apathetic, not caring about "these sorts of things," simply because it doesn't effect them. Big wake up call: what Atticus says is completely applicable to everyday situations, not just the court systems.
I admit, I'm not "multicultural" in any way. I haven't experienced real hate or discrimination in my life. I'm a blonde-haired, blue-eyed, religious person living in a blonde-haired, blue-eyed, religious place. But even though I'm like everyone else in appearance and are part of the majority, I realize how difficult it must be to be part of the minority in any place in the world/belief system.
The bottom line radiates respect. We need to have it for each other, all the time. Treating someone as a human being, despite what they've said, done, look like, where they go to school, whatever, is of the utmost importance. Just because someone isn't a carbon copy of you is no excuse to forget that they bleed red just like you.
Do I believe that we haven't made progress since 1935? Of course we've made progress. But especially in the place I live now, I feel as though I'm 30 years behind schedule. As Atticus says, "But a court is only as sound as its jury, and the jury is only as sound as the men who make it up." We are the jury every single day, living in our courts. And we have to possess the utmost compassion and understanding when making decisions on how we act, think, and speak.
Forrest: You died on a Saturday morning, and I had you placed here, under our tree. And I had that house of your father's bulldozed to the ground. Mama always said dying was a part of life. I sure wish it wasn't. Little Forrest, he's doing just fine. 'Bout to start school again soon. I make his breakfast, lunch and dinner everyday. I make sure he combs his hair and brushes his teeth everyday. Teaching him how to play ping-pong. He's really good. We fish a lot. And everynight we read a book- and he's so smart Jenny. You'd be so proud of him, I am. He, uh, wrote you a letter, but he says I can't read it, I'm not supposed to, so I'll just leave it here for you. Jenny, I don't know if Mama's right or if its Lieutenant Dan, I don't know if we each have a destiny or if we're all floating around accidental, like on a breeze. But I think maybe its both, maybe both is happening at the same time. I miss you, Jenny. If there's anything you need, I won't be far away.
***
Most people can quote from this movie. It's full of good ones: "Run, Forrest, run!" "Stupid is as stupid does," and "I just felt like running." My family can keep churning them out. We actually won a game of Forrest Gump trivia at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company once. Thus, I would consider myself well-versed in all things Gump.
Every time I watch this movie, I find something new that I've never thought about before. This past Friday night when I watched it for the ump-teenth time with my sister, I noticed how Forrest deals with being "abnormal" in a normal world, tracing this theme of being normal through the film. Forrest seems to do fine with his cognitive handicaps, whatever they may be, as he accomplishes great things and experiences more in his lifetime than most of us.
Now given that this is fictional movie, I'm not surprised that Forrest does a lot more than we believe cognitively handicapped people to do. He challenges the stigma, but I don't think many actually receive the wonderful opportunities he did. I like that he defies the odds not only because it gives all of us hope, but also because it makes everyone rethink what handicapped people are capable of.
Enough about the intricacies of the movie. I could go on all day, as I'm sure most of you could. But maybe you're convinced that the movie is simply a comedic look back at the 1950s-80s America. Forrest is involved in many of the most important events of those periods. He's smack dab in the middle of everything. Forrest Gump in that sense is just an American history lesson.
But then there are moments like this monologue, where Forrest is completely alone and sharing his thoughts aloud. He's already told his story, but what's behind it all? What should we make of it?
According to Forrest, it seems as though we have two different "life" views: Mrs. Gump's and Lieutenant Dan, destiny versus coincidence. These are commonplace views that we constantly deal with: are our lives planned out or do things just sort of happen?
Forrest says it's a little bit of both. "Maybe both is happening at the same time," he says. Does coincidence have a place in our destinies? Is everything just meant to be or are some things just not planned?
I don't exactly know what to make of it myself. I'd like to think that things happen because they're meant to happen, but then that makes me think that I have no chance at changing the future since it's already "destiny." I'd like to think that some things just happen coincidently. I suppose I'd side with Forrest on this one. Maybe we're not just "floating around accidental like on a breeze" but our lives are more complex than that.
Forrest's life may seem to be entirely one of coincidence. He gets lucky a lot. He's in the right place at the right time. But if he hadn't been a good runner, he wouldn't have made it out of Vietnam and if he hadn't run across the country, he wouldn't have had Jenny contact him. That part seems like destiny.
If there's anything to take away from Forrest Gump, I suppose it's that we're in the middle of history in the making. Whether it's destiny or not, we just might be in the right place at the right time being part of some of what will be monumental moments in history.
