Bilingual

Feeling 33

When I was 13, I tried to learn Spanish from one of those tape sets. I took French for two years and barely passed my high school class. The only language that I've managed to master is the best of all (in my opinion) - the language of film quotes.

I found this image on Tumblr yesterday, and I think I should just make it into a t-shirt.

My family is pretty well versed in movie quotes, too, and there have been times when my sisters and I have had full conversations using lines from our favorite movies and tv shows. Pretty pathetic? Or pretty AWESOME.

My hubby's also schooled in the language - it was one of the first things that drew me to him, especially his great knowledge of Muppet quotes (and it doesn't hurt that he's got the voices down perfectly). We've been teaching each other new quotes since we got together. I inundated him with "Psych," and he's been sharing "Star Trek" with me (the series and films). There are times when I'm not thinking and I'll slip into a quote from something he hasn't seen yet, then I have to explain it to him.

Like the other night, for instance. For some odd reason, I lapsed into Aibileen's "You is smart, you is kind, you is important" from "The Help." Of course, Matt had no idea what I was talking about - so I pulled up the movie clip thanks to YouTube. Now we have another movie quote to add to our repertoire.

Are there any fantastically quotable movies / tv shows that my language needs? Let me know. I'm always looking to improve myself. :)

Both Sides Now

I'm blogging again! Is it the apocolypes??? No, it must be the holidays. Something about this time of year has me all contemplative. Maybe it'a because the holidays bring so many memories. Or maybe it's because the year is coming to  a close and a new year is coming to take its place. Like the old song goes, "Deep in December, it's nice to remember...." Ok, it's not December yey, but you get my point. It seems to become a time to look over the past and to look ahead to the future. It's also a time for holiday movies (note: I use the term "holiday" because that includes Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's. At least it does in my mind :))

One movie that seems to have become a holiday movie is Love Actually. Although the movie takes place during Christmas, I don't really consider it a Christmas movie - to me, it's more of a chick flick - or Rom Com, whatever you want to call it. I've seen it all the way through once - I thought it was cute, but it's not  one of my favorites - and then I've caught parts of it when it's been shown on tv (and the nudity's been edited out. Yipppee!). There are definitly some parts that are pretty classic (Hugh Grant dancing to "Jump" by the Pointer Sisters, anyone??). Mainly the cast is just good in general, but there's one part that really hit me the first time I watched it, and gets me every time There's a scene where Emma
Thompson's character is listening to Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now" while she's alone in her bedroom. She's just realized that the necklace she found in her husband's coat pocket before Christmas was intended for someone else, since all she got was the CD she's listening to. Even though I don't p
articularly care a lot for the film in itself, the scene is one of the most powerful things I've seen and I chalk it up to Ms. Thompson's performance. She's crying while listening to that song, but it's not uncontrollable sobbing. In fact, her character is trying SO hard to keep it together. But as she listens to the words of the song, we can feel her heart breaking:
Bows and flows of angel hair
And ice cream castles in the air,
And feather canyons everywhere.
I've looked at clouds that way.
But now they only block the sun
They rain and they snow on everyone.
So many things I would've done
But clouds got in the way.
I've looked at clouds from bith sides now
From up and down, and still somehow
It's cloud illusions I recall
I really don't know clouds at all.
Moons and Junes and ferris wheels, 
The dizzy, dancing way that you feel
As every fairy tale comes true.
I've looked at love that way.
But now it's just another show
And you leave them laughing when you go.
And if you care, don't let them know.
Don't give yourself away.
I've looked at love from both sides now
From give and take, and still somehow
It's love's illusion I recall
I really don't know love at all.
Tears and fears and feeling proud 
To say "I love you" right out loud.
Dreams and schemes and circus crowds.
I've looked at life that way. 
Oh but now old friends are acting strange,
They shake their heads and they tell me that I've changed.
Well, something's lost, but something's gained
In living every day.
I've looked at life from both sides now
From win and lose, and still somehow
It's life's illusions that I recall.
I really don't know life at all.
I haven't been in the same circumstances as the character in the movie, and some people may scoff at Joni Mitchell's lyrics (I'm looking at you, Tom Hanks in You've Got Mail), but I can relate. There are times in life when you begin to look at the world differently than before. Situations and people change, teaching you that the more you learn, the more you realize that the world isn't so black and white - there are shades of gray. And shades of gray aren't necessarily good or bad - sometime they just are. As you look at your experiences from both sides, it can sometimes make you feel like you're a boat with no rudder (especially when life as you've known it suddenly turns upside down, and things stop being the way you always thought they'd be). But there are also times when it brings a greater appreciation and awareness for this thing called life. As unpredictable and vulnerable an experience as life is, it's such an amazingly precious gift.
Clouds may block the sun, but sometimes that brings a much needed reprieve from the scorching heat. And although you sometimes lose when it comes to love, that can make you savor the wins so much more.

Life imitates art?

For Black Friday, Mom and I decided to go to the movies.  Neither one of us had seen "Inception" yet - probably the last two people on the planet not to - and luckily there was ONE movie theatre left in the area that was still showing it.

I'd been wanting to see it since it first came out and EVERYONE started talking about it.  But somehow I never had a ride, or time, or money, or whatever, so I was looking forward to seeing it.  Traffic was a little crazy getting to the theatre, so we made in just as the previews were wrapping up, and before we knew it, we were wrapped up in the story.

Let me just say that all of the hype I'd heard about the film was not unfounded.  I was enthralled.  I was confused.  I was wondering if I would possible age as well as Leonardo DiCaprio (I mean, the man is nearly 40, and still looks amazing - and WHY hasn't he won an Academy Award yet??!).

So we're watching the movie and we get a little bit more than an hour and a half into it, and suddenly, just after the characters got to the "second dream level" and Ellen Page and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (aka my future husband ;)) are trying to dodge the subconscious projections, the filmstrip goes all wonky-sideways, and stops, and the corner of the film begins burning.  At first I thought, "Oh, crap."  And then I thought, "Oh!  It must be part of the movie - whoa, this film really IS deep!"  But the film remained stuck, and the burning corner began to turn black.....

About 5 minutes later, some audience members that had left to check things out came back in and said that the film was broken and wasn't going to get fixed, so they were giving free passes for us to come back.  All I could think was, "WHAT HAPPENS???!!"  Yeah, there was no way I was going to get any sleep until I found out the ending.

Thank goodness for IMDB, and the generous soul who posted an all-in-depth, spoiler-alert-filled synopsis.  I may know how it ends, but I still need to see it.  Hopefully January will hurry up and get here so that I can rent it.  At least I got to see the first half, so I can at least tell people that when they asked if I've seen it.  Even better, I not only got my brother's awesome reaction when I called him to tell him about it, but I now have this awesome story as well.
It's yet again one of those experiences that make you wonder, "Seriously?!  Seriously??!"
Then again, maybe it was all only a dream...... ;)

"And that is all that love's about....."

I suddenly found myself in the mood to watch "WALL-E" this weekend.  And then, while channel surfing today, I found it was on Disney XD, and so I watched it AGAIN.  (I guess I was more in a "WALL-E" mood than I thought!)  So, since I've got WALL-E on the brain, and since it's about time for another blog post, I thought I'd dedicate this one to my favorite robot.  Enjoy the visual feast. :)

(Seriously, how can you not love this guy?)

 The first time I saw "WALL-E," I loved it - it's a Pixar film, after all, so not loving one of their films, is like saying I don't love oxygen - yet I couldn't see myself owning the movie because of it's "darker" undertones (i.e. the save-the-planet agenda, the dehumanization of the world through technology, etc.).  But, of course I caved and bought it.  And it totally gets better every time.

 The artwork is absolutely phenomenal - it's easy to forget the film is computer-generated.
Awesome fact courtesy of IMDB - 
The makers consulted with (totally amazing) live-action director of photography, Roger Deakins, to learn how Deakins would light and shoot scenes if it were a live-action movie.

Sure, there are the environmental themes of the film, but what makes the film so moving is the humanity WALL-E is endowed with - his quirks, his imperfections, his dreams, his yearning to connect to others.  I would assert that what makes WALL-E so lovable is that he is the Everyman........or the Everyrobot. :) 

Another fun fact:
"Director Andrew Stanton and the Pixar team watched every single Charles Chaplin and Buster Keaton movie (the short films and the features) every day during lunch for about a year and a half. This was to inspire the possibilities of pure visual storytelling."

Look at this face - so much emotion in those eyes!

Of course, being the romantic that I am, what I especially love about the film is the love story between WALL-E and EVE.  Just watching them together makes me want someone to hold hands with....

I want WALL-E as a boyfriend. ;)

Gorgeous artwork, adventure, romance, inspiring messages.....What more can I say?  This film just makes me happy. :)

And so, to echo the words from the song, "...it only takes a moment to be loved a whole life long."
Ok, so he's a robot, and - oh, yeah - he's not real.  But it's films like this that make me appreciate the simple joys in life - like love, friendship, and the beauty of the world.