At the movies

As I have written in the past, it used to be a struggle for me to go the movies and just watch because I would feel as though I could be doing something else. At home or at someone elses house it was easier but I had to have a catalog, magazine, or some other project to work on at the same time, could never just sit and enjoy.

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This has changed me for me, though, in these more recent years, feeling the ability to just view, especially when I have friends here to watch with me, or Justin, of course. Now, I have a nice collection and have even loaned them out to others like a library does. Brenda N. likes to do that, as Carey and she have no cable at her house so between the public library and me, they are kept entertained. Of course, a man is not going to like the same type of movies that Brenda and I do, so my selections are not always the best for Carey!

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A couple weeks ago I was at Hugh and Maureen's house, telling them about getting the DVDs of "Casablanca" and "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington". They were interested in "Casablanca" and mentioned watching "Out of Africa" many years ago, indeed, 'arguing' about whether or not they saw it. Turned out that I had that movie, too, so loaned them both. The Africa one was still in the wrapper and I truly do not remember buying it. Wonder if someone gave it to me as a gift or something. Anyway, he brought them back to me last week one day, saying they will borrow again when they return from CT.

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This weekend allowed for some great movie viewing but not new ones for me. "Pay It Forward" and "The Bucket List" both played more than once with the latter showing back to back some nights. "Pay..." is the story of a young boy in a troubled home striking out to make a difference in the world, an offshoot of a challenge from his social studies teacher. "Trevor's" project was to do something 'good' for a stranger, and the only compensation was for the person assisted to do something good for another stranger. It was cool how it played out, how it came around, so to speak, even going national as a phenomenon. The mom turned her life around and became involved with the teacher, who had been set on fire as a boy by his own father and had scars. Some scars were visible and others, invisible, as you might imagine. I love the part where the teacher, Eugene, distributed dictionaries to the students on the first day of school with instruction to carry them every day. He would throw out words throughout his classes and the kids would have to look them up. Very good movie, with a horribly tragic but uplifting ending, for a change.

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The other watched movie I have written ad nauseum about in the past, "The Bucket List". Seeing it first in the movie theater with Linda, Martie, and Justin (poor Justin!). The closing lines, read from a letter to Edward, Carter urged him to "find the joy in your life....open your heart (come to faith)" At the end of this monologue, Carter reports "Edward Cole died on a Sunday afternoon....his eyes were closed, but his heart was open..." My friend, Jami, who used to be a prison counselor, would have her 'pod' of inmates watch this movie, would lead a discussion about the important, valuable points made, and then have the inmates write their eulogies, after hearing the one made by Edward at Carter's Christian burial. I would have so loved to read what these hardened criminals wanted said about them when they died, likely far too young, in our minds....

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In recent days, with the dismal prospects for our nation, I have been remembering a movie seen years ago when I was still married, I believe. It is a boxing movie, but not really. The true story is about a fighter from the 1930's, "Cinderella Man", played by Russell Crowe. His wife was played by Renee Zellwigger. He went from being a prize fighter to falling from grace, with his promoter living high on the hog in his fancy apartment in New York. Somehow the bosses of boxing association cut off Jimmie Braddock, the reason I cannot recall right now, and his family was suffering. He would pick up fights here and there to make some money plus worked on the docks, this being during the Depression. The family of 5 ended up living in a hovel, like a ground-level basement, and the parents would not eat so their kids could share a bowl of some kind of gruel. So tragic.

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At one point, their son stole a sausage from the meat market, and the parents made him take it back because it was wrong to steal, no matter what. Then, when the power was shut off, Jimmie finally gave in and went to get 'welfare', very very embarrassed and ashamed to do so. At one point, he went to see his promoter in his fine upper class apartment to get some financial help, only to discover they only had a table and two chairs left in their posh digs. They were selling things in order to survive, too. Huh...When Jimmie made a come-back in the boxing ring, and earned some money again, he went back to the welfare office and paid it all back. True story, and well worth the watch!