A Reflection on a Film (and maybe myself a bit as well)

I had not seen a movie yet this year until tonight.

I have this cheap little, light-weight, brushed silver "business card holder" that I picked up at Target on clearance for a dollar or two. I use it to keep all of my movie stubs in for a year. Yes, a full year. Once a year is over I don't empty the contents until after the first film I see in the new year. Today is March 10, 2010 (or 11th if you want to get technical about the time)and I finally opened the tin and emptied my 2009 movie stubs.

I like to keep my movie ticket stubs, well all ticket stubs really. Part of it is because it's a way of holding onto that memory -sometimes I think I have a shite sense of memory -a way rekindling the sparks to that time and place and event. Also, as a self-proclaimed movie geek, I feel as though they are badges of honor and accomplishment on my geek sash. You don't just trash your badges.

I had heard of The Hurt Locker, but had not seen any great deal of promotion about it; had heard there were some good reviews and, of course the Oscar buzz and then nominations and still new little on what the film itself was about other than it was a military/ war film. Then I actually watched the Oscars. After seeing the few clips played for it's nominated categories and after it took the two biggies (Director and Film) I knew I wanted to see this movie. For the record, I have not yet seen Slumdog Millionaire, No Country For Old Men, The Departed, nor Crash and I refuse to see Million Dollar Baby on my staunch ground that Hilary Swank is a horse-faced hack of an actress. This means that the last Best Picture winning film I saw was 2003's Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The King. I have the feeling that even if I do see the aforelisted films, I will still believe that none of them deserved that award as much as the one I saw tonight did.

The story revolves around the three members of an elite Army bomb squad and their remaining 38 days of duty operating in Iraq. Heavy shit. The camera shots were sometimes shaky, quick moving or shifted focus to give that point-of-view, right-in-the-mix-of-it feeling, at other times direct and poignant and over all very well executed and edited. The plot was well timed and had an definite flow but safely avoided the pitfall of being too predictable as some war films can. Powerfully intense and raw in a way I have not seen before. Just the right amount of light moments so as not to inundate the audience too. I do wholly appreciate the historical weight if Bigelow's directorial win - one more for the ladies - but seriously, if you see this film you will know that it is so beyond that. The entire cast and crew deserved every statue they got the night of March 7, 2010. I have not seen Crazy Heart and thus cannot completely judge; I do enjoy Jeff Bridges and can agree with the popular critical/politic thought that "this was his time"; but Jeremy Renner deserved that fucking nom, if not the statue. Phenomenal, solid performance. I hope to see more from him.

I have experienced cathartic moments before from many films, be those feelings giddiness, sadness, anger or passion. I cannot recall walking out of a theater feeling quite the way I imagine the actors [and the real persons their characters were based on] felt in the situations in the film. A bomb detonates and sends its surroundings into temporary chaos; even after the rubble and dust settle, the core of you is still shaken, permanently changed, by what you've witnessed.

The Hurt Locker is already available of DVD and Blu-ray. It was playing at the cheap theater in Hopkins ($3) and seeing it tonight weighed on my night class letting out early. Class let out early. I went alone. Being a cheap theater, my first ticket stub of the year is nothing but receipt paper. If that is the only stub to be in that case for the rest of the year, I would be perfectly alright with that. Netflix it, buy it, borrow it, whatever, I highly suggest you see this film.

Sickness and Memories

What a way to start the weekend. I got Strep again, big surprise. Actually, it sort of was as I usually only get it during the winter months. Anyhow, Friday I woke up with a sore throat but went to work anyways thinking it was because I had my window open wide and it had been a coolish night. Things did not improve as the work day dragged on. I had to pick up a Primatene mist for dad on the way home, so I skipped rush hour and took side streets to the Walgreens in near Southdale and treated myself to a Aloha Pineapple smoothie from Jamba Juice, figuring the cold and the fruit would help or at least they certainly wouldn't hurt. When I got home I took a nap, which helped with the fatigue, but not the throat. Saturday I still felt icky so I took myself to Target's minute clinic (where I always go when I get this) and got a Z-pack which had me feeling on the mend by that evening. It didn't hurt that mom brought me a Frosty when she came home from work. Yep, moms rock.

Well, today (Sunday) I was still on the mend and technically still contagious so I decided to get some stuff done around the house. I started by going through all the CDs I had half-hazardly stacked on two of my bookshelves. I realized I didn't have several of them in my iTunes, so I took care of some of those and also sorted out a few I didn't want anymore. Got a nice stack to take to Half-Price Books or Cheapo or where ever. While I was doing that, I stripped my bed and washed all my linens and blankets and got rid of the bodypillow I've had since Mankato (it was pretty beat up and kinda dirty and there really is no washing those things).

Lastly I hit some of the boxes we still have in our sizely front closet. Mom is a pack rat and I definitely inherited this tendency, but I'm working on it. First, I have a LOT of stuff! However, I successfully went through 5 boxes and got them down to 1 and 1/2 put back into the closet. Go me! In going through all that, I found loads of stuff I wasn't sure I still had. Some of the gems I found are:

Old creative writing assignments

Loads of scripts/scenes from plays that I have done for school

Art class projects and supplies from high school and college (woo hoo, art stuff!)

My high school senior photos (oh man *shakes head*)

Birthday cards from friends & family ranging from my 18th-22nd birthdays

3 travel sized packs of tissues (???)

The plus llama that creeped out Nelson that one day (hee hee hee)

About half a dozen unused photo frames (got to go through my photos next I guess)

The Barne employee handbook I was given when I first started back in Nov of 1999 - Interesting note: the back page is intact and unsigned >:)

A Barne business card I used to write down a humorous quote from Jess Brau

The papers, obituary clipping and driving directions from Matthew's funeral (may have to take a trip out there to place some flowers)

A disc labeled "NCC Candid Shots", which no doubt holds photos of my friends' and my from the partying days at NCC! (Hmm...must remember to look at these for possible future blackmail)

Day planner pages ripped out of old planner for remembrance - Important dates include: multiple concerts, my grandfather's passing and the birth of one Piper Lee Hubbard

Invite to Piper's 1st birthday

The games I was looking for (Jo, I got the LOTR Trivial Pursuit!)

A framed embroidery piece with my full name, birth date, size and weight with a cute teddy bear alongside (I have no idea who made this for me!)

All in all I'd say it was a rather productive day. Although now I realize how much stuff I have that require photo/scrap booking. Yikes!