Life as a House (and a few others that kicked me into submission)
I am SOOOO glad that I did not see this in the theater. I meant to. It's just that when I was movie hopping one day while still living in Orlando, there were two others that took precedence, one I remember being "John Q". Oh well, I can't pick the winners every time.
The reason I'm glad I watched "Life..." at home was because I wound up sobbing like a little girl in the fetal position on my couch. It was over-the-top melodrama, and I fell for it like a chump. I'd always heard that it was touching and sad, but sad usually doesn't cut it for me in movies. Sad is not the word for the feelings I get when watching movies like this. It's more like moments of "happy-sadness". The true word escapes me, so I'll just have to describe it.
Here are three examples of moments in a film where I am overwhelmed:
1. E.T.-The Extra Terrestrial. When I talk to friends and others who think back to this movie (one of my favorites in the universe), they always tell me that it was so sad when E.T. died. That part never really affected me, I didn't get emotionally overwhelmed as Elliott hugged little E.T.'s tomb, sobbing. The moment that floored me and will always floor me every time I see this as long as I live, was the moment where Elliott realized that E.T. was still alive, heartlight aglow, and chatting excitedly. I goose-up just typing about it. From that moment until the last shot where E.T. and Elliott say goodbye forever as John Williams' score pummels you into submission with heartache, I am incapacitated. When Thuyan (my girlfriend at the time, now my wife) went to see E.T. for it's anniversary rerelease, we sat through the credits at the end so I could pull myself together, as the rest of the audience (all small kids with their mommies) filed out, happy and giggling. I sure as shit didn't want any of them to see a grown man, late-twenties, bawling like a little sissy. I had to laugh at myself. But I was also saddened by the fact that most of the new crowd that saw this didn't get from it what I did. I've pondered many times why I get so wound up over this movie, and there are several possibilities.
One being that I miss my childhood terribly. At least from age 0-9. That was the happiest time of my life. I was also the same age as Elliott, who liked all the things I liked. I guess I could really relate to him. He liked Star Wars. He had a bunkbed. He liked BMX. And he wasn't a good student, at least that I could tell. We had a lot in common, this fictional character and me.
I guess another possibility would be that his dad wasn't around, and at the time, mine was. At least the guy who I thought was my dad, was around. After my parent's divorce, my life as a boy was never the same. I would soon learn that my real dad was someone I had never met, and the man posing as my dad, was actually my stepdad. Consequently, I felt like my mom's divorce had actually been a two-for-one, I lost both my dads at the same time. This happened when I was nine. I only refer to this now because it is so obvious looking back to my disfunctional upbringing, that it had conjured certain feelings. When I think of E.T. I think of my childhood, when I was Elliott's age, right before the shit hit the box fan in my bedroom, next to my bunkbed.
Well, I think I just figured out why I lose it for that movie.
2. Whale Rider. My strong feeling about this movie is that anyone who wasn't moved by it and its characters has no soul and should be locked up for being a heartless moron. From the heart-smashing dedication speech little Pai gives to her resentful grandfather, to the moment the camera fades as she apparently rides a whale into the abyss, I am gripped, as by the hand of a god. I will probably mention this movie again in this journal from time to time, for the simple fact that it stirs me to even think about it. Again, I realize that Pai is nine or ten in this movie, and even though I saw this as an adult, it must be have tapped into those nostalgic childhood feelings. I have to guess that people who didn't feel the weight of this story must have never had to deal with certain emotional situations. I've surveyed all types of people on "Whale Rider", and you would almost have to examine each individual to see why they either loved it, or shrug their shoulders when talking about it, saying "Ehh, it's alright". This is one of my favorites of all time, and I wish everyone loved it as much as me.
3. Life as a House. This is the movie I'm supposed to be commenting on, because it gets me "happy-sad" like the others before it. I think I was finally sold to this story, when I noticed how many people had gotten involved in completing George's house, even though he was unable to be there himself. He was a miserable loner, who, at the end of his life, realized how many people really loved him, including his son. Hayden Cristensen's character really made an about-face and learned a life lesson through his dad, and was forever changed. This is the mark of a great, great story. When not one, but many characters go through a major overhaul in their lives, and we get to see it unfold. The father-son thing must have alot to do with my affection for this story.
Of course there are many reasons why movies appeal to me. There's so much to like about the good ones. This "happy-sad" emotion that these films hit upon is just one of them. It is this euphoric feeling that I would pay extra for at the ticket window. It is this feeling that tells me I am human and alive. Isn't it great that a movie can do such a thing?
Justin had fun writing this at 7:36 PM
The reason I'm glad I watched "Life..." at home was because I wound up sobbing like a little girl in the fetal position on my couch. It was over-the-top melodrama, and I fell for it like a chump. I'd always heard that it was touching and sad, but sad usually doesn't cut it for me in movies. Sad is not the word for the feelings I get when watching movies like this. It's more like moments of "happy-sadness". The true word escapes me, so I'll just have to describe it.
Here are three examples of moments in a film where I am overwhelmed:
1. E.T.-The Extra Terrestrial. When I talk to friends and others who think back to this movie (one of my favorites in the universe), they always tell me that it was so sad when E.T. died. That part never really affected me, I didn't get emotionally overwhelmed as Elliott hugged little E.T.'s tomb, sobbing. The moment that floored me and will always floor me every time I see this as long as I live, was the moment where Elliott realized that E.T. was still alive, heartlight aglow, and chatting excitedly. I goose-up just typing about it. From that moment until the last shot where E.T. and Elliott say goodbye forever as John Williams' score pummels you into submission with heartache, I am incapacitated. When Thuyan (my girlfriend at the time, now my wife) went to see E.T. for it's anniversary rerelease, we sat through the credits at the end so I could pull myself together, as the rest of the audience (all small kids with their mommies) filed out, happy and giggling. I sure as shit didn't want any of them to see a grown man, late-twenties, bawling like a little sissy. I had to laugh at myself. But I was also saddened by the fact that most of the new crowd that saw this didn't get from it what I did. I've pondered many times why I get so wound up over this movie, and there are several possibilities.
One being that I miss my childhood terribly. At least from age 0-9. That was the happiest time of my life. I was also the same age as Elliott, who liked all the things I liked. I guess I could really relate to him. He liked Star Wars. He had a bunkbed. He liked BMX. And he wasn't a good student, at least that I could tell. We had a lot in common, this fictional character and me.
I guess another possibility would be that his dad wasn't around, and at the time, mine was. At least the guy who I thought was my dad, was around. After my parent's divorce, my life as a boy was never the same. I would soon learn that my real dad was someone I had never met, and the man posing as my dad, was actually my stepdad. Consequently, I felt like my mom's divorce had actually been a two-for-one, I lost both my dads at the same time. This happened when I was nine. I only refer to this now because it is so obvious looking back to my disfunctional upbringing, that it had conjured certain feelings. When I think of E.T. I think of my childhood, when I was Elliott's age, right before the shit hit the box fan in my bedroom, next to my bunkbed.
Well, I think I just figured out why I lose it for that movie.
2. Whale Rider. My strong feeling about this movie is that anyone who wasn't moved by it and its characters has no soul and should be locked up for being a heartless moron. From the heart-smashing dedication speech little Pai gives to her resentful grandfather, to the moment the camera fades as she apparently rides a whale into the abyss, I am gripped, as by the hand of a god. I will probably mention this movie again in this journal from time to time, for the simple fact that it stirs me to even think about it. Again, I realize that Pai is nine or ten in this movie, and even though I saw this as an adult, it must be have tapped into those nostalgic childhood feelings. I have to guess that people who didn't feel the weight of this story must have never had to deal with certain emotional situations. I've surveyed all types of people on "Whale Rider", and you would almost have to examine each individual to see why they either loved it, or shrug their shoulders when talking about it, saying "Ehh, it's alright". This is one of my favorites of all time, and I wish everyone loved it as much as me.
3. Life as a House. This is the movie I'm supposed to be commenting on, because it gets me "happy-sad" like the others before it. I think I was finally sold to this story, when I noticed how many people had gotten involved in completing George's house, even though he was unable to be there himself. He was a miserable loner, who, at the end of his life, realized how many people really loved him, including his son. Hayden Cristensen's character really made an about-face and learned a life lesson through his dad, and was forever changed. This is the mark of a great, great story. When not one, but many characters go through a major overhaul in their lives, and we get to see it unfold. The father-son thing must have alot to do with my affection for this story.
Of course there are many reasons why movies appeal to me. There's so much to like about the good ones. This "happy-sad" emotion that these films hit upon is just one of them. It is this euphoric feeling that I would pay extra for at the ticket window. It is this feeling that tells me I am human and alive. Isn't it great that a movie can do such a thing?
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