When I do get glum, I tend to start avoiding doing any of the things that I should really get on with. Like marking. And the very best way of avoiding doing what I should is to watch a movie. I can't leave - I might miss something. And there are so many movies that will not change your life - they are fluff and dross, and great escapism.
The great escape last week was Spiderman 2. Now some of you may wonder why I had never seen this - I confess to having children. Children mean that you have to double the cost of going out to movies. So as well as tickets, the essential ice-cream (is it even possible to watch movies without chocolate dipped ice-cream?) and parking, there is also the cost of the baby sitter to consider. And some of them are Very Expensive. Inertia is another major hurdle. And finally, I find that as I tend to be a working mother, I don't actually want to go out again, just after getting home.
So anyway, last week we had the disk of Spiderman 2 in the house. I really enjoyed that movie. I thought I must be wierd, but I checked the Tomato meter and it turned out I wasn't the only one thinking that this was a damn fine way to spend a couple of hours. Then I checked out the bonus disk on how to make a movie etc, then some websites, then I even went and got a Spiderman comic book out of the library. Just very slightly obsessed. But I think I am over it now!
In the weekend R was out doing something - some army thing - and I watched "Lost in Translation" and "The Hours". Lost in Translation was really good. Having been to Japan I thought they captured the tourist impression of the country really well. I was completely gobsmacked when I was there by how foreign Japan is. It was completely different from home, even the light switches were different. And going to England and Australia feels a whole lot more familiar. I decided it was a completely pointless movie - a bit like a short story, which captures a moment in time, but doesn't necessarily have a dot of plot or a message. It is a complete moment, with all the nuances and atmosphere, but there may be nothing to be gained from the familiarity expect a feeling of wonder in what can happen in a moment. this is not to say that it is easy to capture these moments, and Translation does a great job.
The Hours was excellent, though I admit I couldn't work out the link between the three women until the last scene. I sort of got it, but didn't understand the whole thing. The acting was brilliant, production wonderful, blah blah. Highly excellent.
And then on Sunday night a friend and I went to see the Devil wears Prada. I enjoyed it right up to the end when they spent 10 mins on tidying up all the loose ends in the plot without any interest in the loose ends. The whole plot idea was just abandoned. Like a balloon that was slowly inflated for an hour or two then popped because no-one cared any more. The clothes were stunning. Meryl Streep was fabulously icy and arrogant. The clothes actually deserved more credit space than most of the actors...
As for the depressive episode, it seems to be moving on quickly. Avoiding confronting the issues seems to have worked for me this time.
Posted by Toni at October 31, 2006 09:40 AM