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Friday, May 2, 2014

My favourite movie


I used to love Love Actually. It seemed so romantic and clever... but then I guess I grew up. I realised that all the parts I thought were sweet are actually a bit creepy and all the parts that used to shock me no longer hold shock value. I've seen some stuff since I turned thirty and it's changed my perspective.

I recently saw The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and it absolutely captivated me. I think it was the combination of beautiful scenery and Ben Stiller. I've had such a thing for him ever since Reality Bites. I know we weren't supposed to like him much in that movie, but I always felt he was the better option for poor deluded Winona.


While I've given up any dreams of the kind of travel that would let me climb volcanoes or cycle along highways in the foreseeable future, I still allow myself the odd fantasy that I really could abseil down a glacier or something if I really wanted to (and won the lottery). I think it helped that I saw the movie in the wide open town theatre (instead of the more modern cinema complex), more or less all alone with the aircon blaring the heat of the Summer evening away. It felt like being somewhere else, far away from my everyday life.

Finding out this was a remake of a Danny Kaye movie, I felt an even deeper appreciation for the level of escape this movie afforded. As a kid, living in a communal living situation, the Danny Kaye movies that screened most afternoons were an escape from the depressing boarding house we escaped to each night.

I liked everything about the movie. I liked the slow pace, the dialogue, the fantasy scenes, the music. I liked it so much, I learned to play Space Oddity on my ukulele just so I could relive the feeling over again. I don't look anywhere near as good as Kristen Wiig doing it, but it is so fun to rock out with David Bowie again after a thirty year hiatus. Kind of feels like reliving a childhood fantasy.

Can't wait to watch it with my kids.

Also linking up with Maxabella Loves at Weekend Rewind


11 comments:

  1. I haven't seen the Mitty one, but I WANT to - and I agree with you about Love Actually, I used to watch it when I was single and sad and not realising that I was being a doormat! Thankfully I also grew up! YAY for blogging every day in May :)

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    1. We named our daughter Natalie and funny enough, at eighteen months she came out declaring, "where the F*#@ are my shoes?!" I guess the laundry walls aren't as sound proofed as I thought, or maybe it really is a Natalie thing?! You maybe have to be a die hard fan to get this reference. My apologies to anyone who is scratching their head at this comment. For the record, she's now seven and hasn't said the f word since!

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  2. Big fan of Ben Stiller, huge fan of Kristen Wiig. How have I not seen this film?

    Oh yeah, three kids, that's how. I think I also blame them for the fact that I never learnt to play the uke. You should do a vlog of your Space Oddity rendition!

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    1. Just do it! Music stores sell ukes for $30ish. Find "The Ukulele Teacher" on YouTube and you'll be set! Lucky for me, I got a second (better) uke for Christmas last year so I can play with one 'helper' by my side while the other two attack each other with light sabres/do interpretive dance (depending on which kids it is).

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  3. It's always so great to find a new favourite movie. Recently, I thought The Wolf of Wall Street was fantastic. x

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    1. We still haven't seen that one. I saw the Honest Trailer for it and it didn't put me off, so that's a good sign!!!

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  4. I haven't seen this movie yet. But I have heard great things. I'll have to flag it when it comes to the DVD store. I also love Ben STiller and Kristen Wiig.

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  5. The was the first movie me and my husband saw together.
    Yes we've been together for over 2 years, but we had never gone out on the usual date of 'dinner & a movie'.
    Needless to say we both loved this movie. I was really surprised by it, it was better than I thought it was going to be.

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    1. We always see movies separately :) It's cheaper, it means no babysitter and we always get to see what we want to watch! We did see Anchorman 2 this year, it was the first time we'd been to the movies together (for a non-animated movie) in about ten years!

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  6. Oh I loved Mitty so much too that I went and saw it twice. I too was once a sucker for Love Actually... ahem I may still be a sucker for those kind of fluffy movies ;) xx

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