To explain: The Year of Creative Engagement (#yoce) is an attempt to document my creative journey in 2014. By putting greater stock in accountability and output, while also showing what new work I’m reading or listening to, I hope to have a richer, engaged experience.
“What’s this movie?” Riley asked, sitting down next to me as the opening scenes began.
I passed over to him the DVD case. “It’s called Empire of the Sun. It’s about a how a little boy is separated from his parents during war and how he has to fend for himself.”
Riley’s eyes widened. Expressing doubt as to whether he actually wanted to see it or not (the subject matter made him nervous – not the war, but the separation part), he eventually decided to stay. Over the next couple of hours – it’s long! – he settled down next to me, stating the occasional “I think I’ll go now”. He even stood up to go, but was drawn in to the story enough to want to see it to the end. Now, I know people who dislike this movie because it is ‘slow’, but to keep an eight year old’s attention for that long means Spielberg is getting something right. Honestly, though, I think most of the credit goes to Christian Bale’s extraordinary acting, transitioning from preppy privilege to resourceful maturity.
Stand by Me is one of those 1980s movies that, for whatever reason, I went through my entire childhood without seeing, just like other movies like Labyrinth and The Princess Bride. So, not knowing any better, I put this on to watch with the kids, but Adam objected.
“This isn’t a kids movie,” he said.
As the movie progressed, and a few sexual taunts later, I came to agree with him and turned it off. It’s short – about 82 minutes – and when I finally finished watching it (solo) I thought it was good. I’d like to read the novella, though. River Phoenix was terrific, such a talent, receiving his first Academy Award nomination just two years later for Running on Empty, and sadly dying in 1993.
Touch of Evil (not available on Booktopia) was one of my ‘1001 Movies‘ (as is Stand by Me). I thought because I love Orson Welles I would automatically love this. I was wrong. I turned it off after about an hour and haven’t felt compelled to turn it back on again, despite all the accolades of it being a ‘masterpiece’.
The story of Zero Dark Thirty goes similarly to that of what I described for Empire of the Sun – although substitute Adam for Riley.
“What’s this?” Adam asked, looking up from his work laptop one evening as I fed the DVD into the machine.
I told him and he shrugged. “Okay.”
I got about halfway through before realising the time and I pressed stop.
“Wait – what?” he asked.
“I’m going to bed. It’s late. Besides, I didn’t think you were interested.”
“I’m invested now, I want to see how it ends.”
Considering how the story is about how Osama bin Laden was discovered after more than a decade searching, most of us already know how that ended. But I know what he meant – the how they did it. Jessica Chastain might have been out of her element somewhat in Coriolanus (IMO), but is superb here as the persistent, single-minded, sweary, no-bullshit CIA agent.
When she spits “I’m the motherfucker who found him” I felt like punching the air, yelling “Yeah, you did!” Excellent.
*
The #miscpoetry project continues on a Friday – you’ll need to follow on Instagram or Facebook to see.
