Rereads? Rewatches?

What moves you to reread a particular book or rewatch a movie?

It may be of course that you do not ‘re’ either books or movies but I do and there are a handful (or more) that top my list.

Cover via Amazon

“Apollo 13″ starring Tom Hanks and Gary Sinese is THE movie which was based on a book by Jim Lovell.  I think it was 1970 when Lovell, Swigert, and Haise headed off for the moon, following in the footsteps of Neil Armstrong.  Initially the press wasn’t much interested as it had all been done before, that is, until disaster struck.  I remember the actual real life event and yes the announced flight was sort of ho hum and then the world watched.  We never left Walter Cronkite for a minute.

The strange thing is that I know the story, I know the movie, and yet…

Each time I watch the movie I wait, holding my breath in the exact moments they have to establish communication after doing a burn to enter the earth’s atmosphere. And each time my eyes fill with tears.  I can’t help it.  Yes I know the ending. Again.  And again.  And again.

English: The actual Apollo 13 lunar landing mission prime crew from left to right are: Commander, James A. Lovell Jr., Command Module pilot, John L. Swigert Jr.and Lunar Module pilot, Fred W. Haise Jr.The original Command Module pilot for this mission was Thomas “Ken” Mattingly Jr. but due to exposure to German measles he was replaced by his backup, Command Module pilot, John L. “Jack” Swigert Jr. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A part of my brain says, go do something useful, you know this story and how it ends.  And another part of my brain says, leave me alone to live in the moment.

You see?  I think it is all about living in the moment.  Really feeling and valuing every minute.  The ending almost doesn’t matter.  It is experiencing the moment when all fears, all hopes, come together.

Now I have a number of rereads when it comes to favorite books.  I have them close at hand to pull out every few months or every few years.  One absolutely gripping story, and yes it is still gripping is Michael Crichton‘s TIMELINE.  Good heavens that man was consistently entertaining whether it was The Andromeda Strain, Jurassic Park, or TV’s ER.  The man was a writer and story teller par excellence and I for one miss him very much.

Cover of Timeline

The telling moment in that book, you know the one where I lose all connection to the sane voice that says, Chris you know how it ends, comes when the Professor, and Kate and Chris are ready to return and Marek continues the fight and finally tells them to leave him.

It is less a story about time travel and more about connecting with multiverses (multiple universes), and one man’s sacrifice – which still ends well and gets him the fair Claire – and the evil of huge corporations with way too much money hanging around.  It is a marvellous story and I recommend to any who have not read it.

But again, the story is so well written it is about living in that very moment.

I think sometimes life gets so busy for us that we forget to appreciate moments by rushing ahead to the next thing we must do, and I always think it is wonderful that there are story tellers out there that touch our hearts, regardless of frequency, and remind us to live in the moment.

Do you have a favorite moment reminder?

Related articles

• The Dilemmas of Rereading (emptybees.wordpress.com)
• ‘Humble’ hero Neil Armstrong farewelled (nzherald.co.nz)

This Writer: Has Been Gished

Lillian Gish

This awfternoon I watched a movie from 1930 I beelieve which starred Lillian Gish in her first talkie.  It was a terribly wonderful and touching movie in which she plays a princess whose mother is trying dreadfully hard to get her to marry a prince.  Her name was Alexaandra and his Albert.  But she fancied herself in love with a Tutor whose name was Nicholas.

The strangest thing happened – and in the event you thought I may have developed typoitis – I am simply trying to give you the idea of what happened.  I went outside following the satisfying end of the movie and as I thawt great thawts I found her little girlish voice running madly about my brain.

So madly in fact, every single thawt is terribly wonderful and sprite like and glamorous.  How strange!  I mean reaally how could this happen?

The dialogue itself was, I thawt ratha plain and simple but combined with those eyes, those gestures hung over from silent movies, I was captured into a world of gentility and grace.

Why right now I find myself looking at cleaning supplies I had out, before I realized I was truly a princess and truly gished.

Why I find myself gesturing much the same as she.  How simply wondaful.  Wondaful I say and yes I mean it!

This was not at all what I had in mind for today’s post, but until the magic dust of Gish dissapates I am quite unable to carry on as the commoner I once believed myself.  I do beelieve that by the morrow this may have passed.  Perhaps.

Nonetheless I shall with great exaggeration play this out to its end.  It is the only way you see.

Taa Taa for now my worthy subjects.  I am off to enjoy the Gishing and shall have to find some sheer fabric to toss around as I think, walk, and tawk.

I Swear -The Worst Movie Ever

I Swear The Worst Movie Ever

 I put little faith in movie reviews and think it is too bad when critics pan what is truly a good movie, but worse yet are the ones they rave about making me wonder who is getting payoffs AND makes me wonder when the public responds with a hellya are they just trying to fit into what is popular? I know, I know…. Personal appreciation and perception is well…personal but my head swims and my tummy does somersaults.

 Last night after a nice patio dinner out my sister-in-law and I decided to see BRIDESMAIDS. When she mentioned it I was all ‘Oh I heard such good reviews, lets go!”

 One review I read said it was, “An unexpectedly funny new comedy about women in love.”

 It has nothing to do with women in love, in fact it is about the Kristin Wiig character who is so screwed up she settles for the worst kind of lover, the booty call only, and clumsily tries to deal with the downside of her life not very well.

 We watched as the movie started, flat and boring thinking that any minute the story would start to flow, that something or somebody would connect but it never happened.

After about thirty minutes my SIL looked at me, brows furrowed, and said, “Seamus O’Reagan at CTV said it was a great movie.”

 We suffered through hoping that redemption for monies paid would miraculously appear.

Alas it never did.  The theatre never did rock with wild laughter but there was a chuckle or two at the banal scenes. Go figure.

 There was never at any moment chemistry between any of the characters.  It really did seem they were just reading their lines, no passion, and no connection as if they each said the lines alone on a stage.  Just saying words.

Mind you the writing was flat and that moment of humor that should have occurred was missed.  The timing was awful.

 The cast was wooden apparently unable to show appropriate emotion, or any emotion and the writing was equally as flat lacking any revelation of something more than a sulk. I am not sure any actor on earth could have accomplished the goal to entertain as it was written.

 Even the worst movies have a redeeming feature and in this one it was Melissa McCarthy who I had never seen before but she could well become a big star.

 If your tastes go to inappropriately used F* shots, and bridesmaids with food poisoning barfing in porcelain thrones while another defecates in a sink and another says the most horrible things about her children including profane name calling, and do not require well written wit you may enjoy it.

PS It was interesting watching other viewers.  One young guy probably about 25 was riveted in his seat; leaning forward, chin on his hands smiling to beat the band.  Another young, no older than 20 wearing minus 0 size clothes girl overheard me say it was the worst movie ever as we left, and she looked at me and said, “ You’re kidding? I thought it was so beautiful I cried.”

 Go figure.  Maybe it is an age thing.