Screen Painting: Cinematography

Or Part 3 in a series designed to answer Jeff's Burning Question: What Exactly Is It That You Do All Day?

The title of this post makes absolutely no sense. I know that. But I started this series without really thinking it through. Surely you can understand? You're pretty clear now that I am a busy, busy person, right? 

So, Thursday was the highlight of my week: the school took the children to a cinema (!!) and we saw the Disney film, Tangled. In English!!! Woot!!! You might be like, wait, what is this "we" stuff? Don't your children go "To School" and you are a "Stay At Home Mom?" So, maybe you should hang out less at school and have a little more staying at home? Ah, yes, and there we have the crux of my messy house dilemma.

I do spend more than my fair share of time at school. Last week, on Friday, I did a Q&A with the 5th graders on writing and being a world famous author and all (<--ha!, I told them, "Yeah, like, Oprah called, and I was like, "Sorry, girlfriend, but I will be in Cambodia, that week, incommunicado."). It was pretty great, actually. English is not the native language of most of these kids, but, holy guacamole, they are sharper than sharp.  They read the chapter "The $700 Pony and the Wee Spotted Acquire Feline Friends," and came up with a list of super fantastic questions. They covered style, humor, target audience, and voice, although by the end, we were just trading names of our favorite books. I may forever be a 5th grade reader at heart.

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So, yeah, I do spend a good deal of time at school. And when I got the message that they were heading to the cinema to see a movie in English, I invited myself along.

Maximus: the best Disney character ever.

Since this was Hope's exactly First Ever Movie in the Theatre Movie Experience (Tom's second, if you are the sort to keep track of this kind of thing), I brought my camera to record the historic moment. Actually, I had two cameras with me. Unfortunately, no chips. So, while the memory lives in my synapses, Microsoft has not worked out a USB link to the brain yet, no physical photos of the morning exist. It's a shame, too, because she really enjoyed it.

Tom has always been anti-theatre, as he thinks they are too noisy and movies are meant to be a private experience, not the sort of thing one has to go out in public to see. But Hope was incredibly excited by the idea of the group movie experience. And Tangled was right up her alley.

From my perspective, movies out have historically been a huge part of my social life. Actually, pre-marriage, my entire social life consisted of going out to the movies with my trainer/therapist once a week. Come to think of it, it's kind of a wonder I ever did meet Jeff and get married.

But my point is that there was a time when movies were very important to me. These were in the long ago days when movies were under $10US and there was about a movie a week worth seeing. The trainer/therapist informs me that the world has changed and that these days, there just isn't that much worth going to see. Although, the trainer/therapist and I are going to go see the last Harry Potter movie together while I am in the US this summer and I can not wait!

Yet again, I have wandered far from the original topic. Sorry. Tangled. Interesting movie. If it is 3-D, which the reviews would indicate it is, we missed that bit. I've never seen a 3-D movie. I imagine they would make me car sick, which is not exactly my idea of a good time, so I intend to avoid them. Although, one imagines that at the age of 85, someone will trick me into viewing a movie in 3-D and I will weep and wail about a life wasted, and why didn't I try this 40 years ago?? But, we saw it flat on the screen and there were some fantastic bits. Any scene that had Maximus in it springs to mind as a winner.

But. And there is a huge but.

But, 3-D, 2-D, would someone please explain to me why Disney thinks that female characters have to have the appearance of Creatures from the Planet 40-Year Old Virgin Fantasy? Seriously? What is going on with Rapunzel's eyes? And her low cut dress? Why does the male lead have reasonably normal male proportions, while the female character looks like something from a fun house mirror? This sort of thing really ticks me off. Frankly, I am practically panting to see Kung Fu Panda II this summer; no inhumanly tiny waists or otherwise freaky proportions in a Pixar flick.

So, while the movie experience overall was hugely satisfying, I could have done without the Disney-ification.

Comments

[Monica]

The teachers must be so grateful to have you!

[Gwynna]

There are FURTHER ADVENTURES???! Where have I BEEN? (and where can I get one?)

[Ellen]

Yes, indeed. I wrote two books. Makes for nice cocktail party chit chat.

Ha! As if. As if I have ever been to a cocktail party.;-)

But, yes I did write a second book. I actually prefer it to the first. If I had been in the US when it was published, I would have marketed it better and perhaps you would have heard of it. Alas, it sits, mostly unread. But loved by the few who have read it.