Story Lover

TPL DVD: I found this movie a nice change. It was sweet and simple and just one of those stories that makes a better movie than a book. Although I can only assume so, because I didn’t read the book. But I’m not all that interested in picking it up either. There really wasn’t anything new or astonishing about it. Just a typical story about friendship and romance. Quite enjoyable.

TPL DVD: I’m definitely glad I didn’t pay money to watch this movie. Parts got a little long and tiring. But I really love how Paul Rudd has moved into comedies and out of the old romantic comedies he was doing before.

I actually thought that Barry would get some kind of gig selling his mice. They were actually pretty fantastic in a really crazy way. I wonder who did all of them, because the attention to detail was amazing. It was heartbreaking to find that he was expressing his loss and sadness through propping up his mice. But at the beginning of the movie I wondered why they all had red hair.

TPL DVD: Thought this was a pretty interesting movie. Sad to think of all these women being taken and sold this way. I couldn’t get over how immature his daughter was though. Her mother and stepfather kept giving her all this stuff and spoiling her, but she wasn’t able to process any of it. I think the part that annoyed me most was that she kept running everywhere. What 17 year old runs everywhere like that?

TPL DVD: This movie was kind of slow and boring. But it was interesting to know that Joan Jett had made I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll famous and also did a cover of Crimson and Clover. So, I thought she had written these songs at first, but now after doing a bit of research, she kind of just covered them. She did a lot of covers.

Kind of sucks what happened to Cherie Currie though. She had some issues and they just seemed to be highlighted by drugs and rock ‘n’ roll. Good for Joan Jett for not giving up. She found something that kept her afloat and stuck with it. But other than those insights, I really didn’t like the movie or find her life that interesting. Kind of just another rock ‘n’ roll story.

TPL DVD: I didn’t remember how cheesy the script was for this movie. The only part I really liked was the attack scenes. The shots that they got when the Japanese were flying in are great. It must have been quite overwhelming to see 300 Japanese planes suddenly descend from the skies.

But everything else just felt empty and stereotypical of what you’d think of an American WWII movie. Well at least they showed a little respect to the Japanese and didn’t make them all villains and horrible people. However, they still had racial slurs and put downs. But the Japanese were smart and overcame the barriers their opposition thought protected them, like making the torpedoes float through the shallower water. They were also sneaky and conniving, waiting till right before the attack to show their true colors.

TPL DVD: Not sure how much of this film is true, but it was pretty interesting. I can’t believe they let the bank robbers just go like that, having stolen around 4 million pounds. They sure were living a sweet life afterward. It’s sad that out of a team of 7, 3 of them died. 2 of them didn’t even know what was so precious in the boxes. Government cover ups… and I still think the British is a little unhinged for loving their royalty so devotedly.

TPL DVD: I thought it was really interesting that there were enough Canadians and Americans who returned to Germany to fight that their stories have became incorporated into films. It’s interesting to see what the dominate sense of identity is for them, obviously they felt more German than Canadian. I wonder what I feel more of and what my kids will feel they are.

Other than those few twists, I didn’t really think it was that great of a movie. I have come to really like Paul Gross (especially after seeing him in very minor roles like Barney’s Version). But the thing I really didn’t like is that they cemented this idea that the Germans crucified a Canadian soldier. I don’t like when films use the context of history to provide inaccurate recollections of events. Because now, how many people believe that the Germans really did crucify soldiers? History is maybe not even written anymore by the winners, but now it’s written by all the entertainers as well.

TPL DVD: I just watched this movie with G for the first time in a long time. And with the arrival of our baby coming up in a few months, maybe my mindset has shifted. Because what I really walked away with was the thought that, I’d be mighty proud and amazed if my kid could make it through a war like that without me there to protect him.

Somehow Jim found a way to survive. And I guess not just survive. He thrived in a way through his experiences in the camp. He looked out for others in a way that perhaps he might never of done had he continued his life pampered in luxury. Somehow he kept his soul in tact and his awe of the world and his faith in people. Somehow he retained some innocence. And I have no idea how.

I have the book, I should read it sometime.