[Luke has proposed to bargain for Solo's life]
“Bargain rather than fight? He’s no Jedi.” - Bib Fortuna, Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi
Dad Windu and I have been on a movie kick lately. We’re pretty much working our way through the DVD section at our local library, in fact. Dad Windu is a big fan of seeing new movies right away, while I usually can wait to see something after it has hit the cheap theater or comes out on DVD. If given the choice, I prefer the cheap theater – what is it about movie popcorn – but there really aren’t too many movies that I simply have to see on the big screen to fully enjoy.
This past weekend I saw a couple of great movies (The Good German and The Quiet Man) and a piece of fluff (Because I Said So). The Good German was interesting less for its placement in post-WWII occupied Germany than for its scraping at the underbelly of corruption that necessarily follows war. My great-grandparents (my mom’s grandparents) were stationed in Germany following the war and it was also fascinating to see the urban landscape as she had described it. Several of the things she talked about came back to me as the movie unfolded.
I’m going to just say it. I don’t like John Wayne movies. It’s true; I don’t. Except for this one, that is. I just love watching The Quiet Man. I know as a mom, a descendant of the Celts and a woman, I am probably supposed to get my panties in a twist about lots of things in this movie (i.e., the need to fight to preserve one’s honor, the stereotypical drunken depiction of the Irish, the way Sean treats Mary Kate in the end and the manner in which she responds), but The Quiet Man has me laughing almost from beginning to end every time. I love this movie and had a grand time introducing Padawan Learner to it.
The mental fluff (every movie weekend seems to need one, right?) was Because I Said So. Intrusive mother tries to marry daughter off. Daughter finds different, perfect guy. Mother tries to push her choice on daughter. Disasters and gratuitous sexual references (and partial scenes) ensue. Completely predictable fluff. Time could easily have been spent in a better manner (such as flossing my teeth, washing dishes, staring at the wall), but at least I got a ton of rows knit on the new sweater I’m making in the round – knit top down. The best part was seeing one of the side characters holding Aunt Beru’s fabulous wedding shoes in the middle of the movie (1:55 in, if I remember correctly).
I don’t care much about popcorn, so I avoid theaters when possible. I will make an exception for the latest HP movie. Don’t know when it comes out, but I’ll go. We’ll pick an early morning middle of the week showing, though. I hate watching movies with a crowd of noisy people.
I don’t care how old the movie is, either. I prefer to wait for the DVD. These days, it’s out on video in just a few months anyway.
Ah, The Quiet Man. It’s been years since I’ve seen it. Great movie!
I have never seen Quiet Man, so that is now on my to-do list. The last movie I saw was on DVD – - it was “Doubt” with Meryl Streep. I liked it, but couldn’t promise that everyone would. Haven’t seen much else, although the Disney “Earth” one is high on my priorities for when it comes out.
In contrast to you, my dad is a big John Wayne fan. Yet, his favorite JW film is also “The Quiet Man.” Eenteresting…