Movies Saved My Day

Today was a shit pile of hopelessness. Not as bad as some (keeping in mind any war torn country, anyone in "actual" poverty and of course any shark attack victims--PS ITS SHARK WEEK), but not a great day.

I went to the ATM to get some fresh, crispy, well-earned Hamiltons and much to my dismay I was firmly dissed by the machine. The bank fairies who work behind the ATM told me that I had "insufficient funds" that I was "in the red" (as some might call it) and to "go fuck myself" because I was "S.O.L." Okay, so they didn't actually tell me the last two things, but they mine as well.

Due to my sole nature of the trip--getting some green paper to buy a sweet hair cut, to which I will refer later--I was short on time and heavy on problems. I called the hair salon to postpone my appointment.

Let me tell you something; Growing up, I was the only Alexis I knew. There was never a need for "Alexis M." or "Lexi" or even "Lex" (yes, I used them, but under my own free will, not due to some teacher's need for me to be recognized if punishment be needed). So when I called "Studio S," the hippest, bangin'-est salon in Santa Barbara, it really threw me for a whirl that the lady on the other end's name was in fact, Alexis. Here's how it went:

Alexis: Hello, Studio S, this is Alexis Whatevermylastnamewas, how can I help you today?

Alexis: I need to reschedule my appointment

Alexis: Okay, can I have your name?

Alexis: (in my head) *Bitch you already stole my name.* Alexis Morrell.

Alexis: Okay, Alexis, I [Alexis] have you in for a 1:30. Can I switch you to 4:15

Alexis: Yes, thanks.

Is that confusing? What the fuck!?

So after this adorable rendezvous on the phone with my alter ego who just happens to have my name (that's how freaking awesome my name is) I entered the block, the bastille, the BofA, The Bank of America.

Now the last time I was in the building, I was reporting some fraudulent activity that had come my way. Guess what I was there for this time? The same thing!

I am not a wealthy person. I am not a poor person, well not in my head. But in real life, I am a poor person, I just have well off people around me and I am babysat by LOTS of people. When the money disappears, I have problems. I work hard for those dollars. Julia demands quite a bit of legos, trips to the beach, potty trips, books read aloud and attention spent on her and only her. These hours are wasted when some douche-bag hacks into my shit and steals my dough. NO WAY JOSE~!

I talked to the dude in the BofA and he said I have to wait until tomorrow to do anything! This is BOGUS! So tomorrow, part 2 of the lovely bank activities will continue. Now all of this was unexpected stress. Here, you might say, is where you could criticize me and tell me that "That's not stress, I'll tell you about stress"--well here's what I have to say to you. How about you lose ALL of your money, go into the red and be 3000 miles away from your Mommy! That's stressful brotha. So stick it up your ass. The only way to get away with this-- say it like in Crocodile Dundee "That's not a knife..."

I am lucky in all of this. Because I am a metaphorical 12 year old until January, my surrogate family here in Santa Barbara paid for me to have my hair cut. I think they were nervous that I might do something dramatic or possibly cry. I didn't do either--well I mean the haircut is slightly dramatic-- but it leads into the more positive part of my day!

I saw 500 Days of Summer, again, this weekend. I am in love with this movie. It's my generations The Graduate. Though I know I have already blabbered on about this flick, it's worth it. Zooey Deschanel is in this movie and she is kick ass, across-the-board-kick-ass. I decided, due to my interpretation of the character, my brown hair, blue eyes (not quite Zooey blue, but bugger off!) and my boop-boop nose, that I would emulate the hair cut that Ms. Deschanel has in the film.

My new haircut

Unlike Ingrid Bergman's short hair cut, which destroyed a lot of the women's hair in middle class America in the 1940s, this haircut is a winner!!

Totally made my day to have it come out exactly as I had hoped! One movie saves the day! Oh, wait, there's more.

After a hilarious dinner with the Case/Carlander clan, we watched George Cukor's 1938 classic Holiday starring Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn; this movie is fantastic. What a great way to end a shitty day! This movie is a hilarious comedy that was transformed from a play to a movie and then remade into this movie. See it. It's worth it.

I took a liking to the drunk brother, Katharine Hepburn's character who is the crazy sister--love it!-- and the people Cary Grant hangs out with and of course Cary Grant's character.

This movie is screwy yet poignant showing conflicts between classes and gender. There is so much that it has to offer. See it.

Now I'm going to read more of Nathan Rabin's book "The Big Rewind," It's been taking me a bit because I'm pacing as not to have it end. Read it.

Buena Notte!

P.S.

Did you know that Great White Sharks are warm blooded and can therefore beat the ever-living crap out of a Tiger Shark in cold water. That is why Deloris the Tiger Shark's radio tag was beeping from the stomach of a White Shark. R.I.P. Deloris.

Also-- the camera guys and shark experts shouldn't wear black wet suits, they just look like seals.

"Live every week like it's shark week"-30 Rock

My Life: Movies

Movies are my favorite thing in the world. I think if I had to choose between eating and watching movies-- it would be a rock, scissors, paper type of deal. The thing about loving movies so much is that they become a true part of me. Now this is the best thing in the world, except that it sets me up to think like movies, talk like movies and obsess over movies. I read about them, pick them apart, try to put them into every conversation I have and look for events in life to become possible films I create. This weekend I discovered that I am in a vulnerable state as far as my summer movie selections and my emotions run.

This weekend I saw 500 Days of Summer again. This movie has hit me like a ton of bricks. I get it on so many levels that it makes me want to cry. I am so grateful and lucky to have met the writer and director of this film because I was able to express my sincere gratitude for the film. It is very The Graduate-esque. I mean, obvi, it refers to The Graduate as well as shows clips of the film, but there are deeper levels of meaning behind some of the shots and story line. I guess at this point in my life it is easy to succumb to the finer points of a movie about people in their early to mid twenties dealing with life, love, happiness, sadness, sexuality, money, jobs, school, etc.

This movie struck a chord the first time and the second time, but I don't think it truly sunk in until today when I saw Funny People.

Funny People is not the normal balls and nuts Judd Apatow film. This film was dark, cynical, hilarious, sad, happy, lovable, hateful and everything else all balled into 2 hours of cinematic experience. I identified deeply with Seth Rogen's character, to the point that I started to cry a bit. I'm sitting there, in the theater, laughing my ass off at some hysterical joke Adam Sandler has just told and then crying because things are too real. This is powerful stuff. Thank God you can't smell films because my senses were all in sensory overload.

The reason this bridges the two films together, more than just me seeing the movies in the same weekend, is that in 500 Days... Zooey Deschanel's character, Summer, cries when she witnesses the end of The Graduate. This made sense to me in the film because that part when Benjamin and Elaine are riding on the bus towards the unknown is a gray space of emotion. Do they have anywhere to turn? Do they know each other? Will anyone actually ever be happy if put in a situation like this? What is marriage? Will I ever find "the one?" Will I ever find someone? Will I ever find anyone?

All of these things become real in what was just a happy accident in film courtesy of Mike Nichols.

When I began to cry in Funny People, I understood what she was feeling. I actually understand those feelings regarding The Graduate (which just happens to be my 2nd favorite film of all time).

It's not easy being 20 something and trying to figure out what comes next. Sacrifices become heavier than ever. Family becomes more distant than ever (even if they're right next to you). There is a sense of aloneness that hasn't been realized until this time. You have to start to figure out what you want to do or really what you don't want to do. This movie really showed what choices do to people and how they affect the people around you. This age is a very selfish time, but it isn't always selfish.

I think what really got me was that Seth Rogen's character wasn't just with his peers, he was in this other arena of slightly older adults. I too live in a world where I constantly encounter this "10 to 15 years above me crowd"--they're rough and like to tumble.

This age group has helped me and hurt me--both of which I am happy to have dealt with because they have taught me what I want and don't want just from observation.

Seth Rogen's character reminded me of myself in a different sense as well:

He was malleable in the sense that he wanted to learn the ropes and the tools of the trade.

He was impressed by the elder group's achievements and saw everything for the first time--enjoying every moment of what he loved.

He was grateful for every advantage and privilege doted upon him... not taking any single moment for granted.

Something fantastic landed in his lap and though he felt he didn't deserve it, he did and worked hard to keep it.

He didn't let the arguments and generation gap keep him from taking the next necessary steps toward success-- I think this is how you figure out how to be on your own and how to make decisions to create success.

I think I'm going to turn this blog around. I'll occasionally write about what's happening in my life, especially when I go to school, but I'd really like to start reviewing films and books that I read. I'll give you the spins that I find and the finer points that I enjoy or hate.

If you have any suggestions as to what films you'd like to see on here let me know. I'll either take them or ignore them.

PS

This is what I want to get my hair cut like-- and this is how I might get it done for Kate's wedding.

The Graduate

I am taking a break from packing for my Fiesta Weekend in NYC to talk about Mike Nichols' The Graduate. This is one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE films. I am obsessed with the genius that is Anne Bancroft--everything she did. She was also married to Mel Brooks, which makes her even COOLER!



This movie makes a visual presentation that embodies empathy for anyone who is taking a year off or having a lull in their life. The May-December romance is an added dramatic element, but there is so much more to this movie.



My friend Brian and I were just talking, briefly about this movie (that is currently on TCM and sparking this entry). We were actually talking about Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and about Robert Redford (<3). Robert Redford was the studio pick for the aimless character of Benjamin Braddock. The book that the film is based on calls for a "surfboard" type, a true California beach boy. Obviously Dustin Hoffman is anything but-- and that was the juxtaposition that Mike Nichols was looking for.



"Robert Redford screen-tested with Candice Bergen for the part of Benjamin Braddock but was finally rejected by director Mike Nichols because Nichols did not believe Redford could persuasively project the underdog qualities necessary to the role. When he told this to Redford, the actor asked Nichols what he meant. "Well, let's put it this way," said Nichols, "Have you ever struck out with a girl?" "What do you mean?" asked Redford. "That's precisely my point," said Nichols." (imdb.com)
I had heard about this from the behind the scenes interview on a DVD but it was nice to chat about it with a future Trojan (Shoutout to Brain Bibbo! Lol!)

I think this movie's mastery is achieved due to the collaboration and combination of various creative pieces that made a glorious whole (haha, glorious whole...say it out loud). Anne Bancroft was a talented theatre and film actress who really blossomed in the 1960s. She had a couple "B-movies" in the 1950s, but made it big in the 1962 film The Miracle Worker. She had played the part of Annie O'Sullivan on Broadway, co-starring with Patty Duke, who played Helen Keller.


They made the jump from a successful run in the theatre to a successful, award winning film.
She was a devoted actress who took every moment and filled it with talent. Anne continued to work in film, theatre and television until her death in 2005 from cancer.



Dustin Hoffman was actually only 6 years younger than Anne Bancroft in real life--but in the film, you'd never know. They both played opposite ends of life with incredibly believability. Hoffman wasn't the first pick for this film, but his wits and talent provided him to be the best pick. He improvised certain scenes like when he has to grab Mrs. Robinson's breast-- he was about to laugh, due to the crew's laughter, and instead turned it into frustration and banged his head against the wall. He also invented a slight wimper-cough that he picked up from Mike Nichols. This turned what could looked like a 31 year old playing an 20 year old into a unconfident character, believably 20 year old, goalless, boy-man.



Mike Nichols is a genius. There are so many shots, looks, choices, etc. in this film that add up to a visual gem. I'm going to bulletpoint a couple examples that will hopefully entice you to watch the film for the 1st or millionth time.

• The sunporch scene--the famous one with the leg shot.
• 
• The transitions from black to black when he's going through his routine of sleeping with Mrs. Robinson and his blasé lifestyle.
• 
• The scene when Benjamin tells Elane about the affair--then the hallway shot of Anne soaking wet.
  
• The sunporch when she says "I'm extremely upset Benjamin"
• The hotel--darkness--who would have thought?
• The swimming pool 1st person P.O.V.
• Through the fishtank
• Over the wooden banister at the hotel
• Don't forget the soundtrack!!

  	4. April Come She Will
  	Found at skreemr.com

  
  

The list goes on-- I mean pay attention to what they wear. Mrs. Robinson wears animal print and black.



Benjamin is a prep from the East. The rest all look like "plastic" country club folks.

Watch this movie. It's wonderful.
If you feel like you have no direction, if you're taking time off from work, school or something, it is a perfect film to find empathy or sympathy; whatever you need. I have used it to help me get through and I have studied it over and over. I will continue to do so and once again I urge you to see, listen and feel The Graduate.