Head Tale

Last night, we watched Tim Burton's “Big Fish“.  I barely remember hearing about this movie when it came out for some unknown reason.  I only picked it up now because it was recommended a couple times in a thread I posted on AskMetafilter asking for suggestions of works about fathers and sons (a big theme in my recent reading and viewing).  

The movie was pretty good but the father-son thing didn't hit me as hard as promised in that thread – perhaps because I was expecting some big sentimental or tragic ending.  It was a touching enough film but didn't reach the next level.  (And for those who say it's Burton's masterwork, I think I'd still take “Edward Scissorhands”.  Hell, I might take the first Batman over this one!) 

In the end, more than the father-son theme, it was the other themes in the film – the idea of how you live your life, how you remember it for yourself and how those memories are passed on to others, whether they are children or others you come into contact with, are what define you is what really resonated.

Then tonight, Pace had his first ever “real” (ie. not grandparent, not other relative or family friend) babysitter and man, there's another transition moment – thinking back to being the babysitter yourself twenty (holy shit – TWENTY?) years ago and now, it's some teenager coming over to your house with a backpack full of homework and you're the one saying “here's our cell phone number and he likes toast for his nighttime snack and there's pop in the fridge – help yourself and did I give you our cell phone number?”  Shea and I went to the “Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (I joked to someone that it was that or “Marley and Me” but this one had a longer running time meaning we'd be out of the house longer so we went for it!) and I really liked it.

(Shea always teases me that I let reviews – whether I read them before or after a film – influence how I feel about a movie too much.  There's a bit of truth to that – as soon as I get home tonight, I get on the Net to read Ebert and Salon's reviews and they both felt the film was lacking.  Ebert was actually pretty harsh about the film.) 

So yes, a couple negative reviews do temper my enthusiasm for the film.  But it's not like I now hate it because Ebert thought it wasn't realistic.  Brad Pitt, besides being one of the few men on the planet I would happily sleep with (er, too much information) is also a really good actor who rarely to never disappoints.  (Note to self: time to re-watch “12 Monkeys”) 

And, as with “Big Fish”, the themes running through the film about aging, family, memory and love all resonated heavily.  (And there were a couple scenes, especially near the end, that caused the waterworks to be turned on for the person sitting next to me too. )

Anyhow, I have a feeling that if we watch a movie tomorrow, it'll probably be about…death and dying and memory and love and family.  Hmm, now where's my copy of “Ghost”?

(Oh, one last Benjamin Button thought – I'd love to see the very similar “Time's Arrow” get a film adaptation someday.  One of my favourite novels of all-time which I highly recommend to everyone.)