Cameron H.

I just finished. And I just wanted to say: I’m team SaraK Yeah, Jamie shouldn’t have cheated, and yes, Cathy didn’t do anything wrong, but, much like La La Land, I didn’t really feel like this was a “he’s wrong/she’s right” type of love story. It’s a story about starcrossed lovers. For me, it’s about how love and passion are great, but ultimately, outside influencers can make or break a relationship. You see, I disagree with the idea that Cathy and Jamie weren’t equal. Hell, Cathy might have been even more talented than Jamie. But that doesn’t matter. It’s not about talent; it’s about success. Jamie literally has success thrust upon him. He didn’t even submit the the manuscript that gets him published! He even says (if he’s being honest, which I have no reason to doubt) it was a weak, second draft. He never experiences any kind of set back, so from his perspective, he doesn’t recognize that his success has almost nothing to do with effort. In regard to their respective success and failure, he’s looking at it from an unrealistic point of view. In passing, he says it’s happening “too fast,” but really, he doesn’t have any experience to really recognize that what’s happening to him is essentially a miracle. Basically, his guide to success is “If you want something, you just do it once and you get it. And if it doesn’t happen for you, then must not have really wanted it.” This is why he comes off so tone deaf with Cathy. It’s also how he treats his entire relationship with Cathy. (“We want this thing, then all we have to do is love each other and everything will work out and it will be awesome.”) Cathy sees things from a more pragmatic point of view. She’s very shrewd. She knows what she wants, she’s talented, she works hard, but she also recognizes that there are other things in play - things that have nothing to do with talent. So after a hard day’s work at a shitty job, it’s difficult for her to sit and listen to her uber-successful husband tell her her problem is that she’s not trying hard enough. (“I know you’re brilliant and talented. So am I. Therefore, if I’m super successful and you’re not, the problem has to be with you. Here. Let me give you advice...”) Is it mansplainy? Eh....maybe. Although, I feel like it’s coming from genuinely loving place. If anything, I’d say it’s more success-splaining. He really isn’t in a position to be giving anyone advice as he is incapable of seeing that everything he’s achieved is based almost entirely on a stroke of luck. And, again, contrasting with Jamie, what’s happening to Cathy and her career is how she views their relationship. For her, relationships are work. And from her perspective, he’s not pulling his weight. She’s also discovering that settling for the shadow of a dream (I.e Ohio instead of Broadway) can be almost worse than not achieving it at all. And, of course, this is reflected in their marriage as well. And, yes, it’s easy to say “she doesn’t need to go to parties that make her feel bad,” and that’s true, but if it were me, I would hope my wife would want to be with me. If people were throwing parties in your honor, wouldn’t you want your husband/wife/girlfriend/boyfriend with you? I mean, if they really don’t want to go, and you have to go, then whatever. But no matter how successful a person gets, they’re always going to want share their achievements with the people they love the most. I don’t think that’s crazy. Yes, she has a valid reason for not wanting to go, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t disappointing or hurtful. I mean, I don’t particularly like going to parties either, but if people were throwing a party for my wife, one party or one hundred, it wouldn’t matter, I would 100% be there. The problem for Cathy and Jamie is that at that point in the movie, their ability to effectively communicate has fully metastasized. So, no, I’m not going to excuse his cheating, and yes, he’s self-centered, but personally, I think it is a little more complicated then just “he’s a dick.”

Aww...bummer. https://www.yahoo.com/news/flower-drum-song-author-c-y-lee-dead-213116244.html

Okay, a bit of a snafu. It looks like The Wicker Man isn’t readily available on any rabbit-able platforms. It is, however, currently on Cinemax’s add-on subscription. Unfortunately, I don’t have Cinemax and I’ve already used up my free trial Does anyone have Cinemax or is anyone willing to get a Cinemax free trial so they can host? If not, we may need to move on to the next movie - which looks like Punisher: War Zone (although, if I’m being honest, I’d be willing to it and go straight to I Know Who Killed Me)

Yes, on DVD. But I’ll rent it for Friday.

I’m cool for hosting, btw.

Got it!

Cinco chose Piya Behrupiya which was in front of an audience and a lot of us watched the live version of Rent when Cinco picked that one as well.

I'm really looking forward to this one

I’m keeping that shit

I've got about 45 mins left on The Last Five Years, but I'm predicting an extremely happy ending. I'm not wrong, right?

Just about totally in the weeds this week. I’ve got the movie ready to go, but I’m not sure when I’ll actually have time to watch it. Cinco, would you mind creating the thread for us tomorrow? I would appreciate it.

Does anyone own this already?

Feb 8 is probably better for me, but I can make either or

For the record, I think Paul is perfect for Cosmic Ghost Rider

I don’t know! My first thought was Allen, though.

Oh wow! Jason was cast as a voice actor in the upcoming, animated show Invincible - a comic I loved. This is important news! Why am I just learning about this now?

I used to feel that way, too. But I’ve moved far too often.

Oh, personally, I have no problem with a superhero movie getting a nod. I just don’t feel like I have seen one that’s *that* good yet. That being said, if BP is the first, that’s fine. It’s worthier than most.

That's my thing to. I like plenty of movies that don't necessarily deserve awards. I'm sure all the nominated movies are just fine, but they don't necessarily bring anything new to the table in terms of film making. I liked Crazy Rich Asians and Hearts Beat Loud much more than Black Panther, but I don't think they deserve awards either. I mean, yes, maybe, in a shallower pool. Maybe this just suggests that 2019 wasn't a great year for cinema... It's kind of the opposite of how I feel about some of the movies on the AFI list. There are a number of movies on the AFI list that I don't necessarily like, but I can see why they should be included. A big one might be 2001. Based on technical achievement and influence alone, I feel like it deserves its slot, but I don't necessarily find it the most enjoyable movie to watch.

Me too

Yeah, I’d give it Top 10 for sure. I just feel like there were better movies last year (at least )

I'm a bit dubious of Black Panther myself. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely loved it, but I don't know if I'd call it Oscar worthy (whatever that means these days). I haven't seen any of the other films, but based on all of your Letterboxd reviews, I'd say those were pretty questionable picks. I guess, out of all of them, BP would be my pick, but I really feel like there were better movies last year.

I still have far too many books, but something that helped me cull them, at least a little, is Kindle having a lot of classics available for free due to public domain. The formatting isn't always great on these editions, but it helped make some difficult decisions easier. Mostly, I kept my hardcovers and signed editions and got rid of all of my paperbacks.