Brain movie cleaning

[veronica_rich]

(Ha! It'll be a short post!)

I actually was able to leave the APARTMENT today and like meet human beings and DO things. (Living in a small town and new place sucks monkey balls for meeting people who share your interests, especially when you're single, nearing 40, and not overly fond of everyone else's small children. I don't hate them; I think they're fine in measured doses, but as I've said many times before, I already put in my maternal time toward the younger sister, and that's quite enough for one lifetime.) I went to not one, but TWO movies, including AWE again because a co-worker and her daughter wanted to see it a second time before it leaves the local theater for good.

I had a thought about the arc of all three movies. It's been noted that Elizabeth seems to have the "kiss of death" - every man she kisses ends up dying. But someone else quite correctly pointed out recently that everyone who touches Will's sword seems to end up dead, as well. Not to mention, every ship Will sets foot upon ends up sinking at some point. I find myself wondering if it's NOT Elizabeth's fault at all - that perhaps Will transferred a "touch of death" by kissing her (since he is the first person she kisses in the movies) and she's been passing it on since. That maybe his "touch of destiny" has been infiltrating nearly every facet of his life since he was young (or even born?) and that touch is, in fact, Death itself? (Who knows, maybe this is the real reason Jack wasn't allowed to kiss Will in the final cut of the movie - because the filmmakers didn't need him dead again.) I'd be curious to know Elizabeth's track record before Will - surely he can't be the first man who kissed her romantically, at her age and social experience level. Even if the others were fairly chaste, they would qualify.

beldar, the_dark_snack, and I then went this evening to see "1408", which was very similar in many respects to "Secret Window," another Stephen King-adapted movie. It's a writer estranged from his wife, mostly over a dead child (there was the hint of a miscarriage or dead baby in "SW" prior to the affair and breakup), unable to write anything good any longer, seeking inspiration in cynicism and ending up in solitary circumstances, going crazy. Scary images, lots of navel-gazing masked as horror, but older!John Cusack manages to carry it off well.

Best line of the movie, spoken by the otherwise polite and well-mannered hotel manager played by Samuel L. "Cool" Jackson: "The room is fucking evil." I could watch Cusack and Jackson argue names out of the phone book for two hours, alone. And posh!Jackson with his suits and expensive little scotch tumbler is a joy.

Comments

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Barring the fact it's Disney, I figured all along the whole reason he agreed to Will is that besides Norrington, nobody else would have her. And this may be even before her abduction - Elizabeth is 20 years old and has only one prospect that her dad is pushing rather hard. Now I understand a commodore would be very successful, but honestly, if he had ties in London - as a politician would - the proper thing would've been to debut Elizabeth in London (staying with relatives or a trusted older female chaperone) to seek a husband. The fact he can't seem to marry her off - or she won't BE married off - suggests that despite all evidence we see to the contrary, Elizabeth's really more trouble than she's worth from an average society bachelor's POV.

[venusinchains.livejournal.com]

"Elizabeth's really more trouble than she's worth"
Amen to that. And I do agree with you - but, again, I think it's likely that Papa Swann wanted to keep her near (and was either not bothered or happy - to some degree - with her impossible nature on that front).

In that case, Norrington makes sense as his first choice. Papa Swann knew him well (or, for a long time, at least) and trusted him. It makes me wonder if Papa maybe maneuvered Norrington (arranging "dates" or "chance" meetings - far more significant stuff, I suspect, than the occasional, and obvious, stylish dress and corset) in the hopes that he'd form an attachment to Liz and propose. (And don't try to tell me Papa Swann is too nice for that. Father's - and mothers - are capable of much deceit in the sometimes unconscious effort to keep children - and grandchildren - within their power.)

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

You don't have to tell me about grandparental deceit - my dad's mother is an expert at it and has been for thirty-some-odd years ...