House-Sitting

I am house-sitting for my friends Lisa and Andy, who are taking a well deserved vacation to St. Maartin, Virgin Islands. So far they have snorkeled, lounged on the beach and gotten a sunburn. As part of house-sitting duties, they have left in my care two dogs (or as Lisa calls them, their two bitches) named George and Bella. George is the older of the two, a white and gray haired mutt who, believe it or not, resembles Princess Diana if you flips her ears up and make a bun atop her head. She’s very pretty.

Bella is a puppy with heaps of energy and horrible pooping habits. She’s walked three or four times a day and always waits until we get home to go to the Wee pad laid out for her and poop six inches to the left of them. She’s exuberant though and likes to nibble and pull on George’s ear. George stoically allows this and will periodically look up at me with a look on her face that seems to say “Oh: the things I do…” I always nod in agreement.

Andy and Lisa have cable though. Serious cable with lots of movie channels and HDTV to boot. I don’t know how HDTV differs from regular TV. I don’t know the specifics or the technology but the picture is amazing; you can see the splotches on the actor’s skin where the make-up artist has missed a spot. And watching sports on the thing is almost as good as being there. For those of you who’ve never been to a baseball or basketball game live, you should watch at least five minutes of either game on HDTV: you get a sense of the grandeur and intensity and sweat. It’s a great way to see a game. (What you’re missing though is the majesty; and the sounds; and the smells; and the $17 beer.)

I mention the Cable because since arriving at this apartment last Sunday, I’ve slept on average three hours a night because I have no discipline when it comes to movies. I have watched approximately 7 movies in their entirety and fragments of at least 12 others. I’ve also watched four entire episodes of HBO’s new series ‘Big Love’ which chronicles the adventures of a polygamist played by Bill Paxton. It’s a good series. Watch it.

The funny part of all this is I’m watching movies I’ve seen before. I’ve seen them but I can’t stop watching. I’ll turn the TV on, catch a moment or two and I can’t tear myself away. I know what’s going to happen and I know how it’s going to happen but it’s not enough: I want to see it happen. It’s comforting but there’s something more. It’s satisfying to see. It pleases my story sense in a way that knowing what’s going to happen and not seeing it would leave me unfulfilled.

Sometimes I watch and am disappointed because it wasn’t as clever or good as I found it the first time. Sometimes it’s better than I remembered and I catch new things, which make me see it differently. While anything can effect the way I’m experiencing the movie – my mood, my fatigue, my energy level – what its taught me, or helped me to see, is my ability to see things fresh not matter how familiar I think I am with them. It’s nice to know I can still be surprised. It’s nice to know I can be that open.

Highlights from the Week:

• Spiderman II: This was the first film I watched On-Demand. Kirsten Dunst makes me want to be Tobey Maguire just so I can kiss her. (If nothing else, movies should make you fall in love) Sam Raimi delivers the most fluid and weighted action scenes I’ve ever scene. They look and move like you’d imagine a comic book would but have enough heft to make them seem as if they’re happening in our world. It’s a tremendous achievement.

• Before Sunset: This is the sequel to ‘Before Sunrise’; both are directed by Richard Linklater. ‘Before Sunrise’ follows the story of two young travelers, an American man and a French woman, who meet cute on a train, get off that train, spend the night traipsing around Vienna, spout tremendous amounts of bullshit, fall in love, and, before they part, agree to meet in Vienna in six months time. ‘Before Sunset’ picks up ten years later (or is it nine?) in Paris where the young man (Ethan Hawke) is on the last leg of a book tour promoting a book about the night in Vienna. Both movies are literate and their respective cities play a HUGE role in the couple’s interactions. The woman (Julie Delpy) sings a waltz that never fails to break my heart and the way this movie’s subtle build always surprises me.

• Independence Day: Aliens invade the world, bent on annihilating the human race, and with some know-how and good old fashioned gumption, we humans (led by we Americans) infect the mothership with a computer virus and save the day, Forget the scene where the aliens destroy the White House: the highlight of this film for me has always been the scene where the Scientist (Jeff Goldblum) demonstrates the power of the virus by having a soldier shoot a Coke ® can off a long ago captured alien ship. The first time I saw it, I jumped in my seat. Also: if ever aliens try to take control of our big blue marble, Please enlist Will Smith to kick some alien ass. A subversive gem.

• Napolean Dynamite: Imagine waking up one day and realizing that everyone around you, who you previously took for granted, is your support group. And imagine yourself a part of their support group. And imagine everyone happier for it. This is just a great and funny movie.

Excuse me: Bella is arguing with the toilet brush. Gotta go.