Seen any good movies lately?

I don't think I'm like most women. I mean, I'd have a closet full of shoes if I could, but I hate going to the mall, I hate spending money, I don't like to talk on the phone, and I really hate to cry. Crying at a movie is one thing, and I couldn't stop crying on 9/11. But in general I'm not one of those females who pulls out the tears to win an argument or anything like that. I like to lose myself in a good movie though, and I do like chick flicks. I'd love to see one. A good movie I mean. In the last few weeks I've watched Firewall (yawn), Cellular (snore), Proof (is this present-time or a flashback scene?), and Brokeback Mountain (what did he say?).

I should mention we only watched Brokeback to see what all the fuss was about, and still can't figure it out. I saw on IMDb that the tagline was, "Love is a force of nature." What a load of crap! There is nothing natural about love, that's what makes it the wonder that it is. Love, (ready? Here is the definition of love,) love is an act of will. Did you get that? Love is a choice, NOT an emotion. You CHOOSE to love someone or not. You choose to put their needs ahead of your own, or not. You choose to put their pleasure ahead of your own, or not. If you consistently choose not, then you don't really love. It really is that simple. It's NOT hearts and strings and floaty things, it's not flowers and candlelight, it's not moonlight and sunbeams. Love is getting your hungry mate something to eat, even when you don't feel like fixing dinner. Love is washing their clothes, even when you don't feel like doing the laundry. Love is filling the gas tank for her so she won't have to do it on her way to work. Loving someone means putting yourself in 2nd place, and there's nothing natural about that.

Whatever Brokeback was about, it sure wasn't love. Lust maybe, but nothing resembling love. (Same as Bridges of Madison County.) I still don't get it, the movie I mean. What was the point? Two guys in denial about their homosexuality? Their deceptions of their wives and children? Their infidelity to their wives? Their infidelity to each other? The scenery was nice. The acting was okay, although Ledger was mostly unintelligible. Was it designed to make the average viewer less homophobic somehow? (Do movies about straight people make homosexuals less hetero-phobic?) Wasn't there a movie a few years ago called, "Same time, next year"? Like in the 70's or something, with Alan Alda? So, what's the difference? People cheating on their spouses repeatedly over years is supposed to be entertainment somehow? I read somewhere that the writer or director of this story (Brokeback) was extremely upset about not getting the Oscar for Best Picture. Aside from the arrogance of such a notion, the movie wasn't worthy of a Best Pic Oscar, IMO.

The best line from the movie Proof, with Gwyneth Paltrow and Anthony Hopkins was when Gwyneth's character was having a conversation with her sister about hair conditioner, and the sister said it made her hair healthy. Gwyneth replied, "Hair is dead, it can't make your hair healthy." The sister got all frustrated, but it's true; hair is dead and conditioner can't make it healthy. I think it's sad that this is the best line I can think of from recent movies I've seen. And I often feel like this character. People say stupid things and if you try to counter with the truth they get frustrated and impatient and blame you somehow, as though their stupidity was your fault. Everybody is stupid about something, but when you try to act like an expert in something you're not, then you're going to look stupid. Far better to admit you know little or nothing about a subject than to make yourself look foolish by acting like you know more than you do.

And that brings to mind the difference between self-proclaimed atheists and agnostics, but it's late and I'm tired, and not really in the mood to start down that path, but I could, and probably will one of these days. For now though, good-night. :)