MAAAAAH FACE

Days in Paris

The ladies of the Penthouse and I watched the movie 2 days in Paris the other day, and we really enjoyed it.  At first I was hesitant, the cover looked a bit too colorful, and the reviews a little too forced, but we were looking for a comedy because The Diving Bell and the Butterfly looked a little too- how you say- "heavy", for a night after a full day of work. 

The female lead, Marion, is a photographer and one of the cameras she uses is a polaroid. I'm newly obsessed with taking polaroid pictures (check out this project everyday polaroid) after a. Frankenhoodie gave me my own polaroid and b. I found a Polaroid Land  Camera.  -brief side note on my land camera. . . I found it in the famous St. Ouen Marché des Puces after mentioning that morning that I really wanted another polaroid (vintage, because I'm lame) and just after going through the market we came upon it at the last stand for a mere 15 euros (I haggled the man down - of course - in FRENCH!) From then on I went to purchase the ridiculously expensive film (that makes me feel badass because I have to go buy it at the professional polaroid store) and reworked the battery.  Now the only things that are stopping me from taking amazingly cute photos are grey days and the flash kit that I need to buy. I digress.

-But anyways back to the point. The argument between the couple is that the boyfriend Jack is not the photographer, but is always taking photos as a way to escape from the moment.  Marion notes that if you are behind a camera how can you really see what is happening, you are taking a analytical look at a natural moment.  So what brought this on was the fact that I just uploaded a bunch of photos and I can't help but remark during some of the best times I've had, come the smallest amount of photos. 

When you're in the moment everything is so gloriously wonderful that is doesn't matter if you aren't capturing it with lenses and a memory card, because you don't need to.  The moment you step behind the camera you leave. You leave as you need to steady your hand, check the flash, and get everyone together, but you loose what was really happening and are left with only shadows of what was. 

At this point, I have nearly 2,000 photos on flickr and I wouldn't trade them for anything - because let's be honest, sometimes you need a shadow to give your memory lines to color within. 

Read this really great interview with Julie Delphy about the film.

Purple Violets

Purple Violets: the idea of being the same, but not, and also a wonderful film by Ed Burns. The premise of the movie is 4 friends  find each other after twelve years and they find that they are mere shadows of the color they once were as in Purple and Violet.

It's what we become, each year or interaction adding or taking away from us - from what we want to be or are.  Molding us into something entirely new, but keeping within ourselves, within who we are.  We change and grow, but are never entirely different nor the same.

Everytime I see a friend from my year abroad, I am astonished to see how we are like cookie cutouts ourselves.  We started one way, but after baking came out entirely different.  The 5 years that have left us shadows of our young selves, but now older, open in a different way, but still open. 

I saw one of my closest friends from when I lived in France  this weekend and it was good.  She was the girl who would swim in public fountains with me and leap to a day at the cinema, seeing movie after movie and eating popcorn after popcorn.  You share a lot when you are young and alone.

It felt good to hang out this weekend.  I was totally comfortable, sitting, being and listening.  We biked in the rain for 12 km and it was glorious.  We remarked how we are too old to ride carnival rides without thinking of falling.

Everytime I meet one of my exchange friends, we talk about our year.  We talk about looking back at how terrifying it was.  How it's like living with an ulcer for a year - terrified that you are going to make a mistake and make someone unhappy or that for one mistake they will send you home.  How how much our parents must have trusted us and believed in us to let us go and live in the homes of total strangers.  How independant we became and how dependant we became on each other. That year was defined by so many good things, like the friendship we share and the inherent openness we share, because we know that it's hard to make friends and be alone.   We are now all scattered across the world, and we are; we are so many things.  We are going to be so many things, and connect with so many people, but still we share something, something that is ever the elephant in corner of my mind.

It took special people to decide at that young of age to go abroad alone.  I'm glad they are still in my life.

Be Kind Rewind

I saw Be Kind Rewind tonight. The movie with Mos Def and Jack Black.  I'm not going to lie; I was full out belly laughing through most of it.  In a kind of awkward the Euros aren't getting all the great jokes kind of way- like breaking glass in a funeral.

It was so funny.

The premise being that Jack Black's character is magnetized because of a sabotages attack gone wrong and so he blanks an entire vhs collection of an already doomed rental store.

There were good throwbacks in the movie and hilarious awkward moments.

I really enjoyed it.