Thanksgiving

Today I was half tempted to spend my time writing an angry rant about how bad the "Get Smart" movie was. I don't know how you can take a bunch of great comedic actors, have a writing credit from Mel Brooks himself (ok so it's only for writing the characters but still), and turn out so completely terrible. But I'm not going to do it, well at least not in depth.

Today is Thanksgiving and on this day I have decided not to bitch more then necessary. Today is the day where we Americans take time to remember what we should be thankful for friends, family, and an abundance of food. On this day we put time aside to reconnect with relatives, spend time with friends, and throw any semblance of a diet out the window for just one day.

I suppose I have failed you in my holiday suggestions this year, for try as I might the only thanksgiving movie I can think to recommend is "Pieces of April." It stars Katie Holmes, and for once I actually really liked her performance. Katie Holmes isn't playing her usual goody-two-shoes type of role, she is kind of a punk with issues, but somehow she still manages to be completely lovable in this role. The story is basically about an woman who has become estranged from her own family, but decides to throw a big Thanksgiving dinner largely due to the fact that her mother is dying. Everything falls apart and it turns out her oven is broken so she must go around the apartment building begging her neighbors to let her cook a few things in their oven. Despite all of this there is a lot of humor in the movie, and it has a wonderful quirky cast of characters. Most of the funny moments come from Aprils Mother (brilliantly played by Patricia Clarkson) who is dying of cancer and the old grandma with Alzheimers. Granted I haven't seen many Thanksgiving films but I love the way this represents a dysfunctional family, that despite differences still loves each other.

So in an uncharacteristically sappy moment, I want to give thanks to all the people who helped to make film what it is. To the Lumiere Brothers for being true pioneers of the cinema, and for opening the first actual movie theater. For the brave souls who believed that sound would be more then just a passing trend in film. "The Jazz Singer" may not be a very good movie, but who can forget it's first spoken lines and indeed the first spoken lines in all of cinema

"Wait a minute you ain't heard nothin yet"

For the people that painstakingly painted film frames to let us view the screen in color for the first time. For all the technicians who developed greater technology and changed the industry, for all the visionary directors, the talented actors, brilliant composers, and everyone else who makes film possible. Thank you

Film allows us to visit far away lands, to better understand foreign cultures, to see the world in a new view. A good movie can change someones life, or spark the imagination. Film can let us escape our lives for a little while into a wonderful world of fantasy. Or they can finally allow us to feel catharsis so that we can better express and understand ourselves.

I think in many ways film unites us. How many times have you bonded with someone over a favorite show of movie, how many times have you been able to get someone to smile or laugh just by repeating a good line from a movie. We don't think about it but going to the movie theater is kind of a magical experience. There you are sitting in a room full of strangers. And despite never speaking to one another, despite coming from different backgrounds, for that hour and a half you are all experiencing the exact same thing at the exact same time. For that small moment you and everyone else in the theater are connected.

I'm probably a bit too romantic in my view of film, but that doesn't necessarily mean I'm wrong.

Right now I just want to express my gratitude to film and almost everything that has to do with film. I would also like to express my gratitude to my readers, thank you so much for stumbling upon this silly little blog and giving it a chance.

So to friends, family and complete strangers I love you all and Happy Thanksgiving