Friday, April 29, 2011

Empires in Decline


The phone rings at 10:15 P.M. and it's Michael calling from Santa Fe. He has just left the cinema and knowing I love the talking pictures wants to tell me about the movie he has just seen. He thought I'd like it, too. He has obviously gotten into the movie as he is still carrying the accent that went with it. I claw my way into consciousness (having gone to bed a short while earlier and fallen into a deep sleep) while he proceeds to share, with a heavy accent (Finnish, I believe) the spell the movie had on him. I start giggling because that's what I do when I'm woken up in the middle of the night, which could be any time after I've fallen asleep as far as my brain is concerned. He riffs, I giggle, and that's how it goes. It's sorta like what I imagine talking to Jack Kerouac in the middle of the night would be like minus the alcohol: stream of consciousness on serious and not-so-serious subjects riddled with humorous takes on everything from the economic state of the country to the royal wedding.

These are the opinions that were formed during our exchange:

1. Cate Blanchett is a great actress and beautiful, too.
2. Living in a warehouse in Santa Fe is not the same as living in a warehouse in New York City, thus his procrastination in looking at a possible home/art studio in a warehouse on Agua Fria Street. Decision: don't live anywhere on Agua Fria.
3. America is an empire in decline.
4. Kate Middleton will probably not be wearing an empire waisted gown. Note: Michael is the only man I know who knows that it's not pronounced em-pire, but ahm-peer and he is definitely not gay.
5. Puppies are a handful, but we love them to bits. Michael and one of his wives once owned four Mastiffs. That's right. One of his wives. Four Mastiffs.

Not much else made sense, but it was fun anyway. The riffing and the giggling went on for about forty-five minutes and then it was, "Big hug," and, "Good night."

You know what I love about this?  I have a friend who knows how much I love movies and will always love talking about them, who knows he can call anytime (even waking me up) and it will be okay, who knows I understand how nice it is to have someone with whom we can share our enthusiasm over something, anything, and all from 1500 miles away.

The movie he had just watched?  "Hanna," with Cate, Saoirse Ronan, and Eric Bana, (in the middle of the night I said he was in the movie Zurich, which really was "Munich," and that's how that went). So, here's a link for the trailer. You might want to check it out. It's a spy thriller. It sounded and looks really good, I think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zd4zGt13IE


15 comments:

  1. Hello Teresa:
    What one will accommodate in the name of friendship!! Discussing a film whilst half asleep does, in our view, look like stretching the capacity of friendship to almost the limit but, on the other hand, we can certainly think of more extreme situations which we have borne with resignation as a friend was involved.

    'Hanna' does look very promising and reminds us rather of Salander in the Stieg Larsson Trilogy. And, yes, Cate Blanchett can almost do no wrong in our book.

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  2. I had fun, despite the wake-up. We cut each other a lot of slack, as friends should. I'm not familiar with the Stieg Larson trilogy, only having read About it. Perhaps I should investigate further. Thank you for reading and commenting!

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  3. What a wonderful friend moment. It's like an expected treat. I love friendship like that.....

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  4. Friendship like that is wonderful. I love that you speculated on The Dress, among all the rest of the topics.

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  5. BB, They are the nicest kind, those filled with times such as this.

    Nancy, I love that this wedding has captured people's hearts everywhere. I guess we all need a good fairy tale kinda love to counteract all the stuff going on in the world.

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  6. Luv, luv, luv Cate Blanchett... I've been waiting for this movie to come out & waiting for a review. Think I'll like it, but will wait for a rainy, dreary day to go see it. I have wonderful friends, like your Michael. Visited with one of them last week. We can go months without talking, then pick up the phone or go visit and we start yaking like it was just yesterday. I tend to keep this type of friendship longer (like 30/40 years)much easier than the clingy/needy kind...

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  7. Hi Lynn, Cate is so good, isn't she? Friendships like that are not easy to find, but worth keeping when we do.

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  8. Thanks for the review it sounds like a must see.

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  9. Josh, Yeah, it does sound good, doesn't it?

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  10. I will have to go see the movie. You really MUST check out the Stieg Larsson trilogy. I saw the movies first and then read the books, and I still think they were just incredible. I hear they are remaking the movies again here in the USA but the Swedish ones were better than good!

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  11. Jan, I will check out the trilogy. I love foreign film, so will check out the originals. Thanks!

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  12. For me, I would only allow a person of long standing and proven friendship to interrupt my sleep. I'm thinking Michael must be the same. Then I understand your willingness to share a conversation and the joy he brought to you with his excitement of ideas.
    I like the poster of the movie. Her eyes look like two cold pieces of marble contrasted with the softness of the fur cap, her hair and the molded fabric around her mouth. Interesting.
    Manzanita@Wannabuyaduck

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  13. Manzi, Sometimes friendships are not longstanding (in this case, about four years), but they run very deep for reasons that seem unexplainable in normal friendship terms. This is one that sprang forth from what I call 'ancient recognition.' You know.... :)

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  14. I have my phone on message machine and listen who it is first.Sometimes I hit the sack pretty early.I don't follow a pattern for time other than when tired go to bed.The movie looks good and like many I enjoy Cate, so that would be a draw to see it.

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  15. Hi Steve, There are people for whom I will always answer the phone, no matter the hour. Sometimes people need to know there is a connection out there and talking about movies is just one way to do this. At that point, speaking strictly for myself, the connection matters more than my sleep.

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