I have decided to dedicate this week to love and romance, but, because I don't have my own Valentine (besides my sea captain who is far away at sea), I had to figure out a slightly more creative way to introduce those topics into my daily life.
So this week my blog is devoted to LOVE. Red, capital-lettered love in all of it's varying forms.
I thought I would start by watching a different romantic movie every single night this week... but not just any romantic movies. None of your Hugh Grant, Meg Ryan, Reese Witherspoon sugar-sweet sap... only movies that really and truly melt the ice from my cold, dead heart and make me feel that true love really does exist.
So first up we have Secretary starring Maggie G and The Spades!
You guys, I love this movie so hard. It is EVERYTHING Fifty Shades of Grey aspires and fails to be.
First of all, I will preface by saying I am not myself someone that identifies as a BDSM enthusiast/participant so my ability to talk about this in a knowledgeable way is somewhat limited, BUT I do know some people who are, and they are across the board very, very normal and fantastic people. These are the type of people you stand in line with at the bank on a daily basis, and they have healthy, loving relationships with their partners. They are not Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele (barf me to death).
The plot of this movie is pretty straightforward: Mousy, fragile young woman (Maggie G) takes a job as a secretary to a tyrannical attorney (The Spades) and they enter into a BDSM sub/dom relationship.
But here is what I love about it... it's a LOVE story that just happens to have BDSM! Which I think is pretty revolutionary! In most movies about submissive/dominant relationships the focus is on the sex, and in most cases it is handled as a scary, dark thing that corrupts and takes people down destructive paths. In this movie the writing and acting do such an amazing job of showing how this type of relationship can be incredibly empowering. It shows that two people can be loving and tender while still flogging each other with a riding crop.
The thing is that the main character Lee (Maggie G) is incredibly fragile when we first meet her. She has just left a mental institution where she was sent because of her self-harm habit and sent home to a very unstable environment. Her boss E. Edward Grey (The Spades) recognizes this sadness and fragility and instead of breaking her down (hello Christian Grey!) empowers her to ask and seek for what she wants... for what is best for her. It's really beautiful to watch.
This is my absolute favorite scene in the movie. It happens right before their sexual/romantic relationship begins, and I think you can really see exactly what I'm talking about above. PLEASE watch the entire 5 minutes... it's so beautiful and sweet and amazing... and kind of sexy too.
I love how at the beginning of the scene Mr. Grey looks so predatory... like the big, bad wolf waiting to eat her up, and then the second he admits he is shy his body language changes. He becomes soft and vulnerable and tender. And then the strength and steel comes back at the end, and it is absolutely what she needs. She needs both... the vulnerability and the strength.
The other really strong point of the movie is that it establishes that these two were absolutely meant for just each other... it's not just that they have the BDSM thing in common... you walk away knowing that they are absolutely soul mates. I just love that.
So I really can't recommend this movie enough... some of the actual BDSM scenes are a little cartoonish, but they never detract from the tender message behind it all.
And as a little something extra, here is a poem about Little Red Riding Hood that really reminds me of this movie (lots of great, not so subtle references to Little Red Riding Hood in the movie... I think Lee actually wears a red cape at one point and the office is very green and shadowy like a forest... great art direction in the movie as well!). It's from Joseph Gordon Levitt's hitRECord website and is written by user JulesKD.
But What If I Want To Be Eaten
"I see you have fine taste," the Wolf said, eyeing my basket of flowers, "step off of the path, if you'd like to, and we'll while away a few hours."
"Don't do it!" the Huntsman cried out, "Think of your honor, your virtue! He's a jerk, you don't know any better. Come with me, and I never will hurt you."
A typical Nice Guy, the Huntsman: his aim is to own and defeat me "Wolf," I said, "you want what I want, so get on your knees then, and eat me."
I have become one of those pretentious assholes who drinks tea. Congratulations to me. And I've been sucking this stuff down like it is mother's milk.
2. Anna's Ginger Thins
And everyday when I'm being a pretentious asshole, I am usually dunking these delicious gingerbread cookies into my tea. Really good, you guys.
3. This mug
This is my new pretentious asshole tea mug. Or it will be when it arrives. There's just something about a deer smoking a pipe next to the word 'tits' that makes me happy.
4. The Hobbit
I'm currently in countdown mode for Nerd Christmas (aka the day The Hobbit movie comes out in theaters), and in the meantime I'm drinking a lot of tea while re-reading this. It's just as good as you remembered it.
5. This short film/play
This is Sea Wall by Simon Stephens, starring Andrew Scott (of Sherlock/Moriarty fame). I hesitate adding this to this flippant list, to be honest, because this film (and my feelings about this film/play) deserves it's own epic blog post. But if you find yourself with 30 free minutes and a desire to have your heart ripped out of your chest, kicked around the floor, and then gently placed back into your chest so that you will find yourself for days afterwards thinking about life, and God, and love, and the sea, and what everything you've ever thought about those things means.... well then maybe go here and rent or purchase it (it is only available to view online). Major feelings ghost material, you guys.
- watched 4 movies
- walked outside and got the mail
You guys, I watched 4 entire movies on Saturday. No fast forwarding through the boring parts or anything. I also read a bunch (A Storm of Swords... soooo good, you guys. Not-so-spoiler alert: Next season on Game of Thrones, Danaerys is going to become even more of a bad ass).
First I watched a movie called Daydream Nation. I decided to watch it because it starred Kat Dennings and I think she is pretty.
It was just okay. Interesting enough that I kept watching, but didn't exactly blow my mind with awesome-ness.
Then I watched The Town. Because HELLO... Ben Affleck, Jeremy Renner, AND Jon Hamm in one movie.
Again... just okay and not blowing my mind with awesome-ness. I liked it though.
Then I watched The Switch with Jennifer Anniston and Jason Bateman.
It was cute, but, again, just okay. The little kid in the movie that plays Sebastian was just stupidly adorable though. And there was some good dialogue between Jason Bateman's character Wally and Sebastian. This was probably my favorite scene:
Sebastian: Do you ever get scared that you could have Parkinson’s disease?
Wally: Not specifically Parkinson’s, but I’m not going to lie, I’ve had my bouts with hypochondria.
Sebastian: What’s that?
Wally: That’s thinking you have diseases that you don’t really have.
Sebastian: Oh my God. I have that.
The last movie I watched absolutely did blow my mind with awesome-ness. It's a Belgian film called 'Bullhead' starring Matthias Schoenaerts.
This one isn't lighthearted and cute. I love when a movie, or really, a character haunts you for days after you watch a movie or read a book. This character is haunting. It's just a really great physical and emotional performance. I highly recommend it.
You guys, I wasn't really planning on seeing The Avengers.
But now I'm thinking I definitely maybe should go?
This weekend I got my first book for my reading the 50 greatest books project. I'm starting at #50 with Tom Jones and working my way to #1 over the course of the next 7,000 years (approximately).
Who knew a biography of Tom Jones was such an important and influential book? I didn't.
I also bought myself this t-shirt to wear during my Euro viewing activities this summer:
Those are the names of the core Spanish National Team. I will be the nerd wearing this.
Although, if I had my choice it would be a t-shirt with just this motherflippers face and torso emblazoned on it:
In other news, I am .2 lbs away from reaching my next 10% weight loss goal. I probably would have reached it if I hadn't eaten 15 chocolate cookies this weekend. Very exciting, though! I'm at the lowest weight I have been in like 3 years. Huzzah!
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