Movies

So it dawned on me, I took a little break from the movie watching world. The last movie I saw prior to last week was Iron Man in the theater. That would mean that my last movie viewing experience was last summer sometime, whenever that movie came out. I am not sure what inspired me to want to go see that flick, perhaps my childhood love of the Stan Lee stories- Iron Man, Spider-Man, and Daredevil were my pre X-Men favorites. Once I became aware of the X-Men, I continued with the others, but I wasn't faithful- my love was for the mutant school and their wise bald leader. I mean, I was a hormone filled teenager and the X-men had Rogue. And the X-men had Storm. And the X-men had Wolverine. Curves, control, and adamantium claws- just what every teenager is looking for.
So anyway, I went to see Iron Man way back when and my goodness, what can I say. It was dazzling. It was high energy. It was fast talking. It was witty. It was obnoxious. It was explosions. It was propaganda. It was America baby! Apparently it was all the movie one man could ask for because it seems to have tided me over until mid-January of 2009. Not bad Robert Downey Jr., Not bad at all.
But after a long hiatus I made my return to the movie viewing world with two films in two nights. One entitled Lars and the Real Girl, and another called Bigger, Stronger, Faster. Wow. What can I say. Apparently I found the Iron Man antidote. These movies were in some sense everything that Iron Man wasn't. And for that, I am so thankful. The First is an immensely touching comedy about a man and his imaginary girl friend and a community that welcomes her, because of their love for him, into their fold. So well written, so heart-warming, and so thought provoking. I really loved it. The next flick- Bigger, Stronger, Faster is a documentary about steroid use in America. It is done in a subtly funny way and the creator does a nice job of really presenting several perspectives and angles. It really turns into an exploration of American cultural values. A valuable movie on a few levels in my opinion.
So all in all, it was a wonderful return to the world of movies. The antithesis to my last viewing experience- like going from cotton candy on a shit stick, to a lovely basket of freshly picked strawberries and an apple right off the tree.