Writer Vs. Person

Wow, has my down time from writing been filling my head with all sorts of thoughts that beg to be written down! And, this latest thought process is something I just mentioned to Sassy and Pussy Willow in a comment. That being how my brother has been "on me" to be honest about my opinions.

First, I need to explain how our relationship is. We'd been seperated by distance for so many years and now that we're presently living under the same roof, it's awsome to be getting caught up! We are kinda like the brother and sister in 'The New Adventures Of Old Christine'. Close and funny, yet almost boardering on inappropriate. And, when you have that kind of honesty, it's in all of it's sometimes ugly forms.

Now, we agree about a good number of movies. He owns a good few that I either love or had been really wanting to see! But, where we disagree, it's a pretty wide divide. For instance, he just watched 'The Grudge 2' and claimed that it was "all over the place like Spiderman 3 was". WHAT??? I don't get it! How on earth can he compare it with the disasster that 'Spiderman 3' was???? And, for reasons unknown to me, he feels that way about quite a few J-horror films. Though, he does point out that it's only been the last few years that he's even become a fan of horror films. But still, I now hesitate to have him watch the two I just picked up - 'Premonition' and 'Infection'. The latter, by the way, has sealed the deal for me and I now, pretty much want to make all of my films in Japan!

We'd even gotten into a heated debate over the "virtues" of modern horror films. He quoted someone who posted on a forum - "Whatever happened to the good old fashioned "from beyond" kinds of films??". Given that he'd not been all that impressed with 'Hostel', I said - "Well, 'Hostel' could be an example of a "from beyond" film. All of those 50's, black and white science fiction movies were about exploiting the times. They were ultimately about the fear brought on by the cold war. The fear of being invaded by a foreign country and killed. And, even since then horror films and science fiction has continued that trend. They're all about SOMETHING. Some message the filmmaker has for the audience that speaks to something important to everyone." He, of course, disagreed. No matter how I explained that those "from beyond" films were NOT about actual space aliens, he still rolled his eyes and played the screenwriter card!

Now, he wasn't being a pratt, and sincerely believes that my insight into these things is due to my writing background. He honestly believes that how he saw 'Hostel' is how the average person saw it - as a violent film with nudity, sex and pretty much no message about anything. So, I moved on to George Romero's movies. Again, he didn't see the message in those either. Simply a film about flesh eating dead people. Oy.

Now, I don't believe that the audiance is as blind to what I see as obvious. One of my favorite lines from 'Clueless' is when she says - "It's like trying to find meaning in a Pauly Shore film". And, guess what? There is meaning in Pauly Shore films! Whether you like them or not, the under-lying message in all of his films has been that it's better to be true to yourself and honest with the people you love. Even if it's wrapped in a ridiculous package, it's still a good message. I personally love 'Son-in-law'!

So, the on-going debate continues to the point that, before he asks my opinion, he voices the disclaimer - "I'm asking you as a fan. NOT as a writer!". Even last night when he asked if he should skip 'The Grudge 2' special features or watch it that disclaimer was added. After a moment's thought I told him to watch it because it goes into detail about the process of Japanese filmmaking. He said groovy and went off to watch it.

Now, all of this may seem annoying, but it's actually had me take a step back and rethink some of my positions. How often have I been unfair to a film? How often have I seen through the eyes of a writer (who studies film) and let things slide because I liked the under-lying message of the movie? One of my favorite Takashi Miike films is 'One Missed Call' and even I have to admit that it strays. Er, it strays for a good long minute before wrapping itself up! Sure, it's no 'Audition', but being a J-horror fan, I also know a few things about how the films are made there. So, it's dificult for me to critisize when I know that Miike has way less control over his projects than an American director of his status would have!

And, the other up-side to the continuing debate is that my brother is taking a deeper look now. Actually, the other night he discovered a new Miike film that will be released soon called 'Big, Bang Love, Junenile A'. Now, I feel pretty confident that before we came to stay, he wouldn't have given the film the time of day! He would have looked at the descrition (if he even did that!) and dismissed it. Now, though, he's planning to actually watch it. Hey, he may not agree with me on everything, but trusts my judgement enough to give him a shot. As it is, he finds it hysterical that I cannot say the director's name without reaching a pitch that only dogs can hear! Ya, I love him that much and would have his babies!

So, all in all, this has been an interesting time, to say the least and I'll really miss our nightly chats and debates. Maybe I should - instead of looking for a partner that's more like me - look for one who's more like my brother. Once I get past the grossness factor, it could prove to be a good model!