The Fall

There are a lot of things going on.
Since I last posted:
Starbucks transitioned to Christmas (or half transitioned. We're brewing "thanksgiving blend". Christmas blend comes in about twenty days.).
I was sick for five days.
I got over being sick just in time to watch us get a new President. I cried a little and got laughed at a little. I am thrilled.

Now comes the decision about what to do with my HOPE posters. I always intended to take them down if Obama was elected because I am not one to have pictures of a government figure up in my house. Unless it is in jest, I suppose. I would definitely have pictures of government figures up in my house in jest. I am that kind. I suppose he was always a government figure as well, albeit a minor one. But now! Now he is a major government figure and I should take the posters down. However, the posters have morphed a little and one now boasts the head of Samuel L. Jackson, and this is hilarious and a glorious display of my own cleverness. If I take down the other two, this third does not make sense. But if I leave up the other two I look like a fanatic. I've always liked the posters a lot. That may be understating it. I harbor a secret love for these posters, but not necessarily because of who they are representing. Many people have not liked them so much, saying they looked like communist leader posters, which is unnerving for some reason, or that its audacious to attach the word "hope" to someone other than Christ. I would be thrilled if they looked slightly more like communist propaganda, and especially if they had some sort of non sequiter face attached. Like Paul Bunyan. Or Kierkegaard. Or Dame Maggie Smith. I think I would absolutely, with no reservations or secrets, love those posters. Hence the transition to Samuel L. I used to tell people that I wished they had three different faces on them; Barack Obama, Samuel L. Jackson, and Morgan Freeman. That would make them perfect in my eyes.

That is not what I wanted to talk about. Not it at all.

What I wanted to talk about was a movie.
When I was sick this last week my friend Justin graciously loaned me his copy of season one of Pushing Daisies. It pretty much saved my sanity. I would suggest Pushing Daisies to pretty much any and everyone. If you like pretty, fanciful, Witty, amusing, heartwarming television full of whimsy this is the show for you. Its fantastic. Rarely do I suggest television as there are so many other lovely and constructive ways to spend your time and interact with the world but in this case I make a suggestion.
To get to the point, Pushing Daisies stars the incredibly talented Lee Pace. In searching through his career I discovered a reference to the film "The Fall" which came out this past summer but which nobody ever heard about. I was intrigued. We rented "The Fall" and watched it two evenings ago. I will try to explain.

Quite simply, there are things in life that encourage you simply because the exist. Leaves that change colors and swirl; hot oatmeal on cold mornings, Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger, laughter, when you can see your breath, etc. These are things that, though small and seemingly insignificant, you live for; things that make life worth it. I would argue, and please do not think me over dramatic, that The Fall belongs on this list. The very fact of its existence makes life slightly more worthwhile.
It is a huge, sweeping film in which the lines between fantasy and reality are very clearly drawn but in which the story wavers back and forth. Its beautiful, sad, glorious, hilarious, and intense.

There are a lot of things that I want to say about it, but wont because I want you to watch it and love it on your own. Please do. Its rated R for some undisclosed reason. Absolutely undeserved.

After we were done watching it my roommate (who has been trying to get me to watch The Rock for a while now) looked at me and said,
"Well, if you loved this you'll love The Rock. Its all about stunts too."
"Stunts!?" I said incredulously, "You think this movie was about stunts?!?"
"Lots of them, yes." He said.
"Were we watching the same film? It was about love," I said. "And courage, and self knowledge!"
"Love and stunts are like two sides of the same coin." TJ offered.
"Yeah," Said Kris, "Toss it up, catch it when it comes down. Whats it going to be? Love? Cool. Stunts? Awesome."
"Two sides of the same coin." TJ said.