Friday, January 10, 2014

Fantasy Friday: Make a Date with Walter Mitty

I was supposed to write this post last week but I didn't get a chance to.  Oops!
One of the things I wanted to *try* and start doing for the blog was getting it to a place where there was a little more structure - like maybe having a theme day (not like Gif Party Wednesdays) but more like Fantasy Friday.  But this Fantasy Friday would be a little different.  It wouldn't be like the old incarnation of what it used to be - with the day being dedicated to sexy photos for one hot actor / musician every week.  No - it would be that PLUS other fantasy things like photo shoots that would evoke thoughts of fantasy or movies that bring that element out.

So - for the first revamped Fantasy Friday, I wanted to talk about a film that's getting weird reviews: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.


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I saw this film with my Dad and my old man before the New Year and I had a moment of clarity that I had never achieved before.  I mean, it was that deep for me because:
1.) I'm looking to shake up my life as much as Walter is
2.) One of my resolutions is to travel more this year
3.) I'm seeking for the meaning to my life - very much like Walter
4.) My new birth control is making me even more emotional than normal


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Let's start with this: say what you will about Ben Stiller but I have mad love and respect for him as a director.  I LOVE when he's behind the camera.  I mean, The Cable Guy, Zoolander, Tropic Thunder...and now, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.  He has a clear vision and he does great things with text.  Granted, I would love more textual elements in the style of J.J. Abrams (because it's aesthetically pleasing to me) but I LOVED the sequence where Walter starts his actualized journey to Greenland.  It's lovely.  It made me cry.  I'm not giving anything away by telling you this, by the way - you see the beginning of the journey in the trailer (the slow motion run in front of past Life covers with Walter on the cover in an astronaut helmet).  The text elements for the sequence are beautiful and the song selection is already a tear-jerker for me (in certain situations, of course).  Basically, that whole sequence is so thoughtful and so beautiful and so meaningful that I was a crying mess during the whole thing.  That might be #4 on my list above's fault but you know what?  I don't care.

I had a major realization watching this film and even though it sounds like a weird, abbreviated male version of Eat, Pray, Love (or as I like to call it Rich People Problems), I relate more to this story than most things lately and I don't care who knows it.  This film is great and I encourage EVERYONE to see it.  My Libra Sun and Moon were both crying at how this spoke to them because, as we may or may not know, Libras are dreamers and this movie speaks to all the dreamers out there.

See it and let me know what you think of it!

Happy Friday!

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