Lily Java

Movie Sound Bites (MSB) are real conversations after the flick.  For a more in-depth description of MSB or it’s cast of characters click and read this first: What are LJ’s Movie Sound Bites?

Cast of Characters:    LJ —  Blogger, Mom, Baby Boomer, and Movie Addict; Ms. Z. — High School Junior and would be actor; Ms. H. — High School Junior and film student.

Warning there may be spoilers if you read any further.

LJ: (As we exit the theater bathroom) So, what’d you guys think?

Ms. Z.: (looking wide-eyed and a bit piqued) Well, I’m scarred for life.

LJ & Ms. H.: (Laughing)

LJ: No, really Z.  What did you think?  Did you like it?

Ms. Z.: Well, it was enlightening.  Educational even.

Ms. H.: Huh?

LJ: Enlightening? How?

Ms. Z.: Now I know I don’t want to go to prom.

LJ: Oh stop, you’ll go to prom.

Ms. Z.: Well if I do go, I sure don’t want to be prom queen.  Too many haters out there.

LJ: How about you H, what did you think?

Ms. H.: It was really, really gory…I liked it!

LJ: HA!  I expected you to be a bit more critical H.

Ms. Z.: She’s only like that during romances.  Then it’s like, (begins to do a funny, pitch perfect impersonation of Ms. H.) “Oh, the camera angles were off.  Camera 3 should have been used more and they talked too much in that scene. Why are they dancing?”

LJ & Ms. H.:  (Laughing)

LJ: Hey what did you all think of Julianne Moore?

Ms. H.: She was really good.

Ms. Z.: Really, really good. Scary.  Man, she can play anything: a sexually confused lesbian gardener with kids, a crazy religious mom who likes to stab herself, anything.

LJ:  She was scary.  When she started coming out of the closet?

Ms. H.: Yeah.

Ms. Z.: (shuddering) Or how bout that first scene giving birth.  Eewwww.  Creepy.

LJ: What did you think of the scarring she did to herself?

Ms. H.: You mean the self-mutilation?

LJ: Yep.

Ms. H.: It was weird the way they did it.  Really intense.

LJ: They did it in that James Spader and Maggie Gyllenhaal film too.

Ms. H.: Which one?

LJ: (only slightly surprised to find herself discussing an s & m film with teenagers) It was called Secretary.

Ms. H.: Yeah well it was good but scary.  She was believable.

Ms. Z.: (definitely ready to change the subject) Hey did they really kill Tommy?

LJ & Ms. H: (Nodding)

Ms. Z.: (a little whiny) But I liked him. They didn’t kill the teacher; they couldn’t let Tommy live?  Are you sure?  Could he really get killed with just an empty bucket?

LJ: For sure.

Ms. H.: It was a metal bucket.

LJ: Besides, head injuries can be serious. Remember Liam Neeson’s wife? Can’t remember her name at the moment.

Ms. H.: What happened?

Ms. Z.: You mean the one who died after skiing?

LJ: Yes, I think she was also Vanessa Redgrave’s daughter or niece.

Ms. Z.: You remember her H, she was the Mom in The Parent Trap with Lindsay Lohan.

LJ: Yes, well she hit the back of her head but felt fine and didn’t see a doctor.  She died at home a few hours later from the injury. A metal bucket to the head in the right place could definitely kill you.

Ms. H.: (after a beat) The special effects were really good.  Dad really liked them.

LJ: Yeah they were pretty cool.  I loved the use of the electric cables as whips.

Ms. Z.: (Gives me the eye roll AND the raised eyebrow) 

LJ: (valiantly looking for the teachable moment) I also really liked the way they used stuff you guys have to worry about now, that I never dealt with, like cameras everywhere.   And your whole life being plastered all over the world.

Ms. Z. & Ms. H.:  (Nodding solemnly) Yeah.

LJ: It’s particularly relevant when you think about that girl who just committed suicide because she was cyber bullied.

Ms. H.: You mean the 12-year-old in Florida?

LJ: Yep.

Ms. Z.: She was 12?  Man, that’s just sad.

LJ: The one thing I didn’t quite believe was the actress playing Carrie in the beginning when she was supposed to be pathologically shy and unattractive.

Ms. H.: Why? I thought she was good.

Ms. Z.: Yeah, me too.

LJ: I think that actress is just too beautiful to pull something like that off.  Neither of you saw the original but you remember the actress who played it right?

Ms. Z. & Ms. H.: (Nodding)

Ms. H.: Yeah she wasn’t beautiful in that way at all.

LJ: Cissy Spacek had an interesting face with those great big blue eyes, but definitely not beautiful in the same way.  Plus she was covered in very real freckles so her wide-eyed bashful thing was just a whole lot more believable for me.

Ms. Z.:  So Mom, did you think the guy who played Tommy was cute?

LJ:  Not really.

Ms. H.: (her turn to be whiny) Why?

LJ: I like the Tommy character a lot but the actor has a look about him that makes him seem a little dim.  You know like Keanu Reeves sometimes has.  Keanu seems kind of smart when you hear him in interviews though.  Being at least a little smart is kind of prerequisite for me to find someone attractive.

Ms. H.: I’ve heard him talk he seems kinda smart to me.

Ms. Z.: Well I think he’s cute but he doesn’t photograph well.  In photographs he looks ratchet.  (Whips out her smart phone to show me ratchet pictures of the actor who played Tommy) But H says he’s going to play Augustus in The Fault in Our Stars.  He’s cute enough for that.  In fact he’s perfect for that.  Can’t wait to see it.