And the countdown continues in my quest to watch and find something inspiring in every single one of Yahoo’s 100 Movies to See Before You Die. Today, two of my absolute favorites.
Rose: I believe you are blushing, Mr. Big Artiste. I can’t imagine Monsieur Monet blushing.
Jack: He does landscapes.
First things first: This movie holds up in HD, friends. We watched it a few weeks ago, and it’s still amazing. The set, the CGI, the costumes. Kate and Leo still have that chemistry. The tear-jerking scene at the end where Rose dies, the Titanic is reconstructed to its original state and Jack is waiting for Rose at the clock and everyone claps … ahhh. Yes, everyone was skeptical of James Cameron and “Avatar.” But I always said, “Remember ‘Titantic’? Everyone said it wouldn’t recoup the money spent on it, and it was huge.” And I was right. Sometimes you have to put a lot on the line — your money, your reputation — to make something great, and that’s inspirational.
Mia: Don’t you hate that?
Vincent: What?
Mia: Uncomfortable silences. Why do we feel it’s necessary to yak about bullshit in order to be comfortable?
Vincent: I don’t know. That’s a good question.
Mia: That’s when you know you’ve found somebody special. When you can just shut the fuck up for a minute and comfortably enjoy the silence.
Oh, Tarantino. I remember when I saw this movie in the theater, and how taken I was with the nonlinear storyline and witty dialogue. First a restaurant robbery, then a hit on a few surfers, a boxer on the take, a royale with cheese, a dance contest, a wallet that says “bad motherfucker” on it, a heroin overdose, a “miracle” … and so on. The acting is superb, with John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Eric Stoltz and Bruce Willis on top of their games. But mostly I was smitten by Uma Thurman’s character. She had style, and I’ve often sought to emulate that coolness. There is a lot to draw inspiration from in this film, but I’ll mention the thing that changed my life: the soundtrack. In particular, surf music. I became a fan of it that day in 1995, and to this day when I hear “Comanche” I’m reminded of the noir mood of this film and for a moment I can pretend I’m just as cool as Mia Wallace.
