Movies

Movies have always stayed with me. Affected me.


Long after a film is over and the credits have scrolled, I'm often still completely caught up in the characters and plot lines of the film.

I remember movies affecting me even as a child.


After watching the Black Stallion for the first time I spent the next two weeks on my hands and knees galloping around the house like a horse.


I was intelligent enough to realise that behaviour like that at school would land me in the nut house so I didn't do it at school. I don't think. But apparently I was not intelligent enough realise that it was far closer to my dream of owning a real horse to identify with the boy in the movie ... not the actual horse.


But, at the time I suppose I was so in love with the Black Stallion that I wanted to be a horse. I wanted to be the Black Stallion.


But I couldn't keep it up for long because it was really, really dorky.


And I got really sore hands and knees.


And after watching Annie I used to dream that some rich man like Daddy Warbucks would come along and adopt me and let me live in his giant house and swim in his giant pool. But unlike Annie, I wasn't an orphan - I had wonderful loving parents - and if some rich old guy wanted to adopt me that would be just a little strange. And probably illegal.


So then I just wanted to sing "Tomorrow" and "Maybe" all the time. Because, who didn't?


I remember being so SO sad after watching Dead Poets Society that I couldn't walk out of the movie theatre. That movie ripped my heart out. And it made me want to go to a boarding school and wear tweed and ride a bike down a big hill and scare away birds and act in a Shakespearean play.


The Princess Bride turned me into a hopeless romantic. Forever.


And seriously, was there a kid alive on the planet who didn't want to learn Karate after watching the Karate Kid?


My brothers and our cousins would have Karate fights for hours on end after watching that movie. Untrained, unsupervised, full on Karate battles. And I wasn't "in" on the action because I was a girl so I was jealous and acted it out in my room. Yeah, I sure did.


And I still want to learn Karate.


But I'm not sure what's more idiotic. Running around the house as a child on my hands and knees pretending I'm a horse, or signing up for adult Karate classes.


Seriously ... some ships just have to sail, you know what I mean?


But I am taking Jackie Chan to see the "new" Karate Kid (ha ha ha ...) and because I know he's going to want to do Karate after he sees it I've been keeping my eyes open for a place he can learn (ya know, around other people, not in front of his bedroom mirror).


So today I saw a place. A cute, small, authentic place. Complete with a dude that looked exactly like Mr. Miyagi - no joke - and I swear there were bonsai trees. OK. Perhaps the bonsai trees were figments of my imagination.


But my little Jackie Chan's excitement was real. He's totally gonna rock at Karate.


AND ... if that wasn't enough "movie magic" for one day ...


Jackie Chan and I went to see the Harry Potter Exhibit at the Science Centre today. I know I was like a hundred years old when the first Harry Potter movie came out, but I tell you the truth - I didn't breathe the first time I watched that movie. I was hooked from the first frame.


So I can honestly say that I got a little choked up at the exhibit.


Like choked.


It was so cool.


And I'm obviously a total nerd.


But whatever.


At least I wasn't galloping around on my hands and knees.


I'm fully aware of not crossing lines anymore.