Jack is more or less the king of Halloween, but he senses an emptiness in his life.That’s when he stumbles upon Christmas …and tries to claim it as his own.The movie really doesn’t explore this premise much beyond the basic idea, but it unfolds in gorgeous – now iconic – imagery.And the visuals really are the point of this picture.
[Spoiler Warning:]
And I love that the Boogeyman is defeated when he unravels into nothing – To me it makes a great statement about how a lot of our fears really have no substance to them.
Trailer:
Quotes:
Nice work, Bone Daddy!
I, Jack, the Pumpkin King, grow tired of the same old thing.
Just because I cannot see it, doesn't mean I can't believe it!
You've poisoned me for the last time, you wretched girl!
This year, Christmas will be - OURS!
J-J-J-Jack! But they said you were dead. You must be - double dead!
How dare you treat my friend so shamefully!
together, now and forever. For it is plain, as anyone can see. We're simply meant to be.
Did you know Steve Martin is a best-selling novelist? I didn’t either until I saw this movie based on one of his books.
The story is about Mirabelle, a lonely girl at a nowhere job who suddenly has two men enter her life. Jeremy is a rough-around the edges, clueless kid. Ray is a wealthy, refined gentleman. Mirabelle chooses Ray. But Ray, it turns out, is only looking for someone to have fun with when he’s in town – not a relationship.
Meanwhile, Jeremy listens to self-help books on tape that show him the error of his ways and inspire him to genuinely love Mirabelle for who she is. I thought that was particularly cool – if we’re open to learning, we can find valuable lessons anywhere.
In the end Ray ends up alone, and Mirabelle finds true love with Jeremy – the real man in the story because he really loves her.
One last note, the Jeremy character is hilarious. Jason Schwartzman is an actor I enjoy more the more I see him.
Trailer:
Quotes:
Mirabelle Buttersfield moved from Vermont hoping to begin her life. And now she is stranded in the vast openness of LA. She keeps working to make connections, but the pile of near misses is starting to overwhelm her. What Mirabelle needs is an omniscient voice to illuminate and spotlight her and to inform everyone that this one has value, this one standing behind the counter in the glove department and to find her counterpart and bring him to her.
I'm an okay guy, by the way.
Are you the kind of person that takes time to get to know, and then once you get to know them... they're fabulous? - Yes, absolutely... What?
Hey look at these… ‘How to love a woman.’ You need that one. - What? There’s more relationship stuff. - You’re getting it? Let’s just get them all. We’re on the road till February. -um, ok. Alright? - Alright. Alright? - Alright. Um… I guess I’ll love women now.
Oh hey Mirabelle’s machine. It’s Jeremy. I’m calling you from ‘the road.’ Um, and I was calling to wish you a happy thanksgiving and all that. And… I think I might have ‘objectified you instead of treating you like the unique being that you are.’ And even better, I get to use the roadie from the hot-tier’s cell phone for free, no charge. So I’m calling you for free.
So, I can hurt now, or hurt later.
Here, this is one of my lucky rubber bands. For a rainy day. - Thanks.
I've been reading a lot of books on tape – about getting into the moment. And I think this is the moment. And in the moment, this moment, I think we should kiss. And, um, I’ve stood right here before and I’ve been hurt, I’ve been rejected by you. And I’m going to ask you to kiss me again. And, um, and… Would you just kiss me?
So what made you do all this? - All this what? All this success. - Well you did. I did? How? - Well, you said, ‘Just do it.’ So I did it. Well that’s not very much. - Yeah but… I’ll protect you. …I will.
But Mirabelle, now feeling the warmth of her first reciprocal love, has broken away from him. And as Jeremy offers her more of his heart, Mirabelle offers equal parts of herself in return. One night, sooner than she would have liked, which made it irresistible, they make love for the second time in fourteen months. At this point, Jeremy surpasses Ray Porter as a lover of Mirabelle, because what he offers her is tender and true.
This movie informed much of my thinking when I was a teen. It inspired me to boldly be myself and pursue the things that are truly valuable to me, rather than just what the world tells me I should value.
But its positive message is balanced by its story. We are warned against losing control of ourselves.
Inspiring.
Trailer:
Quotes:
No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world.
Carpe diem, seize the day boys, make your lives extraordinary.
I went into the woods because I wanted to live deliberately. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life... to put to rout all that was not life; and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.
We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race and the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.
The powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?
I stand upon my desk to remind myself that we must constantly look at things in a different way.
Boys, you must strive to find your own voice. Because the longer you wait to begin, the less likely you are to find it at all. Thoreau said, "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation." Don't be resigned to that. Break out!
Now we all have a great need for acceptance, but you must trust that your beliefs are unique, your own, even though others may think them odd or unpopular, even though the herd may go… "That's ba-a-ad." Robert Frost said, "Two roads diverged in the wood and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference."
There is a time for daring and a time for caution, and a wise man knows which is called for.
Sucking all the marrow out of life doesn't mean choking on the bone.
