Even though I'm a ripe 23 years old now, every time I go to the movie theater, it's a thrill. I can't wait to see the previews and when the lights go down I get the same rush I did when I went to see Karate Kid back in the day.
Every once in a while a scene, or a part of a scene, will transcend art or entertainment and cause a reaction so visceral and emotionally pure that I physically get chills. It's difficult to characterize the exact emotion felt, it's more of an exultation of not just watching, but becoming part of a film's reality. I first saw the chill scene concept put into words by the Sports Guy from Espn.com's Page 2, and following his lead here is a list of some of my favorite movie chill scenes:
The Sam Cooke intro and the first Sonny Liston fight from Ali : The first 20-30 minutes of this movie achieve cinematic perfection. I'm convinced of this fact. The footage of Ali training intercut with Sam Cooke performing and with scenes from Ali's childhood sets the atmosphere and captures the feeling of anticipation, of hope and possibility, both in Ali's life and in America at that time. The opening sequence makes amazing use of music, and the fight scene is beautifully choreographed and shot. You can feel the speed of Ali's punches, and really sense the lightness and grace with which he fought. It's a shame (and the subject of it's own pizzle entry) that the rest of movie doesn't live up to the beginning and turned out so unfocused.
The final scene of Three Kings : I wrote about this once on August 22 , but I would just like to reiterate what a stroke of genius it was to use U2's In God's Country at that moment.
Benicio del Toro's "Jesus betrayed me" monologue from 21 Grams : If you weren't convinced of del Toro's greatness after Traffic then you most certainly will be after watching 21 Grams. As an ex-con struggling with his new found faith, del Toro's speech in his jail cell in front of his reverend is absolutely riveting. A lifetime of struggle between a man's inner demons and the ambigous promises of blind faith comes out in del Toro's burning eyes and the venomous conviction in his voice when he points to his temple and says, "Hell? Hell is up here."
The "Tiny Dancer" scene from Almost Famous : Cameron Crowe sums up his love letter to music and its power to bring people together and help them move forward with this very simple scene in which everyone on a tour bus slowly starts singing along to Elton John's 1971 hit. Kate Hudson adds the perfect finishing touch when she responds to young William's desire to go home with, "You ARE home."
There are many, many more, but the late hour prohibits me from giving them the treatment they deserve. I'll probably just make this a running segment and tag one on to future entries. So Stay Tuned!
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Happy Birthdays are due to my homeboy Gautam (he's like 17 now, I think) and my mainest man Russell. Russ's gift this year is to get his site linked from the pizzle!! I know the rest of you are jealous.
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"Love ain't supposed to be this bad,
Make you cry mega ultra sad.
If I told you you're all I ever had
Would you walk on me?
cuz I wouldn't walk on you"
-----Ben Kweller
"You can turn off the sun, but I'm still gonna shine"
----Jason Mraz
"So grab your cups of beer
Put 'em up let's cheer
Here's a toast to all my soldiers who ain't here
This is it my niggaz this what we boast about
Get your bottles homie, pour some out
Now grab your cups of gin
Put 'em up let's win
Here's a toast to never lookin back again
This is it my niggaz this what we boast about
Get your bottles homie, pour some out "
----Obie Trice
Tonight the Israeli military killed Sheikh Yassine spiritual leader of the Palestinian group Hamas. He is one of the most prominent and important figures to be killed by Israel in recent memory, and retribution will surely be devastating. Israel says he led and inspired a number of suicide bombings and terrorist attacks over the years, but apparently overlooked the fact that his death will inspire even more. Kanye West speaks for me in his new single Jesus Walks, "I want to talk to God but I'm afraid because we ain't spoke in so long", but tonight I pray. I pray that the Palestinians can control and focus their anger so that innocent people are not sacrificed, and I pray that Israel sees the error of its ways and ends the violence.
Thursday March 4, 2004:
Russ: Dude, if you don't come to New Orleans, we are no longer friends.
Me (in my head): Ok so what are the pros - weekend o' fun in a city I've never been to before, the Cons - I'm still shacked up in a hotel because my stuff has not arrived from Illinois and its making me anxious, and I'll be pretty damn tired Friday night...(more thinking)
Friday March 5, 2004:
Tangie Wibbels (yes, that is her real name) @3:30pm: Yes, we can delay your move from Saturday to Monday morning.
Me (in my head): HOLLLLAAAA!!!!
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So that settled it, despite the indecision in my head, I knew a chance like this would not present itself for a long time. Why overthink it? I packed my shit, jumped in my rented Chevy Malibu, got onto I-10 and hit the gas (well not really, I had to fight Houston traffic for awhile). I swept through the dark and misty swamps of Lousiana in about 5 and a half hours and despite the best efforts of Russ, actually found my way towards my crew, The New Orleans Eight.
I knew immediately this would be a great weekend. How? I saw Bushra smoking a cigarette, in other words This Girl was already Drizzy. In probably my only responsible move of the weekend, I declined a Hurricane (one of the most efficient ways to get drunk ever) until after a few bites of po' boy. But after that "dinner" all bets were off, and the Big Easy was made our bitch.
Random reflections:
The first thing that struck me about the French Quarter was the stench. That muggy, stagnant, sewage-y aroma we all know and love. We were a rickshaw and a couple of stray dogs away from Dhaka for real.
Despite the Third World ambience, NO definitely has its own seedy charm. It was like a totally uninhibited Vegas party vibe within a 19th century twilight zone time warp. The architecture and mystique definitely adds a special twist to the non-stop party.
If you know whats good for you, dont ever swim in the pool at the Travelodge on the Westbank. Just trust me.
I found out the drunken way, but Taco Bell no longer sells 10 packs of tacos. Damn. I used to love those.
I've now heard it from both males and females, so it's official: I'm a good cuddler.
Somebody, anybody, please find the bartenders in New Orleans some glass shot glasses. Please do this.
If you love food, go to New Orleans and eat, eat, eat, eat ,eat. The cuisine is amazing.
Don't hate on guys clowning around on the dance floor and being a little (ok it was alot) homoerotic. If you can't be homoerotic with your best friends, who can you be homoerotic with? (I'll say homoerotic one more time just to make it even)
I almost felt like I was in Singapore again, just wandering around intoxicated, my sense of adventure piqued, and relentlessly squeezing every ounce of fun that I possibly could out of every moment. Of course I was aided ably in this endeavor by the very best of friends which only made things better.
I said it before, but I'll say it again, Kamal is one of the most sincere people ever. Here's to you bro. And you're probably too drunk to remember me telling you this the first time, but when you do go up to accept your Oscar, you gotta pull that Bangladeshi flag out of your pocket! Also, work on your Gaydar when youre drinking. (those are cheles!!!)
Debbie puts the sweet in sweetheart.
Remember what I said about my Mou Apu back in July? You can pretty much say the same about Bushra, with just a little less inhibition and a pinch of pop culture hipness. When you can love hanging out with someone, but then totally shutup when she scolds you for singing Bangla folk songs too loudly, you know you've got a good combination.
Russ is the only person I know that can seamlessly mix deep insight with really, really, really, really, ridiculously crass humor. But it cracks me up every single time.
I love my bhaiya and my bhabi.
It seemed as if every force in the universe conspired to make it a perfect weekend. The friends, the weather, the music, the food and the "spirits". My abs hurt from laughing for 48 hours straight, and I can't even complain about my mad Red Bull-fueled dash back to Houston at 1 am Monday morning. It was worth every second. So I raise my styrofoam cup of water (yes, I'm still at work) to the New Orleans Eight and toast to a wonderful time, wonderful friends (and family) and to hoping we can do it again soon.
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"Woohooooooo"
---Bushra A.
Do you know the way back to the hotel?
"Yeah, you just go down, then...you go down."
----Kamal A.
"I'm a Jellyfish."
----Russ A.