Once About A Time
This morning at 2am one one of Joe's employees called and said that he quit. Since he was supposed to open the store this morning Joe now has to open AND close, so basically he has to work from 9am to about 1am straight. And all this happens just a few hours after he talked to the guy and told him that he was going to do everything that he could to accommodate this guy and make things at work running smoothly for him, whatever it takes.
I understand that these things happen in this line of business all the time, and believe me, this isn't the first time something like this has happened (or something similar at least). But damn it crushes me to see Joe get jerked around so much at his job. I don't want to sound like a mother hen, but I worry about his health constantly, and this job is stressing him to the breaking point, I can just tell. And I feel so helpless. I think that's the worst part -- not being able to do anything myself to make it better for him.
So anyway, I did manage to talk my manager into letting me go a little early last night so that I could attend The Brothers Grimm preview with Joe (turns out she was going herself as well). We ran into Danny in the parking lot and Joe gave him his extra pass so we all sat together with Joe's friend from work and his girlfriend (also saw my manager and her girlfriend a few rows up, and even the guy who works at Trilogy was in the row in front of us with his family -- we said hi).
The Brothers Grimm is about two brothers from back in Napoleon occupied Germany who made a business out of conning uneducated, superstitious villagers by "exorcising" their towns of witches and evil spirits, while one of the brothers jots down each fable told to him as a possible story idea. But they are confronted by the real thing when a small village on the outskirts of the dark Bavarian forrest keep losing their young daughters to an mysterious evil force. The movie incorporates several bits from the Brothers Grimm original fairy tales, like Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel, Cinderella, and Little Red Riding Hood, giving us the impression that these elements gave the brothers their initial ideas for their famously dark fables.
The movie itself was -- cool. Sadly that's all I seem to be able to comment these days on most of Terry Gilliam's more recent work, and this is a director whom I once believed could do no wrong, as Time Bandits and Brazil are two of my all-time favorite movies. Visually the movie is wonderful, which we can always expect from a graphic artist like Gilliam. And in the tradition of most German children's stories he kept the horror element amped higher than probably any film of his that I have ever seen, going with fantasy shock tactics that remind me somewhat of movies like The Ring.
Yet despite what a visual feast his movies are, I still get a sensation of something... lacking. Something, perhaps, anchoring the action or momentum, giving weight to the story besides the usual mystery angle. A movie like Brazil was anchored down firmly with rich satire, social commentary, true hair-raising horror, and a more-compelling-than-most love story. I didn't feel any of the weight in this picture. I knew what the premise was, but it didn't invest me in the characters or the story in the way that a character like Sam Lowrey does (and I hate having to use one of Terry's older movies to compare to a latter one, but that's sort of what I mean). I dunno... don't pay any attention to me, folks. My head ain't screwed on right just now.
I just met my old childhood best friend's 2-year-old daughter Ashby a few minutes ago. I absolutely cannot get over how much she looks like my friend at that age. I guess we were both about 2 or 3 when we met and started playing together. I'm just... a bit overcome at the moment. Damn.
I understand that these things happen in this line of business all the time, and believe me, this isn't the first time something like this has happened (or something similar at least). But damn it crushes me to see Joe get jerked around so much at his job. I don't want to sound like a mother hen, but I worry about his health constantly, and this job is stressing him to the breaking point, I can just tell. And I feel so helpless. I think that's the worst part -- not being able to do anything myself to make it better for him.
So anyway, I did manage to talk my manager into letting me go a little early last night so that I could attend The Brothers Grimm preview with Joe (turns out she was going herself as well). We ran into Danny in the parking lot and Joe gave him his extra pass so we all sat together with Joe's friend from work and his girlfriend (also saw my manager and her girlfriend a few rows up, and even the guy who works at Trilogy was in the row in front of us with his family -- we said hi).
The Brothers Grimm is about two brothers from back in Napoleon occupied Germany who made a business out of conning uneducated, superstitious villagers by "exorcising" their towns of witches and evil spirits, while one of the brothers jots down each fable told to him as a possible story idea. But they are confronted by the real thing when a small village on the outskirts of the dark Bavarian forrest keep losing their young daughters to an mysterious evil force. The movie incorporates several bits from the Brothers Grimm original fairy tales, like Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel, Cinderella, and Little Red Riding Hood, giving us the impression that these elements gave the brothers their initial ideas for their famously dark fables.
The movie itself was -- cool. Sadly that's all I seem to be able to comment these days on most of Terry Gilliam's more recent work, and this is a director whom I once believed could do no wrong, as Time Bandits and Brazil are two of my all-time favorite movies. Visually the movie is wonderful, which we can always expect from a graphic artist like Gilliam. And in the tradition of most German children's stories he kept the horror element amped higher than probably any film of his that I have ever seen, going with fantasy shock tactics that remind me somewhat of movies like The Ring.
Yet despite what a visual feast his movies are, I still get a sensation of something... lacking. Something, perhaps, anchoring the action or momentum, giving weight to the story besides the usual mystery angle. A movie like Brazil was anchored down firmly with rich satire, social commentary, true hair-raising horror, and a more-compelling-than-most love story. I didn't feel any of the weight in this picture. I knew what the premise was, but it didn't invest me in the characters or the story in the way that a character like Sam Lowrey does (and I hate having to use one of Terry's older movies to compare to a latter one, but that's sort of what I mean). I dunno... don't pay any attention to me, folks. My head ain't screwed on right just now.
I just met my old childhood best friend's 2-year-old daughter Ashby a few minutes ago. I absolutely cannot get over how much she looks like my friend at that age. I guess we were both about 2 or 3 when we met and started playing together. I'm just... a bit overcome at the moment. Damn.
posted by Melissa at 10:36 AM
2 Comments:
thanx for the concern- but it went by fast enough- thank allah it was a Friday- so it was busy enough to keep to occupied
and to be truthful - I am way more upset about misplacing my earbuds than the work thing- well sort of
thanx as always
{{kisses}}
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