to watch or not to watch, that is the question

I've been working on a themed film festival at home, just a little something to pass the time and engage the brain, right?

But one of the movies has had me tripped up.

It's not as if the movies all have to be fiction -

no, I already have one documentary viewed and a pseudo-doc in line.

It's not as if the movies all have to contain a central character -

several deal with ensembles with no one person carrying the show.

It isn't even as if the movies all have to have only famous actors -

several that I've watched have had actors I've never heard of and that I doubt anyone in the USA would know.

With so much flexibility, why should any movie give me doubts about its inclusion?

But there was something about "Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby", something that called to me, but also something that pushed me away.

I had even lined up a replacement to use in its stead and had decided not to do so after seeing that one's bad ratings...

which is not something to which I generally give heed.

So, what was the issue with this film?

I remembered having caught bits and pieces of the Will Ferrell-John C. Reilly flick over the last fourteen years since it came on the scene, but not the entire movie.

I very much like John C. Reilly and have enjoyed most of his movies; however, Will Ferrell has been more miss than hit, though I loved him in "Elf".

Might it be the car-racing theme that held no allure for me?

No, that certainly isn't the case.

I've been to car races, locally and elsewhere, and enjoyed them.

"The Art Of Racing In The Rain" was all about such things and I saw that one multiple times, loving it more with each viewing.

Hmm... what about the comedy film was bothering me?

So, I set the puzzle aside and kept it on the list, but still had not watched it.

Tonight, while intermittently washing the dishes and working a cryptogram, I finally realized why I was so reluctant to watch "TN:TBORB".

I have to thank Sally and Jack for helping my brain work through the conundrum.

"The Nightmare Before Christmas" is one of my favorite movies, one that I have watched countless times since seeing it on the silver screen in 1993.

Part of the draw then had been Danny Elfman, born on my birth date but five years before me.

I was familiar with his band, Oingo Boingo, back in 1983 and 1984 when I was stationed at Imperial Beach in California.

("Weird Science" was one of their most popular tunes.)

If he was doing the music, I was most definitely in!

The other draw for me was Tim Burton, born just three months after I had been.

I was a huge fan of his work, both animated ("Frankenweenie") and live-action ("Beetlejuice", "Edward Scissorhands", and "Batman" as well as "Batman Returns", with Michael Keaton as the very best Dark Knight ever. Period. But that is a discussion for another time.), so I was primed and ready for the long-awaited tale of the overlap of Halloween and Christmas.

Oh, yeah!

I had seen it last night, returned to the big screen this weekend by AMC.

I was blessed to be in the company of the bear and Carolyn, who had never ever seen it.

I went on fb for the first time in more than a week, mostly to post about the movie being in the cinemas.

My Canadian Sue (sort of an outlaw 'sister') told me she had never ever seen it.

(She closed by saying she'd find it and watch tonight.)

This afternoon, good fortune granted me a second viewing, at the other local AMC, this time in the company of Michael and the twins...

and we were not alone in the screening room, either!

I'm glad so many others love this romantic, musical, dark comedy!

I sang along with every song both times, sotto voce of course.

After all, I'm not riffraff.

(Hey, that's an inside joke for the bfrb.)

Michael and the girls dropped me off and I've been home since.

I watched one of the films for this film festival I've scrapped together, but it wasn't "TH:TBORB".

I had meant to pull up that one, I had, but changed my mind, yet again.

Then, moments ago, I realized why I had not watched it.

It all goes back to the day I found out my husband was cheating on me again.

(Yes, I said again, but I don't want to go back to the 1996 episode.

This post has already become quite long enough, thank you.)

That day, the Savannah Sand Gnats were having an away game at the home of the Charleston Riverdogs.

The Gnats had arranged a bus to carry the season ticket holders (which included me!) and their spouses (which included Jeff, who was also the Gnats' announcer) to the South Carolina site for the evening game.

Hooray!

The game actually got rained out, but we still had the trip out of town, with no driving duty for either of us.

Hooray!

But no sooner had we arrived home than Jeff told me he needed to go out to the radio station to take care of something.

It was already after midnight, I asked, couldn't it wait for morning?

No, it could not.

Well, that was okay, I'd ride out there with him, keep him company.

No, I didn't need to do that.

I just want to be with you, baby, I told him... and he relented.

And while he went and did whatever in the control room at the station, I waited for him and sat at his desk...

and saw the fruit-scented whiteboard markers by the landline phone...

and saw the cell phone box under his desk, where I'd kicked off my shoes...

and when I asked him about them, he told me they were a gift...

a gift from a woman in the office, a person he would not name.

I had him take me home, then I told him to find somewhere else to go.

I had known something was amiss, but had thought he had been preoccupied with the recent death of his mom, had hoped that was the reason.

That night had been the beginning of the end of our marriage.

And the movie that had played in the background on the bus, during the three hour drive back to Savannah earlier, had been the one with Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly.

I wonder if, deep in my mind, I associate the divorce with that film?

Maybe that's a reason to watch it, to lay that demon to rest.

'Tis the season for such things...

but I'll wait for the bright light of day.

That's best for dispelling ghosts.