love and hurricanes

What a sight.

NOAA has three fast pitches, from Africa's west coast toward North America's east coast, one already having curved up from the Gulf and making for the Big Apple, the other two in process of hurling themselves across the Atlantic.

What a way to start this month.

I ended last month, and my 53rd week of being back at the cinema, with a trio that got me thinking, yet again, about choices people make.

With the first and last of my A*List trio, that topic was front and center, as was the dream versus real dynamic.

In both "Free Guy" and "Reminiscence", the two men believed that a chance encounter had led them to the love of their life.

Neither was correct.

Both were hooked by a melody.

---   ---   ---

Guy had been set up, by his programming, to be on the lookout for a woman who loved a specific Mariah Carey song. So, when he and Buddy happened upon Molotov Girl on the street, and she was singing that specific song, Guy was immediately entranced.

Immediately.

Guy was sure that she was "The One", as that was the song he awoke to each day.

In the other movie, Nick had been set up, by his past, to be on the lookout for a woman who would be linked to a specific song from a Rogers and Hart musical. So, when he and Watts happened upon Mae in their memory tank, and she was singing that very song, Nick was immediately entranced.

Immediately.

Nick was sure that she was "The One", as that was the song his grandfather whistled.

___   ___   ___

Both men eventually learn the truth.

They had not met the women by a chance encounter.

It was not fate that had contrived to put them together with their beloved, it was through trickery and deceit on the part of their beloved.

What to do now, knowing the truth?

A choice needed to be made: remain with the reality or stay with the dream?

By his film's end, Guy knew a change was required.

Guy chose to return the woman to the real world, as he knew he was the dream.

By his film's end, Nick knew a change was required.

Nick chose to leave the real world, to stay with her in the dream of his memories.

Which one made the right choice in these science fiction films?

JavaFlix Savannah would have been a great place to discuss that.

Its original leader, Patrick Young, has lived in Jacksonville with his lady love, Sarah, for about four years now. The young woman who took over after his departure managed to keep it working for almost another two years.

However, COVID closed its doors for good, as it did for those of CinemaSavannah and Psychotronic Films of Savannah (although Tomasz Warhol and Jim Reed, respectively, have tried to intermittently keep up a virtual presence, though both seem to have called a halt for the past four months or so).

I do have to wonder how my new real is going to look, as so much of my free or low-cost cultural activities have been relegated to the dream of the past.