Mono-Moviewatching

Have you seen Disney/Pixar's latest film, UP? If not, and if it is still playing in a theater near you, go see it ASAP. It's a wonderful movie, and I hope your experience will be as...um...moving...as mine was.

Hopefully all of you have gone to a movie by yourself. In my professional opinion, a solitary movie-going experience is up there with riding a really great roller-coaster for the seventh time in a row, or having a really great cup of coffee and thinking about the wonderful book you just finished. A solitary movie-going experience to UP is heavenly.

And soggy. And somewhat embarrassing. But still wonderful.

I had been wanting to see UP for a long time, as it had not yet come out in El Salvador while I was there. When I got back to the States, it took me a while to go and see it, and one day after my classes I finally did. By the way, a solitary movie-going experience is best experienced during a matinee showing.

So, I finally went. I walked in to the theater, and my only company were two mothers and their respective children sitting in the middle seats on either side of the aisle. So I settled down in the second row to the back: out of sight.

I was crying within the first 15 minutes. And by crying, I mean sobbing. And by sobbing, I mean, I was making crying noises and had my handkerchief out. I was a mess. I was doing all I could to not be heard by the mothers and children, who I'm certain were NOT crying.

Now, let's make something clear: I am not a crier. It is rare that I cry, and usually, when I do, I feel stupid. Sometimes my thoughts are that maybe a cry would be good for me, but about a minute in I usually regret it and want to get on with my life. So my UP experience was quite the anomaly. And, though I was embarrassed about it, I must admit that I left that theater feeling pretty good.

I'm not sure what the nice thing is here. It could be the movie, solitary movie-going experiences, or the therapeutic catharsis of a rare and unexpected cry. I suppose it could be all three.

Please don't bring up the crying thing outside of the digital world. I'll deny it. And I don't want to be a liar. That's not very nice.

New Movie Trailers: New York, I Love You

Remember Paris, Je t'aime? I could watch it again and again, but I've never been to Paris, and it's not even at the top of my list of places to see before I die.

I have been to New York City, and I did love it. After my tour group left Staten Island, I got sidetracked by a Middle Eastern street vendor on our way to the alluring bargains of Chinatown. Suddenly I found myself alone, lost in some public park because I couldn't resist New York's cheap and tasty street food. I sat on a park bench with the kebab in question, and imagined that this was what it felt like to be local. I was slightly disappointed when my friends finally found me.

That was the moment I fell for New York, and that is why I am so glad that a new New York, I Love You trailer just went online this weekend.



Hurry up and get here, October 16.