being IN the movie

I watch a lot of movies. I collect them actually. I am in the design phase of building a wall unit to shelve my DVD collection because it has outgrown any collection unit or shelving unit currently on the market.

Because of this, some may think that I am numb to becoming drawn in to a movie, immune to the trappings of being caught up in the moment. This could not be farther from the truth. Maybe that is why I love movies so much.

Now, I have never had this happen with a comedy, usually drama, action or thriller type movies.

A few weeks ago I had Alex DVR a movie for us that is a few years old, but I had not seen. "The Day After Tomorrow"... anybody seen that one? It was ok, not bad, but here's the deal, it sucked me in.

First off, those of you who have not been in our home need to have the movie-watching mood set for you. We had a finished basement, with a large family room as the main area. We have a very big screen TV with surround sound. With the overhead lights out it is almost like being in a movie theater, minus the sticky floor and teenagers making out behind me.

So when a movie is good, it's easy to get sucked in, all other distractions are blocked out.

In the movie "The Day After Tomorrow" the weather is, shall we say 'chilly'. After watching this movie I went upstairs to let the girls outside to go potty. I found myself grabbing my big winter parka even though it was roughly 45 degrees that afternoon. Yes, even in midday, it is that dark down there, so dark that one cannot see outside to see the sun shining and the few melting remains of winter.

Just now, Alex and I watched a movie that I bought quite some time ago, shortly after the Oscars in fact. Now I know why "The Departed" won Best Picture. It was amazing. Anyone who has not yet seen it, I will not ruin it for you, but I will say this: GET YOUR ASS OUT THERE AND SEE THIS FILM!

Ok, Alex fell asleep midway through the movie, so he did not see the (amazing, gruesome and twisted) ending.
It did not have the same 'weather' affect on me, but it did leave me with this incredible feeling of "I cannot believe that..." Sort of like everyone felt at the end of "The Sixth Sense" when they realized that Bruce Willis' character IS DEAD... except in that instance, looking back, it all made sense, but with The Departed, I think I will have to watch it a couple more times to get those subtle nuances and hints that are only alluded to in the end.

Truly a fine piece of cinematography... left me shaking my head in awe.