People are Movies

E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial

The first movie I saw on the big screen as a kid was a re-release of Steven Spielberg's E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial in 1985, when I was just four years old. It was not typical of my single-mom to spend her Meat Factory wages on anything outside of what was necessary. But on that particularly exciting summer day, we ate fast food and ice-cream and munched on popcorn while plopped down in two chairs before a big, huge movie screen and amazing, awesome sound. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced.

Nearly seven more years went by before I saw another movie on the big screen. I was going to see it with a friend this time. There wasn't much to choose from at that age, but for a week I thought about the movies playing and which one I wanted to see most. I kept it to myself because in the end it was my friend who would pick the movie, and she picked The Mighty Ducks. I must have liked the movie because afterward I told my mom I wanted to learn ice-hockey. I was so pumped and inspired by those kids. Not long after that, I told my mom I wanted to be an actress, and finish my career as a writer when I retired at a young age.

Life of Brian

I began to watch every movie I could. Late at night, when my mom drank and played the piano, I'd steal away to my room with the very titles my mother mistakenly told me not to watch. Movies like Dune and Monty Python's Life of Brian, and Full Metal Jacket.

Full Metal Jacket

I started saving my allowance money and when I wanted to see a movie, my mom would tell me to save it for a VHS. That way I got my money's worth. The first VHS I purchased was The Addams Family. Many more followed after that, Jurassic Park, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and the little gem Death Becomes Her that began my admiration for actress Meryl Streep.

Death Becomes Her

I remember getting into huge fights with my mom about which movies I could and could not see, the most explosive being Interview with a Vampire, when I was thirteen. She said it was "too racy". But I had already read the book and that infuriated her even more. She then told me I could only see the movie if I would write a horror story that included a love-scene, and let her read it while I sat there in front of her. I wrote the story that night until way past my bedtime. I not only shocked and appalled my mother, but I also made her cry. In all honesty, she was probably drinking that night. I got the results I wanted and saw Interview with the Vampire.

Interview with the Vampire

Summary:
People discover new things every day and they have to express by action these feelings of new discoveries. It's impossible not to. Movies are essentially people and both can be predictable and irrational and full of emotional whirlwinds, some you want to see and others you may prefer not to. As long as people are changing, movies will never be the same.

While life did not make me a famous actress, I have always been a capable writer. I hope to share in many ways my interpretation of stories told, good, bad and in between. Here is where I start. Enjoy!