Arwen and the chimp?

Stuffed up, congested, and feeling yucky a few weekends ago, after getting my wee one to nap, i decided to just vegetate on the couch watching The Two Towers, the second installment of the Lord of the Rings movie.

D walked by, looked at the scene playing then, and tried to engage in a profound conversation which went something like this:

D: So, if you were an Elf, like Arwen, wouldn't a human seem lower on the evolutionary cycle to you? I mean, humans don't really fall in love with chimps... To Arwen, Aragon must be like a chimp, yet she falls in love with him.

Me: Ewww... Go Away!

At another time, he caught the scene playing then and helpfully explained:

Oh, this is where Aragon, with all his tracking skills, figures that Merry did a somersault ... and Pippin cut the cheese and such... pretty clever.

Towards the end of the Return of the King, when I was enjoying the good-triumphs-over-evil and all-is-well-that-ends-well moment, D observed:

Ah... yes, this is where the hobbit boys have a pillow-fight, all happy to see each other and jump on the bed and play...

He hasn't managed to squash my fondness for the LOTR movies entirely. Not yet. I still love to put one of them on and watch even if for just an hour or so - no matter which scene i start off with, i enjoy just watching it. Over and Over.

Now, the paradox is: D loves the movies. He thinks they are well-made. He read the book way back and even wrote some Tengwar transliterator with fonts and such for download... and yet, there he is, quipping away :-)

As many fellow fantasy lovers, I read the book before I watched the movies. And, although the movies are old news, i think it will remain a timeless classic to me.

True, it is hard to please the entire public, and I do have my list of pet peeves about the treatment in this movie, but, overall, it is so darn good that it leaves me with a warm fuzzy feeling every time i watch it, even little portions of it...

As long as D keeps his insightful thoughts at bay, that is.

Man of Constant Sorrow

It was one of those weeks where I was too tied up to visit and edit my queue on Netflix, so, was stuck with D's choice. Usually, his choice of movies sort of don't agree well with mine. I have been pleasantly surprised at times, so I always give it a chance.

Anyway, that's how I happened to watch O Brother, Where Art Thou?

To me, a movie is just a movie, actors are just actors. I try not to gush about them too much or trash them too hastily.

Don't get me wrong: Movie is a wonderfully creative medium and I am quite awed by it at times. I do find a lot of movies very entertaining. I love watching movies if I am in the right mood for it. Quite a few movies have left an impression on me about the artistry, cinematography, story, direction and such. So, as a medium, I absolutely tend to appreciate it.

I am digressing...

Although I was blissfully unaware of the movie until then, I sort of liked O Brother, Where Art Thou? but, I especially liked the music in this movie a lot.

A lot of bluegrass music, and american folk music in general, is a new discovery for me as I did not start learning about them until recently.

Therefore, I had not heard this apparently very old and popular song Man of Constant Sorrow until I was treated to the Soggy Bottom Boys' version in O Brother, Where Art Thou?

I am not sure why, but I am quite taken with this song. It's sort of like I can't explain why I get all teary eyed every time I hear a powerful rendition of Amazing Grace - the melody moves me, hits the right notes - am not sure it is the lyrics that get me... this is the most-requested piece at home when D plays his concertina or tin-whistle






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p.s: although I don't have an audio clip to put up here, there is a sample available here if interested.