"Catch and Release"

Sunday was a busy day.
After getting home from Chicago, I watched the Iowa basketball team lose, watched a disc of "24" Season Three, watched the Pacers lose to the Pistons, then went out to catch a movie by myself.

I've been wanting to see "Catch and Release" for a good amount of time. I first heard about last summer, when Kevin Smith blogged about working on the film. Then, they screened it at Vulgarthon last year, and it got some good reviews. Finally, the trailer actually made it look like a good flick. These days, if I don't see something before it comes out - thanks to my awesome friends - then I generally never go to see it. I'm not a fan of watching films in crowded theatres - "Inland Empire" at the Music Box was NERVE-WRECKING, but I survived. Anyways, I was afraid if I didn't force myself to see the flick this weekend, then I never would. Finally, I convinced myself that on a cold Sunday night, the theatre would probably be close to empty. And I was right. Two couples, a single lady, and myself populated the theatre.

The film is pretty good. It takes some turns that I didn't expect from this type of genre, and it stayed away from most stereotypical plot devices that I did expect. So, it was a pleasant surprise on many levels. The dialogue was pretty good, and fairly funny. The story worked in a slow revealing type of fashion, however a couple of events felt a little too rushed. With a run time a little over 2 hours, it was odd for a flick to feel like it was forcing things to happen. But, a lot does happen in the film.

It was my kind of film. Now, it didn't hit on my same emotional level as "The Last Kiss" did, but it didn't need to. It still opened my mind, and forced me to think about and address things in my own life.

First, it reminded me that in love, we don't always get what we want. No matter how close we come, it can always be taken away. Also, when we have feelings for someone, more often than not, they do not return those feelings - which only hurts the heart. Love is an interesting thing, and the things we do for love, and because of love, might not always yield the greatest results. It shows how difficult it is to move on with your life. And I know I related to that - I'm still stuck at the apex of a hill, wanting to go forward and get as far away from this hill as I can, but then I think about the trip up the hill - and how much I enjoyed it. And it makes me want to go back down the hill, and climb it again - even though the hill just wants me long gone. Moving on is tough - well, at least for me. I can only hope that one day, someone comes along who helps me down the hill, and onto the next one. Because, I've lived. I've learned. And the next hill is going to be much easier, and more fun.

Second, it reminded me that life has to change. It's evolution. It's life. It's constantly moving and changing. People make decisions, and no matter how close of friends you are, they make the choices that are best for them. Things change. People change. It all changes. And to sit around and think that your perfect life, with friends, family, and everything else is always going to be around is a facade. It's a mirage. Life, overall, is a let down. And the highs are always ruined by the lows.

Third, it has confirmed in my mind that I don't mind kids. I think I'm not a fan of babies - but like a four year old, I think we would rock out together. The kid in the film is awesome. And while I've spent a good deal of my life living in fear of having a son, I think it would be a wicked good time. Someone who would want to hang out with me (because I'd be THE MORE WICKED COOL father) and someone to play with - because let's be honest, I'm still a kid at heart. Throwing the football. Playing catch. Shooting hockey pucks in the driveway. I can't do those things, if I don't mentally grow up and prepare myself for it. And now, I think I want it to happen. I'm still scared out of my mind about it - but I also see it as a lot of fun.

I guess I'm just finally hitting that point. I've lived a good and fun life. I've done a lot of things. And there's a natural progression to achieve. A place to arrive at. And begin 50 when my kids are in high school is NOT something I'm interested in. I want to be there for every sporting event, play, musical, whatever they decide to do with their lives.

Interesting how a flick about relationships and a kid can make you re-evaluate your entire life.

And after the film, while driving home, I was thinking about everything I've been writing about - and some things that I didn't write about - and I thought about my "promise" to Heidi, that I'll write a new script. And I think I've got the basis and beginnings of a new storyline, that I hope to develop. It's rough. It's going to need a lot of thought, love, and work - but I think in few weeks time, if I give it some serious time - I might be working on the next script. I don't know how I'm going to make it - I don't know who is going to help. I don't know how I'm going to come up with all of the money to pay my actors, but I'm going to start with the script. And I'm going to see what kinds of reactions I get.

Because, Heidi reminded me of one thing: I love to tell stories. With words. And with pictures. So, I should keep doing what I love...