Because I'm the Best Date I've Ever Had

Last week, I went on a me-date while my dad was still in town to watch the boys.  I’m not sure when the next time I’ll have free babysitting will happen, so I treated myself to a double feature (despite the fact that I was POSITIVE that I would fall asleep in the second movie because I was going on four nights of no sleep).  

So, I didn’t have to think twice about what I wanted to see (well, I did think twice because I saw two movies, but you know what I mean).  I fell head over heels in love with Natalie Portman when she played Padme Amidala (and eventually gave birth to my namesake).  Not only do I have intense respect for her as an artist (her character, Alice, in Closer was phenomenal, and what pseudo-hipster wouldn’t fall for her Sam in Garden State?), but on a personal level, she’s my favoritefavoritefavorite.  Here’s why:

1. She’s an only child.
2. She’s only 5’ 3”.
3. She’s super smart.
4. She's been taking dance since she was four.

See, we’re basically the same person.  Oh wow, I’m super narcissistic.  

Anyway,  Natalie Portman is supercoolTomCruisebluejeans in my book (and in my husband’s, who after seeing the preview for the upcoming Thor, said, “Natalie Portman.  In IMAX 3D!”), so my first choice was Black Swan.  There are a million movie critics out there praising this film, so nothing I say here could possibly be original, but I will say this: I kind of want to take down all the mirrors in my house, and I’m really glad I’m finished with ballet for now.  Two things about this particular movie-going experience:

1. The lady in front of me, who was easily in her thirties, kept gasping every time anything remotely sexual occurred.  At one particularly interesting moment, she actually hid her face in her husband’s shoulder saying, “Tell me when it’s over!” over and over again.  I was tempted to kick her in the teeth, but I refrained.
2. What is up with people laughing at things that aren’t funny?  Multiple times throughout the movie, something intense or grotesque would happen, and people would crack up laughing.  Is this a nervous laughter thing?  Like when you’re eight and you’re in trouble for calling 911 and your dad is yelling, but he has pepper stuck between his two front teeth, so all you can think about is how funny he looks even though his face is red?  Is it like that?  People are so stupid.

So, between movies, I grabbed a Coca-Cola (because I did NOT want to fall asleep) and a popcorn (because I had a movie rewards coupon).  A note about popcorn: when did a bag large enough to carry a small dog become a small popcorn?

Anyway, the second movie I saw was The King’s Speech with two of my other favorite people, Colin Firth and Helena Bonham Carter.  (I like Geoffrey Rush, too, but I have a hard time watching him and not seeing the decaying corpse of Captain Barbossa).  As expected, I thoroughly enjoyed this bit of cinema (or at least that’s what the snooty British version of me would say).  If I was going to recommend one film to a general audience from this past year, this would be it.  I can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t like it (except maybe for the lame people who laughed in Black Swan).

If you want to read actual reviews of these films, check out this blog by a guy I know.

Who knows when I’ll get another me-date (probably the middle of March when my parents come for a visit)?   Hopefully there will be a lot of great movies coming out for spring break, because with Mimi in town, I might be tempted to go for a triple-header.