Truth, 24 Frames per Second

About a week ago or so, I went to the movies alone. This, in and of itself, isn't extraordinary. I'm one of those people who enjoys going out alone, particularly to movies in the early afternoon. I had spent the better part of the week alone in my apartment, and I decided I should utilize the movie theatre all of two blocks away (Landmark Century if anyone is wondering.) So, after checking the listings in the newspaper, I found two movies were starting at the same time: Milk and Che. Both started at 1:30, and I figured I would decide which to see at the box office, because I want to see both very, very badly.

I thought about it on the way there. Milk, in case you live in a cave, is about Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official in US history. I've been wanting to see it since I heard it was in post production, and have only heard good things about it. Che, however, happened to be the limited release "Roadshow Edition" of Steven Soderbergh's biopic of Che Guevara. Soon, it will be split into two movies, the first chronicling the Cuban Revolution of '59, and the second his attempt at organizing a similair movement in Bolivia a few years later. For a while here, they are running them together as a four and a half hour movie with a fifteen minute intermission where they will break it into two movies.

I decided to take the opportunity to see Che. Yes, sitting through a four and a half hour movie seemed daunting, but completely worth it to see the movie in its entirety. It's pretty neat how they do it: there are no previews or credits at the end, but they hand out a pamphlet containing all the credits when you buy a ticket. I can honestly say I recommend going to see it in this format, if possible, even though you are spending all afternoon in a theatre.

It's true what they say. If you go in with a solid opinion of Che, you aren't going to leave being converted. Personally, I am a fan, and the movie only reinforced my adoration. Benicio del Toro was wonderful, and the way the movie is shot is just fantastic. They splice into the first half Che's visit to New York City to address the United Nations, all the footage being very grainy and '60s-esque. The second half was hard to watch, knowing what was coming and anticipating his capture the entire time. When it was clearly inevitable, my heart broke, especially after seeing the success in Cuba. It's certainly powerful, primarily due to Che's strong conviction in the cause. Seeing that unwavering, despite the end being clearly near, was very difficult.

I bought the book the other day -- Che's diaries. I can't wait to start reading it. In high school, I read a short collection of Che's speeches not long after reading The Communist Manifesto. If you haven't read Che or Marx yet, I recommend it highly.

Home is Where You're Happy

I already posted a first blog, but after close examination, it was totally dull. I can't start this thing with a boring blog! What kind of message does that send? "Uh, yeah, here's one more small town girl trying to make it in the big city." Wow, great, wonderful. There are how many of those? No, no, no. I'm not just any other girl living on her own for the first time. I'm Bridey, God dammit, and that's something! So, I'm writing another one.

Ya see, I was born up by Chicago, but my family moved to Walnut when I was little, so I spent my formative years in the middle of nowhere. Oddly enough, as I've grown up, I've really come to love it out here (I say here because I'm home visiting.) It's weird how things come full circle like that.

Anyway, I live in Chicago now, because I'm going back to DePaul University, where I went for a year right after high school, to finish my degree in Political Science. By cramming in as many classes as I can, I'll be done next Spring, so I pretty much have one year left of college. Pretty nuts, considering the fact that until recently, graduating seemed so far off I almost didn't think it would happen. Now I just have to figure out what to do with my post-collegiate life, which is far more daunting than anything I've dealt with in the past.

As far as who I am goes, well, that's hard to sum up. I guess among the most important things to know is that I'm pretty obsessed with the 1960's. NO! I am not a hippie loving creep with peace signs and flowers everywhere. That's not the '60's I mean. I adore mainstream white culture from the early '60s. Think Mad Men. Yeah, exactly like that. In my imagination, it will always be 1962, when the Kennedy's were still in power and men still dressed well. Good music, good movies. Oh! Wonderful.

Other important facts, I guess, would be that I have a dog named Draper -- he's my life -- and that I'm a Socialist. I have six tattoos (planning on more) and one piercing.I love to read and recently started writing again. Most of the time I just spend daydreaming, which directly leads to me being disappointed a lot. But I'm a happy person by nature, and I spend a lot of time laughing. Just don't compare me to the rest of my age group. You'll see quick enough that I'm not your typical 20 year old.