connections and packages
dear friends who aren't awake,
it is definitely a sex in the city-quality observation (and by this, you must know that i mean an obvious or inane or non-observation), but in new york you can experience something akin to human connection, in the absence of any through the constant presence and noise of people living their lives, and at times sharing reactions with you. as a card-carrying member of the reactive triad, this is a powerful feeling - reaction sharing. it's kvetching with people on the train about the guy who's leaning against the poll during rush hour, jumping up and down in the street and hugging strangers on election night, and complaining about mets pitching to the man who sells you your coffee in the morning.
more powerful still is collective reaction-sharing. tonight i revisited one of my favorite sites of this phenomenon -- the midnight movie at the sunshine. having enjoyed a number of these films there over the years, i try to be discerning. either the movie has to warrant a big screen viewing on its own merits (e.g. sleeper), or has to summon the kind of crowd participation and enthusiasm necessary to make it a "movie event (e.g. the apple)." for some people, of course, rocky horror is the be all end all of this. for me, it's probably the buffy musical. my sunshine midnight movie top picks from the past 5 years include: sleeper, the princess bride, purple rain, life of brian, THE APPLE, and tonight's thoroughly worthwhile addition to the list: labyrinth.
sitting in the audience before the movie started, i was dismayed by the lack of costuming among audience members, but the viewing itself met and exceeded my expectations for one primary reason: david bowie's package. now, beforehand i had said "i haven't seen this since i was a kid, but at the time i saw it probably 25 times. mostly i remember the stars coming in this order: 1)david bowie's package 2)david bowie's hair 3)jennifer connelly." so it's not like i wasn't anticipating the crotch shottage. but, i wasn't fully prepared for the entire audience to applaud and or scream in horror every time it came on screen. or for every audience member to gasp in shock and awe when hoggel appeared to lean in for....um, something. it was much like when i last saw purple rain, and just hadn't recalled the full extent of that final guitar solo/masturbation moment.
now that my life as i knew it is destroyed, if anyone wants to make a midnight movie practice with me on saturday nights, i'm totally game. with no trust left, i may never dare to share a damn thing about myself with another person ever again, but at least i can drink beer and scream at the television, or eat popcorn and react to inappropriate camera angles -- all in the company of my city.
love from my lonely bed,
louisa
it is definitely a sex in the city-quality observation (and by this, you must know that i mean an obvious or inane or non-observation), but in new york you can experience something akin to human connection, in the absence of any through the constant presence and noise of people living their lives, and at times sharing reactions with you. as a card-carrying member of the reactive triad, this is a powerful feeling - reaction sharing. it's kvetching with people on the train about the guy who's leaning against the poll during rush hour, jumping up and down in the street and hugging strangers on election night, and complaining about mets pitching to the man who sells you your coffee in the morning.
more powerful still is collective reaction-sharing. tonight i revisited one of my favorite sites of this phenomenon -- the midnight movie at the sunshine. having enjoyed a number of these films there over the years, i try to be discerning. either the movie has to warrant a big screen viewing on its own merits (e.g. sleeper), or has to summon the kind of crowd participation and enthusiasm necessary to make it a "movie event (e.g. the apple)." for some people, of course, rocky horror is the be all end all of this. for me, it's probably the buffy musical. my sunshine midnight movie top picks from the past 5 years include: sleeper, the princess bride, purple rain, life of brian, THE APPLE, and tonight's thoroughly worthwhile addition to the list: labyrinth.
sitting in the audience before the movie started, i was dismayed by the lack of costuming among audience members, but the viewing itself met and exceeded my expectations for one primary reason: david bowie's package. now, beforehand i had said "i haven't seen this since i was a kid, but at the time i saw it probably 25 times. mostly i remember the stars coming in this order: 1)david bowie's package 2)david bowie's hair 3)jennifer connelly." so it's not like i wasn't anticipating the crotch shottage. but, i wasn't fully prepared for the entire audience to applaud and or scream in horror every time it came on screen. or for every audience member to gasp in shock and awe when hoggel appeared to lean in for....um, something. it was much like when i last saw purple rain, and just hadn't recalled the full extent of that final guitar solo/masturbation moment.
now that my life as i knew it is destroyed, if anyone wants to make a midnight movie practice with me on saturday nights, i'm totally game. with no trust left, i may never dare to share a damn thing about myself with another person ever again, but at least i can drink beer and scream at the television, or eat popcorn and react to inappropriate camera angles -- all in the company of my city.
love from my lonely bed,
louisa