(The movie, not the miracle elixir vitae misspelled.) If you have not seen Chocolat, it’s worth a trip to the video store. It is too good to miss. Xavier and I can’t believe it took us so long to see it. Well, I know why it took me so long. Sometimes I’m so sick of hearing how good a movie is, I’m afraid I’ll be disappointed, so I don’t see it. Why I’m not on serious meds for this funny little quirk, I don’t know. If you’ve been waiting, too, STOP IT.
There’s even a part in there where Juliette Binoche’s character talks about how her grandfather went to Central America and discovered the magical healing powers of chocolate. This made X giddy. After the movie, he went right to the kitchen, made up a batch of organic chocolate sauce and poured it over fresh fruit with grated chocolate on top. I don’t care if he is delusional, I’m keeping him.
The past few weeks, since I discovered my new excellent video store, I go on Friday after the gym and pick out at least four movies. Yesterday, I got six. Only $2 each for three days… It’s such a good deal, I have to make myself stop before I have an armload. X keeps saying, "Aren’t three enough?" No. "Are you going to watch ALL these?" Yes.
Last night we saw Volver. Another must see. Definitely a chick flick, but X loved it, too. What can I say, he’s a sensitive guy. Penélope Cruz had nothing to do with holding his interest. He told me so.
Volver is in Spanish. On the back of the box, it says there are English subtitles. The clerk, knowing the limitations of my Spanish, tells me, in Spanish, there aren’t subtitles on my copy. Huh? Another clerk says the original has subtitles, then he gets that from the back for me. A light bulb goes off. Movie copyright laws don’t mean diddly here, so the video stores buy a DVD, make copious copies and rent them. This explains so much, like:
a) Why the videos were so crappy in the village video stores – I guess they used inferior copying equipment and/or just had really old copies;
b) Why they can do this so cheap;
c) Why you have to make sure the English subtitles on your Spanish language movies are available. I guess all language options don’t copy and, since most of their customers are tico, English subtitles are not important;
d) IF the movie is in a language other than Spanish or English, you ONLY get Spanish subtitles and/or dubbing;
e) Why the covers on the DVDs on the shelf all look like color copies. So many mysteries revealed!
Last night was Volver. This afternoon Chocolat. Tonight Déjà Vu. Great thriller… you do NOT, could not possibly figure out what is going to happen. On the edge of your seat. Looking forward to El Hombre del Tren (French movie, little worried about the subtitles on this one), All The King’s Men and Pan’s Labyrinth (here as well… it’s in Spanish, will there be English subtitles?) No matter, it’s all good.
Here’s today’s 4M (my memorable movie moment):
"…we can’t go around measuring our goodness by what we don’t do. By what we deny ourselves. What we resist and who we exclude."
Makes me tired just thinking about working that hard to be good!
Add “The Lookout” to your “must see” list. Jacob and I just saw it on the big screen, so it may be a few months in the store.
Hi Robert – The Lookout will probably get here to the movie theatres at the same time it gets to the video stores… It’s on the list – I started a Movies To See list, on the right column under the I Like To Watch column (a line I stole from Peter Sellers in Being There. Priceless 4Ms….
I can’t believe you’d never seen Chocolat either! One of my favorite food films…
Three days later we are still eating organic chocolate melted down with chiles picante mashed up in it… on everything! we are going to live forever.
I just loved the movie Chocolat. I’ve watched it many times and learned from it to “share the chocolate” for many miles of smiles.
Have you seen Under the Tuscan Sun? A must see too!
I could relate having taken on CR by myself.
Yes, Loved under the tuscan sun. I saw it since I’ve been here and thought of you… X is certainly sharing the chocolate: we have some at every meal. And his blood pressure is actually down. amazing.
Hmmm…
Maybe you can break X of the chocolate thingy, or at least slow it down a tad. The Aztecs prepared a drink using cacao, capsicums and hot water. This was an unsweetened beverage made for their nobility. Of course when the Spanish got ahold of cacao they processsed it to a fare-ye-well and dumped sugar into it, tasty, but ultimately not the healthiest combination. Hence the saying, “Chocolate, the drug of choice”.
Maybe using the nobility angle you can get X to try the Aztec version. Prolly should be a healthier combination, if not quite so tasty to the modern palate. Maybe one can develop a preference for it after a time. Maybe even serve it with tortillas made with hand ground corn…
Just a thought… Don’t know why.
Cheers! …And break a leg!!!
Pablo de Tampa
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He says as times goes by, he likes it less and less sweet. So do we… and I don’t know that I want to break him of it totally!!!! But I’ve passed along the info – coincidentally I’ve just been hearing about capsicums… all good.