movie busyness

Prior to There Will Be Blood, I had only watched one movie by myself in a theater. It was The Last Kiss starring Zach Braff and that awful girl from The OC who drains the screen of charisma when she appears on it. It was a summer Sunday matinee and the theater had been relatively empty. Last night, I sat in a crowded New York City theatre on Broadway and 70th, wedged between two couples whose men draped their arms around their women. In my bag I had fruity contraband: a Granny Smith apple and an oro blanco grapefruit purchased from The Food Emporium across the street. I'm ghetto like that. But ghetto in a fresh produce way.

The trailers were mostly engaging especially for Stop Loss. Hot Southern boys fighting for the country they love and the women who wait for their return? Perhaps engaging is not le mot juste. Perhaps I meant to say that cowboy hats and honor make me accidentally bite myself while eating an illicit apple in a dark theater. Before I left the apartment, I had watched Memphis Belle on television. These noble boys with their accents, they were everywhere.

There Will Be Blood was haunting. Daniel Day-Lewis always amazes me in his utter disappearance into his character. Though the movie ended oddly, I was left reflecting on the many meanings of blood that were presented. Blood as murder, blood as salvation, blood as family. I moved with the throng of post-movie zombies. I thought about the credits I'd seen and how the names of certain producers and actors have special meaning to me since I worked in the business. It made me feel connected to Hollywood, a land mysterious to many and despicable to the reasonable. I missed it.

Today, a craving for a bagel with cream cheese and lox nearly blinded me and I went for a stroll on the Upper West Side to procure the ingredients from Zabar's and H&H. On my stroll there, I passed a restaurant called Dovetail on W. 77th which looked incredibly interesting. I had spotted people in a subterranean room with soft lighting and linens. I searched for the menu posted on the outside of the restaurant and after reading it made a mental note to return. No Zagat rating, no insider blog info, just a bit of luck. Further along, I saw Cafe Frida at which I would like to write some time.

Zabar's was crowded at 7:30pm on a Saturday night. I got my lox and some orange juice and could not find Callebaut chocolate chips with which to make cookies. I walked next door to H&H and purchased two bagels and cream cheese. I thought I'd head home but the night was mild and I kept walking and came across Westsider Books where I got a 1964 copy of The Heart of Darkness by Conrad and a centennial edition of East of Eden by Steinbeck which I had started reading right before I left L.A. Fortunately, they had the same edition I'd been using. And I bought the Conrad for my book club assignment. A book club! Me! With people who have been to graduate school. I will divert their attention away from my elementary understanding of literature with delicious baked goods. Tasty and distracting.

I bought the 2008 NYC Zagat guide. The task of tallying this city's restaurants is monumental. There were plenty of places that I'd been which weren't listed in the maroon tome. The eateries here are nearly innumerable but sadly, the pounds I'm gaining are. There isn't always a good reason to eat, but there's always something fantastic to eat here (around every corner according to Nina and Tim's minions) and I can feel the memories of these meals becoming part of me. Literally. I stopped at a grocer for blueberries and grapes before returning to my pen.

I smeared the poppy seed bagel with cream cheese and carefully applied the beautifully thin lox. I sat in front of the ALT and happened to catch Garden State which I had always wanted to see. How perfect of an evening, I thought. The bagel was soft and perfectly chewy. The lox was smooth and salted. I sipped orange juice and watched Natalie Portman light up the ALS (Absurdly Large Screen.) I longed for imagination. I was reminded how affecting a movie can be. I've been too preoccupied to sit long enough to absorb a film. All I do is absorb snacks. I'm busy.