“I propose a toast to Lewis and his brilliant failure:
May it lead to success in the future!”

Marty and I watched Meet the Robinsons the other night. What a freaking fantastic movie! It was mostly just your usual vastly entertaining kids’ flick, but there are a couple of particular exceptions I would like to clearly note:

• “Keep moving forward!” This guy is not kidding. Coulda-shoulda-woulda is not worth your time except to learn from your past and move on. Sitting around and wasting time is useless to you. And by the way, when’s the last time you learned something new, really? Do you go through the same familiar routine every day? Do you stay in your comfort zone? (Note: Comfort zones are not always comfortable. They’re usually just comfortable enough...) When’s the last time you pushed yourself? Did something really, really hard? No, I mean really hard. When was the last time you looked inside yourself and discovered a previously-unknown inner strength of will? And if you can’t remember, when the hell are you going to start?

• “You failed! And it was awesome!! Exceptional! Outstanding! From failing you learn! From success… not so much.” If you’ve seen this movie, you know that the kid protagonist screws something up masterfully (for the second time in the last hour) and instead of groans and disappointment from those around him, he receives… PRAISE! It’s almost a party. Exclamations, applause, fireworks! (Yes, really—fireworks!) And I think my jaw dropped right into my raw zucchini lasagne, because I’ve never seen a movie do that. I’ve heard about failure, yes, and I’ve heard how important it is to push through. But celebrating failure? That’s… that’s… That’s MAGNIFICENT!

Celebrate! Failure! My god, how did we come to raise our children to dread defeat? It astonishes me. It should astonish you, too.

I think I should start a list. The ten most brilliantly passion-inspiring, growth-inducing, essential-lesson-teaching movies of all time. (Now I just have to find eight more. I already know what my second’s going to be…)

“Gosh… you’re all so nice. If I had a family, I… I’d want them to be just like you.”

I just read through Harry Knowles’ article on Hostel: Part 2... and I agree with him.

Some of you already understand how insane a thing this is for me to say; you’ve heard about my reaction to the first movie and how it put me off real-gore horror movies for serious-like. And if you know me a little better, you know how unhappy that makes me. Scare flicks were something that Marty and I really bonded over, and I was sad to lose the thrill of them.

So when I go to read Harry’s thoughts on the film, I’m not thinking of seeing it. But I do want to know what’s up with the sequel to this movie that had such an unexpected, but profound, effect on my squeam reflex and my ability to deal with graphic violence.

The things he says are reasonable, if you’re not me. To those who consider the graphic heights of this movie a symbol of the worst and ultimate depravity of our culture, he says to grow up—suddenly I wonder if he isn’t right. It’s hard for me to say, because I still haven’t quite reached a verdict in analyzing the reasons the first Hostel movie upset me so badly. I have thoughts and theories and speculations, but I haven’t come to any hard decisions. So I am very open to what he’s saying, even if I know—beyond a shadow of a doubt—that I won’t see the movie. Hell, I couldn’t even get through Black Christmas. Forget it.

But I still want to know why.

I have suggested that it’s the dearth of a good plot, or a higher purpose, or a real reason for all the mess and the gore. Marty and I listed other movies we enjoyed. Slither was awesome. Even Texas Chainsaw Massacre felt like it had a point, and it was incredibly, physically scary for me. We watched House of Wax when it came out and absolutely adored it. There were others. Why was Hostel so bad? Why did it shake me so thoroughly?

When Harry tells us the reason we really watch horror movies, for the escape, for the survivor story, I agree with him completely. It’s not about the depravity. It’s about how the victim gets away, how the enemy is vanquished. I agree whole-heartedly and yet I remember that even in Hostel, one victim got away. One enemy was vanquished.

But I don’t remember the rest. It’s gone out of my head. (And I’m glad.) I only ran Black Christmas this last week because I still want to know what’s going on. Why do I feel this way? Is it really about something that Hostel is? Or is that just an excuse I use when I don’t know the real answer, and can’t seem to find it?

I’d probably have to watch Hostel to find out… and I don’t know that that’s going to happen.

All the same, it’s a good article. If you’d rather not see the movie, but you’re interested in the culture and ideas surrounding it… Harry is a good read.

Watching The Pursuit of Happyness with Marty, I thought, This is the kind of movie where he will win, in the end. He has to. And other movies, I know I have thought, The end is going to be bad. And I will just have to sit here and take it.

But this one, I stay with it. No matter how many rotten, demoralizing things happen to him, he’s in that kind of movie. It will get worse and worse but in the end, it will all come together. It will be worth it. He will be lifted up, and so will we.

It’s not what’s going on now. It’s not what you’re going through now. It’s what kind of movie you’re in. I know what kind of movie I’m in. What kind of movie do you want to be in?

I’m pretty sure… we get to pick.