Considering my remarkable ability to alienate people, you'd think I'd be used to being alone most of the time. Unwarranted sexual advances do volumes for minimizing social obligations after all. And yet I have never found a good way to pass my time alone.
I was feeling a bit down in the dumps Friday night. The temperature outside approaching -500,000,000 F and all of my friends either working or otherwise not 'engaging' me (i.e. not returning my phone calls). So I said "To Hell with It" and settled in for a four hour journey through Northern Africa.
Its been a couple of years since I last saw Lawrence of Arabia. Man, what a fun movie to watch by yourself. Perfect really. Lots of vivid imagery and Peter O'tool's shockingly homoerotic portrayal of T.E. Lawrence. Really, for a movie filmed in 1962 its amazing how gay he plays it.
I am surprised in a way that I like this movie. There is no real plot to speak of, the characters aren't developed in any spectacular way, its just a long morality play minus the morality. Just some great pictures of the desert with funny dialogue and a catchy soundtrack.
I think I like it partially because it represents the kind of indulgence that can only be created today by the richest of filmmakers. And even the richest, most respected filmmaker of our time would have trouble getting backing for a similar project.
I also like the film because sometimes a long story is just a long story. There is something quaint about spending 4 hours watching a film with no discernible meaning or important message. Its just pure entertainment.
And I need to be entertained.
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