Geeking Out for the Weekend

I have been a slight loser over the past couple days. Except for escaping for a job interview yesterday and a little bit of Bibis's show tonight I haven't really left my apartment over the last couple days. I have been holed up in my one bedroom oasis watching movie that I have long since forgot about or haven't ever seen and remembering what it is about film that started this whole passion of mine in the first place. It started out innocently enough. After watch the trailer for The List online a couple weeks ago I decided to treat myself and rent the movie on iTunes. After uploading it to my iPod and plugging it into my TV I settled in to view what Wilmington has to offer on film. This was the first movie that I had ever watched knowing exactly where it was filmed and had seen and been to the areas where it was filmed. I have to admit it was strange seeing some of the same landmarks that I drive past almost daily but the story kept me interested in other things. It was a really good movie. I have always been a big nerd when it comes to the Civil War, going to reenactments, learning as much as possible about it, randomly going to old battlefields for the heck of it. It was interesting to see a story that had such a southern basis to it. While I was watching it I decided that I should watch as many movies that were made in Wilmington as possible, just to see what has come out of this place. Granted I had seen a lot of them and owned more of them than I realized but it was good to revisit them.

Next came the Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. This is a movie that I had no idea was filmed in Wilmington until I started my research into the area. Such an amazing movie and one that gets a tear from me every time. After falling asleep half way through because I started the movie at about 3 am I finished the end the next morning. Still as powerful as I remember. It was one of those that while I worked at the movie theater I saw very often, from sneaking in on breaks and non-breaks to going on my days off I watched the movie several times. After now knowing that it was filmed around here I am impressed that they turned North Carolina into Louisiana, some of that movie magic that I love so much.

After I finished Ya-Ya Sisterhood I moved on to the original movie that started my passion in film, A Walk to Remember. Had you told me when I walked into that theater all those years ago that this movie would be the inspiration for my life I would probably have laughed at you. Especially if you had told me I would move to the place it was filmed in years later. It's almost like destiny slowly pushed me towards Wilmington and the life I am leading now. This movie was the first that touched me on more than just the story level. The scenery, the actors, the music, the story line, the whole package of the movie sparked something inside me that I can not explain to this day. I know it's not your most conventional movie to say started it all but I'm not normal so I'm ok with it. This movie was the first I saw before I started working for the movie theater. It was the one that prompted me to take my own shot at writing. I honestly never knew exactly where they filmed it, I just knew it was some where in North Carolina. I always had that thought in the back of my mind when I wanted to make my own movie. This was the prettiest place I had seen on film in a long time and I wanted to make it apart of my movie. Hence why my first draft, and newest draft of my movie are set in North Carolina. It wouldn't be until 8 years later (wow I can't believe it's been 8 years) that I would find out that it was filmed in Wilmington (to be honest I didn't know that it was filmed here until I got here and someone mentioned it, you can tell how good my research skills are). I haven't watched the movie in years because of a combination of factors but it was really good to watch it again. I cried like a baby in the end like always and really took in all of the scenes that came across. It wasn't just the movie it was everything about it.

After A Walk to Remember I popped in Summer Catch. Yet again another movie that I had no idea was filmed in Wilmington. Lets face it until I decided to go through with this radical dream I didn't really know much about Wilmington's film industry just that they filmed Dawson's Creek and One Tree Hill here, I have since learned my lesson on lack of research and found that this area has been and will be a great area for production. This movie was my comfort when things got hard in the relationship department. Why I don't really know but it combined several of my favorite things at the time (some of which are still true) 1) guys in baseball uniforms, 2) Freddie Prinze Jr. 3) a good sappy love story 4) baseball/sports theme and 5) guys in baseball uniforms. I still love this movie and all of it's cheesiness. It was a nice to rewatch it and remember why I loved it in the first place.

After Summer Catch I got distracted from my original plan and watched random other movies. Since then I have watched The Good Girl, Garden State, Alex and Emma, What a Girl Wants, and Sister Act. All amazing movies that I had stored away and kind of forgotten about. Next on my trek through my 200+ DVD's is America's Sweetheart. I love having movie weekends even tho I feel like a loner and shut in it's nice to revisit movies and remembering exactly what it is about movies that inspires me and that I want to achieve. I will never view movies the same, I look at random none important things that most people wouldn't see or I see the way they framed a particular shot and think I how much I would to do something like that with my movie. I'm a film geek now and always will be and I am glad I am.