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How we saw Spidey

July 5th, 2004 · 4 Comments

One hour after the kids went to bed…
One hour during the kids’ nap the next day.
Yep, we were watching the DVD of the first Spiderman film, playing on Ted’s 20″ monitor.
At least we got to see Spiderman, even if it was an older version.
At our stage of life, you gotta be grateful for what you can get,
even if it’s a two-year-old-DVD.

The only movies we see, usually, are the big epics that need to be seen on a big screen (Lord of the Rings, Matrix, Star Wars). We have to do super-hero gymnastics (without stunt crews, wires or CGI) in order to get to the theater: find a babysitter, prepare meals for the kids, scribble instructions and sometimes even catch the boat to Seattle….with great power comes great responsibility…Seeing a movie can seem exhausting, maybe more work than it’s worth, especially if the chosen film turns out to be a dud.

But the other day I spontaneously decided to pick up the first Spiderman at the rental place on the island. A few weeks ago, using a coupon we were given, Ted started an account at the store. So now we can go pick up whatever we want to see easily.

I realized, after watching Spidey from our sofa, that I like movies. If I can see them at home in a relaxing fashion it’s fun. In recent times an excursion to the cinema had required as much effort an excursion to the Siberia. That’s a slight exaggeration.

Bibliophile that I am, I didn’t like most movies anyway, so missing them didn’t matter to me. For a while, I only liked emotional dramas, chick flicks, tear jerker types where characters suffer from cancer and other tragedies ensue. That introvert in me wanted an intense relational experience in a film. As I’m getting older (and getting more drama in my daily life) I’m beginning to like different genres, even action adventures and superhero sagas. (I’m starting to learn more about kung fu and combat…and my husband.) I’m realizing that both my growing appreciation of photography and my passion for stories can be satisfied in film. It’s a media that has power in our culture: power to communicate and power to unite. It’s fun! And if we can select what we want to watch ourselves, choose how and when we see it, snuggle on our own sofa together…I’m starting to like movies more and more…maybe one of these days I’ll let Ted buy his big screen TV dream after all 😉

Guess we’ll have to wait for the current Spiderman to come out on DVD until we see it (unless we can quickly procure a babysitter).

From the reviews I read though it sounds like there will be another sequel:
perhaps we’ll wait and buy the 3-DVD set when it is released…add it to the list… 🙂

Tags: culture

4 responses so far ↓

  • 1 Nathan // Jul 5, 2004 at 10:08 am

    Superhero movies seem to be enjoying a sort of renaissance in American pop culture at the moment. I wonder if it’s because as beings with a hint of the divine, there is a hero inside of us waiting to be unleashed…perhaps not heroes that swing from high places…or fly through the air…but hints of a Character that we are meant to be — nobility, purity, chivalry. The best superhero films show characters attempting to achieve such aims — reminding us that despite the cynicism around us, the impossible is still achievable, or at least worth pursuing. Spider-Man resonates not because heroism comes easy to him, but because he chooses the hard good over the easy out.

    Spider-Man 2 takes all the themes of the first film and expands on them. I wasn’t expecting such a film experience. Makes me glad I’m an (aspiring) screenwriter — for the chance to tell epic stories with a human heart.

  • 2 Paul // Jul 5, 2004 at 4:51 pm

    Sounds like you need a NetFlix account. We liked it, when we could make use of it, but I know the joy of trying to work around young kids and mature interests.

  • 3 Julie Leung: Seedlings & Sprouts // Jul 23, 2004 at 1:08 am

    We saw Spidey tonight : some spoiler

    Thanks again to Grandma, we made it to the movie theater on the last night of Spidey 2’s island run. I liked this second movie better than the first one although I am grateful we had rented the DVD recently….

  • 4 K's Caf // Jul 24, 2004 at 2:06 pm

    Netflix Ad

    Julie Leung’s post from July 5th, “How We Saw Spidey” talked about how she and her husband watched the movie. I realized, after watching Spidey from our sofa, that I like movies. If I can see them at home in