PB

(Activate: Cheesy Announcer Voice, Eighty’s) It’s Monday Jul. 11th 2009 SOOOOOO Lets Play everybody’s favorite game show: (Add pre recorded “crowd” shouting with C.A.V.E) “BLOGING WITH BRADLEYMAN!!!!!!!” (Deactivate “crowd” voices cue canned applause) With your host….Faster than a speeding…oh hey you know he is……..BRADLEYMAN!!!!! (Up canned applause for .5 seconds then slow fade to sound “organic”)(Deactivate C.A.V.E)
Hi everyone and welcome to Blogging with Bradleyman, I’ll me your host, Brad “Bradleyman” Null.
So before we jump in to the “HAPPY” part of this blog (and my one goal with this particular blog is to try and spread HAPPY to all who want some) a quick note. In my last blog I posted a hate letter, I had received, and a lot of you out there (well a lot for my current audience as I understand it) were apologetic and or concerned. I reported it to Facebook they sent me an automatic e-mail and as long as I never hear from her again, I consider the mater closed. It’s not the worst I have ever got but it did surprise me. It’s not the reason most lunatics choose to hate me for. I do thank everyone for your support and kind thoughts, I really was more amused than upset BUT had I been truly up set it’s nice to know you all were there.
SO now on with the Blog:
I was watching The Princes Bride again few weeks back and I had a series of thoughts about what is one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE MOVIES. Now before we go on yes I am possibly going to be critical of some of what happens in the movie, if you are a fan to the film and loyal to the point you could be mistaken for a “Twilight Girl” or “Marvel Dude”, then stop reading. No really stop right now! OK, but you were warned and if you respond in any way I may mock you.
My first thought; “This movie ACTULY rocks more in wide screen”. I missed the Film in theatres and I am pretty sure I never saw it in wide screen until this year. It was almost like watching a “NEW AND IMPROVED” version of the film. When you have seen a film as often as I have this one, And I once had a roommate* who watched it weekly and recited the lines from the Nintendo sound effect to grandpa’s “as you wish”, you start to kind of half watch it, the new format caused me to pay attention in a way I haven’t for years (well except for the parts with Fezzik and/ or Inigo) and that led to the rest of these thoughts.
Second thought; “for all her beauty, Buttercup is useless.” She starts out crewel, then becomes demanding, then gives up hope, then in the swamp she nearly gets Westly killed then pokes at R.O.U.S. with a stick while he fights. I have had this thought before and even blogged about so, we will move on.
Third thought; “this movie is SOOOOOOO COOL”. This is more of a constant under-thought to any thought I have while watching this film. I just thought you should be aware that my inner child goes nuts for this like it’s a mid 80’ X-men comic (you know the ones I think are BEST cause’ they came out when I was a kid).
Forth thought; Now I had this thought as Westly was knocked unconscious by the five fingered man. It so upset my being that I had to go back and re watch the timing. (thank you FiOS for letting me, as I no longer have a VHS on which to play my copy**) SO I went back and watched. The quote is “Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something.” It’s a quote used by MANY of my friends. They all seem to think it’s a great life philosophy. The quote is often used to justify actions that have caused pain. Now first off using ANY quote from ANY movie as if it is proof of something is questionable at best. Secondly, seconds later, Westly/The man in Black, no longer believes it. The MOMENT he tumbles down that hill saying “As you wish”, which means “I love you” as established earlier by grandpa, he no longer believes that “life is pain”. Furthermore, the point of the movie is that “love conquers all”. The “all” in question includes “pain”. No Italian I know quotes Vizzini’s line about Sicilians and Death, WHY because he dies seconds later, disproving his statement. Seconds later (as if to even suggest that it too might be a false but believed statement) we get the “life is pain” quote. Seconds after that “as you wish”/”I love you” showing he no longer believes.
So to everyone who has ever used the “life is pain” quote to punctuate an argument where I was naive for believing something different; “HEY the entire point of that quote in the movie was that it was WRONG, using it just proves that you are both wrong and ignorant of what you are quoting. If you are provably wrong and ignorant in the use of your “witty pop culture” quote, then why should I trust ANYTHING you say, especially about the nature of what life “IS”? I hope all the people who have done that read this blog that was way too much to rewrite and repeat too often.
Fifth thought; “as long as we have rewind let’s watch the full screen version of the sword fight on the cliffs. THAT’S so COOL.” (repeat 5 or 6 times until you start trying to argue with yourself as to which is better this sword fight or the one in the Blacksmiths shop in the first Pirates of the Caribbean, cliffs win this week but I am fickle)
Sixth thought; “Billy Crystal is the funniest part of this…..OH wait second Carol Cain as “HIS WIFE!!, but I don’t even want to be that any more” may beat him…EH the characters are married will call it a tie.” ‘Nuff said.
Seventh thought; “Yeah why didn’t you count the wheelbarrow as an asset” The cloak I understand, but a wheelbarrow is useful in the construction of a ramming device at the very least. You don’t have to be MR. “I am descended from Ulysses and my ancestors will be The Fox and The Bat” ***to know that.
Eighth thought; “hello, my name is….OH dear gods it’s stuck in my head again!!!!” I love the Inigo/ five finger man fight. Watching Inigo come back to life to finish the “son of a bitch” who took his father is one of the greatest moments in film. That said, once I watch the move, for weeks, sometimes mouths EVERY time someone says “hello” the quote (you know the one) finishes it’s self in my head. If anyone else has this problem let me know, if not I may need to seek therapy.
Ninth thought; (upon viewing the “to the pain” moment and in reference to my forth thought) “See the movie admits there is pain, the threat of it can even help love win”. This was me in my head still arguing with all of those who think my happy outlook is naive. (which by the by is counterproductive to the whole “happy” thing, and is totally my bad as it’s all in my head—sigh--) This thought is mostly redundant, and I wouldn’t even mention it, if it hadn’t of led to my next thought.
Tenth thought; (after having thought nine while watching Westly offer the “Dread Pirate Roberts” identity to Inigo) “Hey wait, this may be a ‘love conquers all’ movie but this is NOT a good defeats evil movie.” That’s right, there are no real “good guys” in this movie. Buttercup is pretty and loving, AFTER being love changed her from the crewel girl she was in the beginning and changed or not she is WORTHLES in the fire swamps and a whiner every second she is not in Westley’s presence. Westly, while the champion for love (once he pulls his head out of his…um mask), IS still the current Dread Pirate Roberts, who doesn’t leave prisoners and therefore is a killer. Fezzik, and Inigo start off as killer henchmen. Inigo’s entire life is about murderous revenge. In the end they all go on to better lives as they have been touched by love and friend ship. However were they a “force for good”? Yes they stopped the evil of the Prince, and stopping evil IS a good thing, but not one of them was motivated by “Good”. Inigo was there for revenge. Fezzik was motivated by friendship#. Westly was there strictly for Love#. NO ONE was there to stop the prince’s evil plan to create a war. LOVE beats evil. In the process it accidently does some greater good. However “good” does not win the day this time, “love” does.
Well there you have it, my ten thoughts upon (re-re-re-re-) viewing one of the world’s greatest movies. I have to say I think I like the “love conquers evil, so good won’t have too” message, even if it took me over 20 years of re watching (a minimum of twice a year) to put words to it.
“As you wish”
Bradleyman
*-Yes, you Mr. S living in the red woods now, I mean YOU. Any other roommate from the past nope not you.
**- yeah I still have the tape but no way to play it…I once mocked people who did this same thing with * track tapes…I apologize to all of you, caus’ rational or not I’m not letting go of my useless plastic and magnetic tape.
***- Zorro and Batman for the adventure impaired”
#- a type of good but not a “stop the evil monarch” sort of good.