The Village and Other Thoughts

I finally saw "The Village" tonight. I was really looking forward to this movie since I loved "Signs" and "The Sixth Sense," and I enjoyed it. "The Village" was entertaining and suspenseful and well acted, but I do understand now why some people were disappointed. Without giving anything away, it's not as deeply layered as his previous films had been. The other films left me pondering the ideas that were presented, long after the film was over. "The Village" did not, though I did manage to have an interesting discussion with my friend about it afterward.

Today's date, of course, had me at times thinking back three years as I'm sure it did with everyone else. So I guess I'll add my own little where I was for that weekend. On the 8th I'd traveled to NY alone to attend my first Farscape convention (my second con ever) at the Pennsylvania Hotel. I didn't really know the names of all the characters let alone the actors, and I hadn't seen that many episodes, but I'd read and heard so many good things about the one in Burbank that I just had to check this one out. When I'd arrived, I'd called home and immediately knew something was wrong despite the fact that no one at home wanted to tell me anything, (I found out when I returned home that my great aunt had died suddenly while I was on my way to NY). The con itself was on the 9th, and I had a wonderful time. Ben had come into the audience to shake people's hands before signing autographs, and I'd been quite impressed that he took the time to do that. I'd purchased the cheap seat tickets, so I wasn't getting an autograph, and some people I just met invited me to join a group of people for dinner. I said I'd meet them at the restaurant, dropped off some things in my hotel room and headed down to the lobby where I ran into the person who'd convinced me to come in the first place. While chatting with him, executive producer David Kemper passed by, kindly stopping to allow a photo (which didn't come out), and then Ben passed by, stopped to do a little six-million dollar man running thing for me (that pic *did* come out). All higher brain functioning ceased, and thoroughly discombobulated, I ended up traveling in cirlces looking for the restaurant I was to meet everyone at. After a time, I returned to my hotel room, quite content with my day. On the 10th, before my train home, I took a walk over to the OLTL studios, snapped a few pics. When I arrived home, I heard the news about my great aunt, unpacked and got some rest. The next morning, I went online to the Dom and posted a thanks to the people I met, along with an apology (and explanation) for missing dinner. I then hurried off to work. My older sister called me soon after, telling me a plane had flown into the World Trade Center in New York and that it might be terrorists. I didn't understand. I'd thought she'd meant one of those small little planes, maybe a student pilot, had nicked the WTC. Nothing had been announced on the radio station we were listening to at work. The rest of the morning was spent fielding phone calls from my family and greeting patients and answering the phone and walking around in basically a haze. By this time the radio station was reporting the news over and over, and we might've closed early at work, but I can't remember. I do remember, however, going online once I got home, and literally two posts after mine was someone mentioning a plane flying into the WTC. All the posts from that point on over the next few days, maybe even over the following week or more, involved the confusion, shock and sorrow surrounding the events of September 11, 2001. There were also posts of concern and encouragement and virtual hugs and tears expressed by people from all over the world, and somehow it seemed to solidify my connection to this online community I'd only just discovered, as odd as that may sound.

I also spent time contacting friends in NY to make sure they were okay. My older sister was having trouble reaching one friend by phone but finally heard from her by email. The interent made it easier for people to check in as the phone lines and satellite/cell phone connections were over loaded. It was a strange time, but it was comforting the way people came together to support each other and those who were injured or had died as a result of the terrorists hijacking the three planes.

Everyone I've ever spoken to remembers exactly where he or she was when the news first broke. We all have our stories, no matter how insignificant they might seem in comparison to the family and friends of those who were in the planes and in the buildings. Anyway ...

On a much lighter note, DragonConTV has posted a "commercial" they made for DragonCon: The Aurora Chair. Please check it out and leave some comments for the filmmakers! :D

Neil Gaiman, Worldcon, Boston, 5 September 2004
Lastly, K. has just informed me that my innocent little email has appeared on Neil Gaiman's journal. (hee!) And I will say it again .. Neil Gaiman made an excellent MC for the Hugo Awards. I really, really enjoyed my first Worldcon. This convention was spectacular and had so much going on at every moment to appeal to all the varying interests of attendees .. too bad at was at the table most of the time. lol To see the list of Hugo winners, please go here. He also posted links to an article (that he suspects might've been an attempt at humor - I think Mr. Gaiman was being generous) expressing stereotypical ignorance in regards to fans of science fiction! Articles like these annoy me, as I'm sure they annoy all fans of science fiction or fantasy, though maybe not as much in years past .. before I started going to the occasional con. I don't see journalists writing such pieces when the Super Bowl comes to town. By the way, to my non-science fiction loving friends, if you enjoyed any of the following, you *are* a fan of science fiction or fantasy, whether or not you want to admit it: Jurassic Park, E.T., Sliding Doors, Vanilla Sky, Frankenstein, The Wizard Of Oz, The Princess Bride, Star Wars, StarGate (movie and/or series), Lord of the Rings trilogy (movies and/or books), ... see a pattern here? ;-) Oh! and the Worldcon 2005 organizers have a wonderful explanation of what Worldcon is here.

My Baker's Dozen for that weekend are up, too.

.. The annual Boston Film Festival is back in town. I hope to leave work early enough at least one day this week to see at least one film playing at the festival.