Based on a True Story

These five words always draw my attention when looking for a good book to read or a movie to watch. While I definitely LOVE being entertained by stories outside the realms of possibility (i.e. Peter Pan, Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, Meet Joe Black, The Legend of Bagger Vance, etc.), there is something really special about a story that needs hardly any embellishment and is worthy enough to be written about or made into a feature film.

Currently, I am finishing a book that bears the stamp of these five words, and Joel and I watched a movie based on a true story last night. Both are fantastic. Both stories are amazing. And both are stories I can’t believe I never heard of before now. Stuff You Missed in History Class should think about doing a podcast on each of them!

The book is called The Devil in the White City. The author, Erik Larson, hardly embellished anything at all. He constructed the story based on old letters and newspaper articles. And he did an amazing job! Sometimes you have to pinch yourself and remind yourself that this story is fully real! The book parallels the lives of two men near the turn of the century in Chicago. The first man is Daniel Burnham, the lead architect of the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893. The other man is H.H. Holmes, a serial killer that lived in Chicago during the World’s Fair. He started his killings just years after Jack the Ripper and killed many more women than Jack did. However, he’s hardly known at all! It’s crazy. But it’s really good!

The movie was called Bottle Shock. This was a little more fictionalized than Devil in the White City. However, it was still based on true events. Basically, it tells the story of this winery called Chateau Montelena near Napa that won a blind tasting in Paris during a time when the French wines were thought to be far-and-away more superior than any others. It has Chris Pine in it, and he wears a glorious wig. In short, the movie was made for Katie Griffin. But it was really good.

In the end, I feel so much smarter by having read the book and watched the movie. Don’t you kind of feel that way when you finish a story based on real life? It’s like I didn’t waste my time at all by entertaining myself – I was also educating myself. Gosh, I love when that happens. Dovetailing interests.

Lars and the Real Girl

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you have probably picked up on the fact that I love movies! And I also love the Target racks of movies on sale $5 to $7.50 to $9.

Well, unfortunately for my pocket book, the last time I stopped by Target (not-so-innocently passing by the movie section), I found a basket-full of movies that I have been wanting to add to my collection for a while. One of the movies I came across was Lars and the Real Girl which I had been wanting to see for a while. Katie and I finally sat down last night to watch it and it is fabulous! If you want a movie that not only brings a smile to your face, but inspires you to love others more, I highly suggest watching it.

Check out the preview:

Ticket for One, Please

Tonight, I went by myself to see Away We Go, a touching movie about a couple who gets pregnant and treks to different cities, trying to find a place that feels like “home.” It had several of my favorite actors, including John Krasinski and Catherine O’Hara! While I felt a little uncomfortable at moments, overall, it was a wonderful story, mixing quirkiness, optimism and a refreshing simplicity. I walked away feeling just plain happy. Check out the trailer:

I love going to movies by myself for several reasons:

1. It’s a dark room where no one is talking, so it’s not awkward like going to a restaurant and eating by myself.
2. I can spread out in my seat and take up both of the armrests.
3. I can cry as much as I want and not be embarrassed about it.
4. It’s a very date-ish atmosphere (the iconic dinner-and-a-movie), so I feel like I’m on a date with myself (and since I don’t spend much time alone, it’s a nice feeling).
5. I don’t feel bad about wasting someone’s time. Not many people I know love movies as much as I do; actually, many of my friends think movies are kind of a waste of time because you’re not getting to talk and connect. So when I go by myself, I don’t feel like anyone is bothered… I get to fully enjoy it.
6. Oftentimes, I want to go to a movie that maybe not everyone wants to see. Going by myself, I get to watch exactly what I want and not disappoint my movie-going-companion.

All very selfish reasons… but the best part is, I’m not hurting anyone with my selfishness. So if you’ve never tried going to a movie by yourself and you just want to take some time to be unhurtfully selfish, I highly recommend you trek over to your local theater, pick out a movie you’ve secretly been dying to see, buy a snack that you really want, pick out a great seat, get comfy and enjoy! You’ll be so glad you did!