This has been the second afternoon all week I have been absolutely drenched by a sudden rainstorm. This time, however, I knew what I was getting into… but if only my meek Minnesota raingear were even somewhat effective against this unpredictably proliferating precipitation! What they say is true: everything is bigger in Texas… including the raindrops.
Yesterday’s storm, I’ll admit, caught me completely off-guard. One minute I was waiting for the bus in the burning sun, flicking ants off my jeans and reading poetry, all the while looking wistfully at the cloudless sky. Suddenly there was a blinding crack of lightning followed by a heavy rain soaking both Keats and I to the bone (or, in his case, to the binding). It was well worth it to me, though: I was going to see Brave for the second time.
Aside from the deplorably cliché magical bear, Brave is an incredible film – and I do not say just that as a fellow beneficiary of the recessive alleles bestowing perfect, pulchritudinous vermilion tresses. Merida, an audacious, untamed young princess who prefers archery to decorum, makes watching this film a spirited adventure in itself. After rambling through ancient stone circles and fantastic Celtic lore eclipsed by fog-filled forests and castle ruins, you’ll find yourself looking up airfare soon after leaving the theatre. But before you leave for the Scottish highlands, leave the bear spray at home – these fierce mammals have been extinct in Britain for hundreds of years.
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| Merida of Disney/Pixar's Brave. |
I picked up some Chinese takeout on my way back from the movie theatre (unfortunately my clothes were still drying off from the storm earlier) and returned to my abode, instantly putting on The Secret of Kells. Even though Kells is a fictitious rendition about the genesis of the Book of Kells (which currently can be found in the library at Trinity College in Dublin… a library I foolishly did not visit when I had the chance), it easily outperforms Brave due to its existential legitimacy (the movie is a French/Irish collaboration). While Kells lacks some of the visual charm and magic of flashier films, the story is full of impressive meaning and brilliance.
