Those who know me, know I love movies. Growing up, broke as we were, a Summer Sunday afternoon would find us at the dollar show for the complimentary AC. Much later I would date a self-proclaimed movie buff and my horizons broadened. Now I happen to be a part of a group of friends who enjoy getting together from time to time to watch (and mock) movies we love and those we love to hate.

Palmie and I have had several 8-hour movie marathons, always on some sort of theme, in the recent past. Such evenings are rife with mockery and semi-related chit-chat. But when alone I still like to watch movies for the pure enjoyment of them, suspend disbelief for a while, and bliss out with ‘old friends.’

This past weekend was one of those times. When I’d had enough of staring at the computer screen (I still <3 my mac very much) or need to work on knitting or just veg, I popped in a video. For some reason I felt like watching one of the few (perhaps the only) Nicolas Cage movies that doesn’t make me scream in frustration: National Treasure.

Now, the thing is, it’s appeal lies not with its talent, I care little for any of the actors/actresses, but in the ‘treasure hunt’ storyline. I love things like this. Which, it occurred to me, is why I enjoyed the Davinci Code movie–I really didn’t care for Tom Hanks’ performance by and large, but I loved the scavenger-hunt mentality of the movie. Same with Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Granted, IJatToD has a lot more going for it, but its the same sort of thing, same general premise. Apparently, this appeals to me greatly, as it also describes the type of games I like (yes, I really liked playing Myst, sue me). Had I had another 4 hours to kill in front of the tv I might have been tempted to dash to Blockbuster for those two films.

Another movie watched (different day) was Bring It On III: All or Nothing. Okay, yes, teeny bopper feel good flicks are another of my guilty pleasures. I mean, really, how can you not just love the simplicity of glossy teen problems when the world exists only for their enjoyment and torture? But I hate sequels. With a passion. Most sequels are just drivel and even worse when they swap talent within the same character, etc. (Note: this does not include trilogies and series and so forth, no, what I’m talking about are movies that did awesome so the studio decides to find someone to write another movie with a smiliar storyline or a continuation of the characters.)

The goodness of Bring It On was just such that I was willing to take the chance and buy the sequel when it came out. Eh. Bring It On II was not overly special. It had some things going for it, but not enough. BiOIII, on the other hand, is the epitome of adorableness with Hayden Paniterre and crew. III gets a lot closer to the original premise of the first BiO and I think the setting plays the biggest part. II takes place in college. College is still very insular for many people, but it’s a little harder to feign ignorance of the world outside (and the relative triviality of cheerleading–oh, come on, at least in high school cheerleading can get you a scholarship TO college, pro cheerleading squads are so few and hard to get onto…; plus, I and III showed actual classroom involvement, even on a low level, II was cheerleading and outdoor socializing, I don’t recall any classes ever or homework crisis or exams, etc.) on any college campus compared to the possibilities of high-school comedic drama.

What does all this have to do with the price of tea in China? Absolutely nothing, I just thought I’d share!

Flying to California WAY too freaking early tomorrow morning (6am flight… I am insane), so don’t expect an update til at least Thursday, and even then, well, who knows.