Old blog from April 7th, 2010: Yup

Couldn't think of a better title. Sorry.

I always wanted to work in Hollywood, Ca.

I wanted to write films or act. I'm not good at writing and to act you have to be able to remember things, as well as really want to put up with all the shit that's involved. I had fun with school plays but never tried out for anything big. I learned all the terminology like 'stage left' 'upstage' and I got the overall gist of what it's like to be in a Shakespear play when I was Lady Macbeth my junior year.

Meanwhile, I would write movie reviews for my english teacher. I wrote about the horrors that played out on the screen during the beginning of Sav. Private Ryan. I'm sure if I still had that review, I'd think I was an idiot. I can't write now, so what's to say I could write 10 years ago, right? I even wrote a review for him for the movie The Faculty. I pointed out why it was a stupid movie if you were looking for a scary movie or sci-fi flick. I think even Elijah Wood has tried to get that taken off his IMDB film resume.

My point is, I realized then, my junior year I wanted to write reviews. I knew I couldn't sound as smart as the reviewers that were in the newspaper or on late night TV. I knew no one would listen to my opionion, I hadn't gone to college or anything, so why bother, right?

I think that's why I was so jazzed when I had the opportunity to work for Hollywood Video. I was going to get paid to tell people if I liked a movie or not and if it was any good. That job rocked as long as that's all that I had to deal with. Trust me, people are great when they are asking your opinion on The Onion Movie or Twilight but they'll treat you like shit if you tell them they have late fees for a movie.

I loved that part of the job, telling people why I liked a movie. I even made a few fans. Lol! Really. I run into people from time to time and they don't remember my name, but they'll remember me from working at the store. They always ask me if I've seen anything good lately like I see new movies weekly or something like Siskel. That's sad, I guess. But I am flattered.

I had told my mom why I liked my job and she said it made sense. She reminded me of when I was in 6th grade, I did an oral report on my favorite movie: Parenthood. At the time I didn't understand many themes of the movie, but I knew it was good. I still love that movie. "As far as I'm concerned, I think your grandmother's brillant." "Oh yeah, if she's so great why's she sitting in our neighbor's car??!!" You just can't get good movies like that anymore.

At the store we were allowed to pick out our favorite movies and I always rotated my movies in and out because I have so many favorites. One night a guy and his wife came up to me and asked "Who's Tracy? She likes good movies." I remember that just because it was funny how he said it, I guess. It was right there on my name tag, ya know, he thought that was funny when I pointed it out.

That couple came in one night to get Watcher In The Woods and were bummed that we didn't have it. I told them I was surprised we didn't carry it and that none of the other stores in the area did either, but that I'd just bought it from Amazon.com and they could borrow it when I got it. I almost got fired for that. I was so surprised, they were too because my boss told them that it was wrong what I did. They called customer service and told them how nice I was and how great the extra service was. They said I was supposed to have gotten a call from corporate about it but never did, or the message wasn't relayed to me. Who knows.

Again, anyways......(I hate that I write like how I talk.) That couple would always come in at nights after work and when my hours changed, I didn't see them for a while. When I finally worked a shift where our paths crossed, they came into the store and hugged me. It felt great to be appreciated. Then they said, "Quick, good 80's movie that's not a John Hughes film."

What an odd ball thing to say, right? Then their troop of friends came in right after them. 80's film night at their house and nothing they had sounded good to anyone. The couple said on the way to the store, "I hope she's working tonight otherwise we're making them call her." So, thus why they were so jazzed to see me. They knew I'd be able to come up with a movie that a group of people would be all happy with.

I started off with my favorite 80's lines doing my best voice impressions of the people who said them. "That's what I said, booty traps!" (Goonies) "Is this a kissing book?" (Princess Bride) "You're a blood sucking vampire! Wait till Mom finds about this buddy!" (Lost Boys) "I told him, that's what little guys do, I mean, we've all done it." (Parenthood) and also a few others, even ones that weren't 80's. "Pizza dudes got 30 seconds." (TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles) "My biological clock is ticking like this and the way this case is going I ain't never gettin married!" (My Cousin Vinny)

They loved it! They ended up going with Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure because I did: "Dust....wind." "Dude!"

It's nights like that that make me miss working for that store. It's closing now, like so many others in the US. My dream job is going to be extinct with in a few years because why pay someone to say why a movie is good when you can get a blogger to do it for free, right?? Scan through movies on Netflix and members have written they're own reviews and given them they're own amount of stars. So, why pay someone, right?

So now, after watching Precious, I sit here and reflect on the movie. My opinion doesn't matter. I don't get paid to tell people what I thought of a movie. I could shout from the rooftops how wonderful a film could be, it's not going to make a difference.

Ohh well.

One thing for sure though, I did have times that I wanted to put the damn disc in the freezer. (For all you Friends fans out there, "Pivot!")