Jaws, Jurassic Park, Avatar: One of these things is not like the other

I've been up to a lot lately.  Worked for a month as craft services on a film set with my then-fiance, and, two weeks later, made him my now-husband.  Woo-wee.

While honeymooning on Oak Island, NC (where, much to my disappointment, we saw no sharks THEY ARE TERRIFYING I LOVE THEM SO MUCH), we found ourselves sans internet.  Which was fine, really, because we both regret what we consider our overuse of the internet.  The house we were staying in had a fascinating DVD collection, and we definitely re-watched Jurassic Park.  It's still amazing, in case you were wondering.  I had recently re-watched Jaws, which is also still amazing.  I'd been interested in watching these again because, while working on the film set, the DP, a Spielberg-lover, had been raving about how Jaws still terrified him.  He was right.

Also while working on the film set, the director, a James Cameron-lover, had been talking about Avatar.  Which I hated.  So I thought I'd give that one another try, and my newlywed husband and I popped it in (if you know what I mean).  Well, guess what.  I had been right.  I still hated it.

It was exciting, that's for sure.  Full of pretty, shiny things (I love pretty, shiny things).  But the story is totally ripped from Pocahontas, and while Jaws and Jurassic Park stand the test of time, Avatar just isn't in the same class.  My husband-the-writer was going on about the story, you see, and I agree with him, and we both had a good eye-roll over how the blue princess, who's just been screaming her lungs out at the lead male character because he basically ruined everything including her whole entire life, goes gaga over him when he shows up riding the wild beast he's just tamed.  (She walks up to him like a robot, eyes wide and jaw dropped, tells him, 'I was scared,' and voila, the man gets his princess whom he obviously deserves because male fantasy reasons.  A prize with boobies.)

But then I started talking about what peeved me the most.  'There are plenty of women in the film,' I said (all week we'd been counting up the women in films; it's depressing how few there are, let alone how few truly important women characters there are), 'but what I really hate, no one ever notices.  Whenever I talk to people about this movie, they don't seem to have even thought about it -- I guess it's too ingrained -- but it's just an imperialist fantasy a la Heart of Darkness.  You've got this guy who comes in from the outside, wins over the natives, gets together with the princess, tames the beast, and becomes their new leader.  Because they couldn't lead themselves to greatness.  It's horrible.'

And then my husband said that I should start a blog, because I have important things to say and people need to hear them.  I said, I already started a blog.  He was surprised.  He said he could help me with it.  I said, it's a secret blog.  He said he could help me make it look pretty.  I said, it is pretty.  But I was really flattered by his suggestion, not because I need a man to affirm me, but because he's a writer, and a good one, and he doesn't lavish compliments.  Plus, it's always nice to know your spouse thinks you've got something good going on.

Also I made these today.  They were awesome.