Christmas Break = A Whole Bunch of Movies
While by no means an avid in-theater movie watcher, as I’m generally more of the loner DVD type, a lot of downtime this winter break has allowed me to watch a bunch of movies that I otherwise would not have had the opportunity to see – Black Christmas, Rocky Balboa, The Pursuit of Happyness, and on DVD, The Island, X-Men 3, and The Devil Wears Prada.

Now, there isn’t really much to say about Black Christmas, other than it didn’t have any Black people in it, nor did it really have anything to do with Christmas. It had a little to do with eating eyeballs and a lot to do with having really hot main characters.

While Lacey Chabert is likely the main draw for most male movie-goers, it’s Katie Cassidy, the remake’s main character that stole the show and of course, part of my celebrity-crush heart. Not only was she incredibly good looking with the best head of hair that the silver screen has seen in a minute, but she was a good “hot, but not too hot,” main character for a horror movie. While I have no idea if they’re trying to turn Black Christmas into the Saw of the holiday season, I hope they make the other movies a little better.

Rocky Balboa was called the “most polarizing sports movie ever made” by ESPN’s Bill Simmons – meaning that viewers either hated or loved the movie. Personally, I belong heavily to the side that praises the film’s ending to one of what I believe is one of the greatest series of movies ever made. If you’re a fan of Rocky, you’ll love the movie. If you’re not a fan and never were a fan, this movie is not going to convert you.

Although the first films were made before I was born, I have always been a huge fan of the Rocky films, as I own them all on DVD and have watched each film numerous times. Yes, I’ll admit that Rocky V was a wash, but it was a wash because it took Rocky away from the characteristics that made him the great character that he is. However, Balboa takes Rocky back to his roots and maintains his identity and character perfectly. The movie doesn’t try and make Rocky anything that he’s not. Surprisingly, despite having one of the best fight scenes in a Rocky film, the best part of Balboa is a dialogue between Rocky and his son.

After his son blames him for how he feels about himself and his own life, we expect the mild-mannered Balboa to apologize with his son for not being the father he should have been. Instead, Rocky snaps back at his son, telling him that no one is responsible for his position in life but that person.

He tells his son that he can’t blame anyone else or circumstances for how he turned out because “cowards do that.” It’s hard to describe how intense and honestly, how great of a performance Stallone puts on one last time as Balboa, but moments like this show that the series definitely still has some legs.

And… I’ll admit that I was fighting tears back at the film’s conclusion.

What made the movie so great is that the movie was clean, hardly any cursing, sports violence, no sex, no gratuitous nudity, it was just a well-told story that didn’t need anything else. While I cannot say that I don’t enjoy some of the films that have excessive amounts of everything, somehow, a movie like this has become a lost art in Hollywood. It’s not going to win any awards, but it was really a fantastic movie for Rocky fans.

The Pursuit of Happyness was probably the least happy movie I’ve seen in a long time. I have never sat through a movie where the main character just struggles time and again with no end in sight. If there’s anything that I took out of the movie, it’s just that I need to feel more blessed and more privileged to be at the place I’m at in life.

I’m 22 years old, will have a Master’s degree by 23, from a private university, with a car, my own room in a nice apartment, meager hourly wages, but more than enough for me to get by.
A movie like this puts things like looking at GPS units online (which is what I did last night), when we don’t necessarily have the money to buy such things, in a bit of perspective. I’m definitely not immune to materialism. I am a repeated victim to spending above my means, and sometimes we just need to be reminded that such a thing exists.

While in New York (where I saw Rose Ahn, her wonderful roommates Ryan and Janie, and Erica Lessem, hooray!), not only did I get to go ice skating at Bryant Park (something I’ve always wanted to do in New York), but we saw the hit from earlier this year, The Devil Wears Prada, on DVD. Clearly, the movie was a huge financial success and is based off of a very popular book that I hear is actually not as good as the movie. Even if the book is not as good as the movie, it would still make it a pretty good book!

What I liked best about the movie (other than Anne Hathaway) was just the theme of how work might seem like everything, but that in the end, it’s not what should consume your life. Perhaps it’s just the point that I’m at in my life, where we’re figuring out where we want to be, in terms of geography and career paths, but the movie and my trip to New York really made me step back and think about the type of person I want to be once I’m finally out of graduate school.

If unfamiliar, The Devil Wears Prada is basically Ugly Betty just with a better looking, White, Betty. Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) takes on a job as an assistant to the head of a fashion magazine and starts to change to become part of the magazine’s culture.

She begins to dress, talk, and treat people differently as she shoots up the ladder of success in a strong company culture (which is totally cool, until she starts treating her friends differently). While her career life is great, her friends are left wondering what happened to the person that they knew, while Andy can’t really see that she’s even changed because she’s hustling and really into her career. Of course, she has a revelation, finds her identity in the midst of all the excitement, and chooses a life she wants to live over a job she thought she wanted to have.

It doesn’t need to be said, but I feel like if there’s something on this earth worth salvaging and maintaining, it’s our close, interpersonal relationships. There is something so invaluable and special about having close friends to talk to about whatever is on your mind, or sit there in silence with and have it not be weird.

It’s a privilege and such a great thing to have people call you and want to hang out with you. Just to have people who want to see you or wonder how you’re doing randomly, without wanting something or trying to mooch off "who you are" (if you happen to be someone who gets to get this random distinction), isn’t something that we should ever take for granted. And as so many of us are on this grind, beginning our work lives, I hope that we don’t lose sight of it in the midst of the excitement of beginning our careers.

I’m sure that many of us have seen our friends transform and be engulfed by their work to the point where their work becomes a better friend to them then they’ll allow you to be. I think it's wonderful when people love their jobs and the companies they work for, but it's sad when people who normally keep in touch lose sight of each other and eventually, stop caring. Friends stop wanting to be ignored and oftentimes, others are too busy to notice that they’re doing the ignoring, putting off, or making excuses time and again, until the excuses aren’t good enough anymore.

There comes a point in many of our relationships when we have to learn to let go – something that I definitely haven’t mastered. I know that I try to maintain the relationships that I feel like have history and something working keeping for as long as possible, despite the abuse that might come of it.

Eventually, we need to ask ourselves whether we deserve to matter more than someone’s bad day at work, or just realize that there is just one too many excuses to explain why it’s just hard to hang out. Making someone matter to us is a privilege for that other person and if it’s unappreciated, there’s a point where we just have to let go and understand that other people are going to do something with that.

It’s crazy to get all these random thoughts from something as ridiculous as The Devil Wears Prada, but the movie and my short week in New York (where Erica and Rose selflessly made time for me whenever possible, which was beyond appreciated) just made me realize that wherever I end up, whether it be this year, or next year, or just ever in life, I want to always make room for the people who make room for me.

If people take the time to make us feel like we matter to them, I want to them feel like they matter to me as well. At the same time, when people don’t respect or reciprocate what you’re giving to them, there’s a point when you have to let go.

I wouldn’t call this a New Year’s resolution, but just something I’ve been trying to do to prepare myself for wherever this next year takes me. Some people find fulfillment in financial reward and a flashy title, not that I don’t want to do something worthwhile, but ultimately, I want to find fulfillment in what I can bring to the relationships that matter to me the most. I understand work is important and can change a lot in our lives, but there should always be a balance and time for those who we want to be a part of our lives.