Hockey Season

So, I'm not a huge fan of hockey. I know this goes against everything Canadians stand for, but sports just aren't my thing. There will never be a time in my life that I get excited to watch a sporting event, unless they somehow end up figuring out a way to make Quidditch our National sport, which is never going to happen because they have yet to create flying brooms.

Interestingly enough, the Sidekick loves hockey, and my ex does as well. This means I actually know a fair bit about the sport. Not because I've read up on it to have something in common with my partners, God no, but because when you live with someone who loves the sport, you're going to end up getting sucked into watching it. A lot. I mean, sometimes there are three games in a week. Don't even get me started on the playoff schedule - something I didn't have to worry about last year because Vancouver's team sucked so bad they didn't even make it close to winning their division. I also learn not just by watching, but being talked at.

Oh, the stories I am told. Whether I am writing, reading, taking a bath, knitting. It doesn't matter. My Sidekick has some tidbit of information he needs to tell someone and, since only the two of us live in the house, I end up being his hockey buddy. The other night he even told me he knows I don't care about a word he's saying but he can't stop sharing with me. And I do listen ... sometimes. Most of the time I'm preoccupied so I only catch snippets of what he's said, usually the tail end. This makes me feel a bit like a bad person, but then I think, this man keeps watching a show I don't like and talking to me about it. Kind of his own fault. Besides, I don't constantly talk to him about things he has no interest in, like types of knitting stitches or The Mindy Project.  But hey, it makes the Sidekick happy and that's what really matters, right? Let him have his hockey!

Except, there are two types of hockey fans in Vancouver. The fair-weather hockey fans and the die-hards. The ones who watch the games when the Canucks are doing well and those who tune in to every single game and grow more disenchanted as the season goes on. The latter seem to maintain the hope the Canucks will pull it out of the bag like a bundle of magicians at the last possible moment. They usually don't. This can make for a displeasing home life. I like the Sidekick to remain cautiously optimistic. When it comes to me, I can get through a game of hockey a week with a smile on my face, but three is a bit much.

At least I have something to be thankful for this season. Roberto Luongo has been traded. This means I don't have to watch him choke when the pressure is turned on. How did fans stand behind their goalie when he couldn't function when the going got tough? Then he was made captain. Really? A goalie that's a captain. I can't think of anything dumber.

Anyway, now we have Ryan Miller and the team is looking really good. Last night's game was one to get the fans excited. It actually went to a shoot out and because they finally have a goalie who doesn't seize up with fear when a puck comes near him, they actually won. (Granted, Miller did let in four goals) But the fans will remain hopeful. That's two wins this season in a row. So, hockey season is back and I envision having more free time to write and keep my voodoo up to snuff.

Zombie Weekend - Day 25

Yesterday kicked off Zombie weekend here, and let me just tell you, I am over the moon. Zombies have been and always will be one of my most favourite horror creatures.

Title: 28 Days Later
Year: 2002
Synopsis: Four weeks after a mysterious, incurable virus spreads throughout the UK, a handful of survivors try to find sanctuary.

Tagline: Be thankful for everything, for soon there will be nothing.

The truth is I can't say enough good things about this movie. Granted, there will be some who meekly raise their hands and tell me this isn't actually a zombie movie. After all, zombies are people who have died and been reanimated. The monsters in 28 Days Later don't actually die, but contract a virus called 'rage' that makes them act like the cannibalistic undead. Now, while I can appreciate that outlook, I don't feel the same way.

If it acts like a zombie and looks like a zombie. It's a zombie.

That being said, I would actually suggest categorizing this as a virus/outbreak movie, as opposed to a zombie flick for one simple reason. People think zombie and they assume it will be cheesy and regurgitate all the stuff we've already seen in other lurching, moaning, flesh-eating movies. This is not the case with Danny Boyle's 2002 masterpiece.

Now, why is this movie so phenomenal?

Well, it contains all the necessary pieces to make a great film. Believability. Anyone who existed ten years ago remembers when the swine flu was taking the world by storm. It was all over the news. People were dying. Everyone was scared. Before the swine flue was the plague. Black death. It happened. And it could happen again. In fact, my money is on a virus wiping most of us out one day. Besides, have you seen how many people don't wash their hands or cover their mouths when they sneeze? Disturbing.

28 Days Later also touts sympathetic characters. You can't help but like Cillian Murphy's character. Not only is he undeniably attractive with those pale baby blues, but his fear is palpable. You can feel it. He doesn't do stupid things because he is afraid. He's sensitive and lost, certainly not the stuff most heroes are made from. All his moves are authentic, he does things we all would do if we woke up in the hospital and suddenly found the world taken over by mobs of very angry people. Kind of like Vancouver when the Canucks crap the bed during play-offs and the citizens burn their own city down. Bravo.

And maybe that's the whole point. The parallel between real life and the virus induced state isn't too far away from one another, is it? People seem to be so very agitated so often in lift and, towards the end of the film, you really get the sense that Danny Boyle is skewing the line in who is the 'monster' and who isn't. In the end, this truly does explore human nature, and maybe that's why it is one of those flicks that sticks with you after the fact.

Unlike a lot of horror movies, this one doesn't let up. From the very beginning straight through to the end it is a blood spraying riot of violence and tension. But it isn't in your face gore, it isn't overwhelming, and it isn't trying to be the grossest movie of the decade. Each scene shows you a snippet into the characters and their development, creating this perfect arc that you can see over the entire film, kind of like a rainbow.

The writers did a fantastic job with plotting out and executing this storyline. Like I said, I can't say enough good things. Watch it for entertainment or because it is subtly layered and beautifully executed. This is just another example that great movies can be done on small budgets. I am beginning to think Danny Boyle is untouchable.