Forged In Film

"That's part of your problem: you haven't seen enough movies. All of life's riddles are answered in the movies."
- "Grand Canyon"

I spent a lot of time in a darkened cinema growing up. A lot. The 80's were a magic decade for film, and I soaked up every ounce of creativity that Hollywood had to offer. In the days before DVD players and home theater systems, it was not uncommon to see the same film two, three, or four times in a theater during the course of its run. I learned more about life from watching movies than anywhere else. Movies are life's defining moments amplified. By seeing them condensed on a big screen, you learn how to identify these moments throughout the course of a lifetime. You pay attention a little more. Living. Not existing.

My parents divorced when I was in the third grade, and my mother would never remarry. I essentially grew up without any 'real live' male role models in my life. My father lived in another state, and my grandfather had died around the age of five. I had no older brothers, and wasn't a sports fan, so there were no coaches to motivate me in school. I was reared in a house full of women. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it did generate an overabundance of Yin energy which I would later on need to balance out with my Yang energy.

So where's a young, strapping lad to turn for the male heroes in his life? While books did help to some extent, I would find my true male role models in the moving images of the silver screen. Bold, brave, larger than life. Men of action. I learned from these characters. They inspired, motivated, and challenged me in ways that few people did outside the theater.

As a result of this unique upbringing, I would never settle for an ordinary life. Only larger than life. I've found wisdom, love, and comfort from these men throughout the years. They entertained. They never aged. They were always there when I needed them, and still are to this day.

As my time in this life continues, I still find myself turning to the silver screen for male role models. Dirk Pitt (film and novels), Mal Reynolds, and Captain Jack Sparrow are three more that I can add to my extended family. There's a funny sort of irony that most of my screenplay protagonists are, in fact, female. Perhaps I still have a bit of extra Yin energy that has seeped into my writing, fused with a strong backbone of Yang energy. I don't suppose I'll ever stop learning from these men, as well as a few 'real live' mentors I've met in my travels. No matter how old I get, they will always be there.

Young. Vibrant. Alive.

I define myself as larger than life. I cannot be any less than I was taught, and I was taught by the best. In their words...

"Do or do not. There is not try." - Yoda
"Remember, no matter where you go, there you are." - Buckaroo Banzai
"You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard ya hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward."
- Rocky Balboa
"Walk on road, hm? Walk left side, safe. Walk right side, safe. Walk middle, sooner or later, get squished, just like grape." - Mister Miyagi
"So no more runnin'. I aim to misbehave." - Mal Reynolds
"I was born ready!" - Jack Burton

Go see a movie. Find the moments you've been missing.