Family Movie Night

 

by Karyn Bowman

 

This week’s column is courtesy of my neighbors – Mary, Barb and Joyce.

 

You think I am joking? Think again.

 

This is how it started. The other night I get home from Sam’s tee-ball practice so I can go to my writers’ group. My son informs me that Mary dropped off some Italian nut cookies for me.

 

Well, they are fabulous. Mary is going to have to give me the recipe. As I am heading out with cookies and a cool mug of mint tea in my hands, I see Mary on Joyce’s and Barb’s front porch. So I go over and tell her how great the cookies taste. Soft almond cookies with pine nuts on top. Need I say more?

 

Then I tell the girls I have to leave because I need to get back for Sara’s game and then I have to write this column. I tell them I have no idea what I am going to write about. That is when someone says “talk about the tree limb that came down the other night during the storm.”

 

Image from IMDb.com

“That is a good idea,” I respond. Last week when the big storm hit with thunder and lightning, the big maple in my neighbor’s parkway lost a branch. A huge section of the tree came down. If you wanted to study birds that live at the canopy level of a tree, all you have to do is sit on my porch or put one of those web cameras on it.

 

Storm Movies! That’s the ticket, I say. I will write about storm movies.

 

So I start thinking about Twister starring Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton from 1996. My husband loves this movie, while I am not a fan. Perhaps it is because I grew up in twister country and I know what it is like to have to head to the basement on a regular weekly basis.

 

So seeing a movie in which the wind destroys a lot of stuff and nearly kills our leads is not of any interest. In fact, my instinct is to go hide when that movie is on our TV.

 

That is when Joyce made mention of that movie with the big wave. We tried guessing and I went for the one starring Pierce Brosnan. Only Dante’s Peak (1997) was about a volcano. Then Joyce said “No, it starred that George fellow.”

 

Image from IMDb.com

It took us another minute to realize she was talking about George Clooney in The Perfect Storm (2000). What movie, what a wave. Then Joyce reminded us how sad the movie is at parts when she said “I felt so sorry for those guys.”

 

Finally, Mary popped in with The Wizard of Oz (1939). The scene in which the tornado takes away the town and Dorothy is simply incredible when you think about the level of special effects in those days.

 

So you see, without Mary’s, Barb’s and Joyce’s help I could not have written this week’s column. Thanks for your help, ladies.

 

Until next week, see you in the rental aisle.