In the many ways I've let my work on this blog pile up, this is the one I maybe regret the most? Simply because, in very typical Shannon fashion, I learned that the movie was based on a book and I have read the book in the time between me watching the movie and now writing this blog. I may get a little confused.
I watched this movie once maybe twice before this viewing. I bought the DVD because I saw it at the used bookstore and thought, "I love that movie!" and then never watched it. Watching it again was a little surreal. In many ways, I relate to it more than I did as a kid - obviously I'm a grown ass adult and this is not a kid's story. But I didn't remember Lucy being so mousy and put upon. As we watched it, I kind of followed Ben's lead and wondered what the appeal had been. But in the days that followed, I got it. The idea of having a strong presence who always has your back. Who wants to fight for you. Who makes you a stronger version of yourself. Who lets you stand on your own two feet but you can cry to him at the end of the day. I'm lucky to have that myself. And that chemistry. My god.
Why are ghostly love stories so appealing? Or stories in which the lovers cannot touch (Pushing Daisies, hello)? Is it that ache? The longing? I don't want it in real life but in my stories, goodness.
I wondered if I would find Captain Gregg less attractive because I have such strong feelings about My Fair Lady and Henry Higgins now but nah. Surly, opinionated, loner ghost with a soft side? Very much my jam.
It was also difficult, as an adult, to watch Lucy fall prey to that womanizing asshole whose name I can't even remember. It hurts more in the movie than the book because in the movie, he's a writer like she's become and I so hoped she'd found an equal (I totally forgot how it ended but of course it ends the way it does).
I just wish Captain Gregg used Lucy's actual name instead of romanticizing her and straight up ignoring her asking to be called Lucy. Just an odd, discordant note.
Watercolor and acrylic paints on paper.
Takeaways:
-My overwhelming feelings, having checked when we watched this one (October 1st!) is "HOORAY I FINISHED IT!"
-I'm not unhappy with it but I lost what I was going for at some point. I was inspired by 1950s & 60s paperback cover art, the colorful wash of a background, impressionist architecture/background and stylized paintings of the main character(s). I think I mostly achieved that (a hell of a lot better than what I did for Romancing the Stone 2 and a half years ago), but when I toyed with doing a title & author, I realized I hadn't actually laid it out in anyway that was helpful or useful for graphic design. Which is fine! It was an afterthought. But I would have been nice.
-I'm thrilled with finally embracing smaller scale pieces. Not that long ago I would have insisted on doing this on paper at least twice as large, but doing a small size, I was able to knock it out in an afternoon and check it off my list. Hooray for checking things off lists!
-I'm also thrilled with knocking out two pieces in a row, spurred on by the joy I felt at just chucking out Vertical Limit. It's so pleasant and freeing to "just do" some art. I didn't labor it, didn't over think it, just knocked it out. I'm even mostly happy with how the human faces turned out. My goodness how that would have stressed me out a year ago!
-One thing I'm unhappy with: I accidentally did the house in black & white, because I was looking at a still from the black & white film. This only irritates me because I used a B&W still of the actors and managed to translate it to color and then just pbbbbbbt forgot on the house. Ah well. IT'S DONE!
-I'm going to absolutely fuck over my algorithm by posting this but I'm just too world weary to deal with scheduling stuff right now. It's done, it's getting posted.
I'm posting the Vertical Limit link here for Ben, who uses the link.tree to my latest blog and this posting two in one day is going to mess with him. Grrrf
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