Alternate Lives

Everybody's a dreamer,
and everybody's a star,
and everybody's in movies,
it doesn't matter who you are.
...................................................
I wish my life was a non-stop Hollywood movie show,
A fantasy world of celluloid villains and heroes.
Because celluloid heroes never feel any pain.
And celluloid heroes never really die.
-Celluloid Heroes - the Kinks

So: from my comments, to Sheila's blog, and back here again. The topic? Movies you'd like to live in; here are my choices...

Casablanca
This one really is a no-brainer, for guys at least. Who wouldn't want to be Rick? Consider:
1. Rick's cafe is a bar, restauraunt AND casino.
2. The clothes. The clothes in this movie are dead fuckin' cool and men's fashion has only gone downhill in the ensuing 60 odd years.
3. Chicks dig Rick. Ingrid Bergman digs Rick.
4. Rick is not only a business man, he's a man of the world with an air of mystery. He's run guns and dealt in all sorts of criminal enterprises.
5. His criminal enterprises are not necessarily profitable. Underneath the cynicism Rick is really a good guy. A romantic. The proto-type for Han Solo.

Blade Runner
Harrison Ford did a servicable job in his performance as Decker, but he's not the star of this film - that honor belongs to Ridley Scott's vision of the future of Los Angeles. Whenever I see this movie I can't help but want to step onto the streets of that city, to pilot one of those air cars. To explore all the shops and lives of which we catch only glimpses.

The Lord of the Rings
I picked this one for much the same reasons I chose Blade Runner. I don't particularly want to be anyone in this world, or even hang out with any of the characters (although I wouldn't complaint about that); mostly I'd like to be able to wander about, to be a tourist.

Faith Rewarded
What? What's that you say? I already lived the 2004 baseball season? Well, true enough my good man, but... I would like more. Specifically, I would like to step into the club house during the celebrations - that is the part of the DVD that never fails to tickle my happy bone.