Gagger Card

Wednesday - Point of View 

Gagger Card

While serving in the U.S. Navy, my husband was a submariner.  Every patrol, the entertainment committee designated certain videos as "gaggers" and if a sailor sat through the entire movie (witnessed by others) he could get his "gagger card" punched. When the card was filled (8 holes punched), he received a prize.

We still have a nice duffel bag my husband earned with a gagger card.

So, when a movie stinks and manages to suck away two hours of my life, I groan, "I need my gagger card punched!"

I won't name the gagger movies, but I will mention three films that I initially thought were gaggers, but later learned to appreciate.

• ¡Three Amigos! (1986) - I watched this movie alone (hubby out to sea) and it seemed lame. Little did I know that my husband also watched it during patrol and thought it was the funniest movie ever. When he returned, he insisted I give it another try. We laughed so hard! It's been a favorite, often quoted, and one of the few movies we own.

• Groundhog Day (1993) - I initially thought this was boring. "Okay, I get it. He wakes up on the same day over and over and over and over. Let's move on!" Yet, I watched it yearly (around February 2, of course) because my husband loves it. Seeing it over and over and over, I finally recognized the value of its message, and it, too, earned a spot on our DVD shelf.

• Napoleon Dynamite (2004) - Friends convinced us to see this. We were unimpressed through most of the film, then towards the end (when Napoleon dances on stage in his worn-out moon boots) it finally clicked. We caught the humor, and watched it again, roaring with laughter. "Gosh!"

Do you have a favorite movie that you initially considered a gagger?

Take 20: Flawless

Tuesday: Take - My "take" on a film 

"Flawless"

Browsing Netflix for film titles with the letter F, Flawless (2007) caught my eye. Michael Caine and Demi Moore together in a jewel heist? This I had to see. And I'm glad I did.

Not a fast paced thriller (after all, the thief is an aged janitor), but the story pulled me in and kept me there. I was hooked the moment Laura Quinn (Demi Moore) states, "I haven't set foot in this city as a free woman for over 40 years" then reveals a huge honking diamond (168 carets, 58 facets) and admits, "I stole it. From London Diamond."

The film continues with her story.

In 1960, the much younger Laura struggles to advance any further in her management career with London Diamond, the world's number one diamond corporation. Passed over for promotion six times in three years by men less qualified, she tries to deal with the frustration.

Enter Mr. Hobbs (Michael Caine), a night janitor who quietly goes about his work while absorbing the inner workings of Lon Di. He's aware of Laura's ambitions and disappointments. He's also aware the upper management plans to fire her, and uses that information to pull her into his plan to steal some diamonds. Just a small amount of diamonds, mind you, worth two million pounds to split between them. An amount the corporation, sole supplier of diamonds to six continents, would not miss.

His plan is flawless.

The movie, with an engaging story, strong characters, superb cinematography, was nearly flawless, too.


Notes on content:

• No sex, nudity, or violence.
• Infrequent vain references to Deity.
• And one f-word thrown in, completely out of character for that time period. It's doubtful Sir Milton Kendrick Ahstoncroft, a wealthy British gentleman, would use that word in the presence of a woman, especially in 1960.  

Emerson Quote

Monday: Dialogue, Lines, or Quotes

Emerson: Earth

Ralph Waldo Emerson: Earth laughs in flowers.

(The A to Z Challenge recommends 100-300 words for each post. This video has few words, but I spent hours on its creation, and if a picture is worth a thousand words, well…)

Happy Easter

This short video has beautiful cinematography and a marvelous message.

He lives! Happy Easter!