Op/Ed

What's playing at the movies these days?

A column by Karen Henslee

     What’s with the movies these days?
     In times past, it was an enjoyable way to spend an afternoon or evening.
     When I was a kid, movies were not something we were allowed to attend. Movie houses were dens of iniquity… as were bowling alleys, and bars. They were all lumped together.
     As I got older, the rules relaxed somewhat. I even recall going to see For Pete’s Sake, with my mom… and hearing her laughter ring throughout the entire theater. It was embarrassing (sorry, Mom).
     But that was when movies could be made allowing the audience’s imagination to fill in the blanks. We didn’t need to watch people “swapping spit” or playing “tonsil hockey” to know they were attracted to each other. There were the furtive glances, or the avoidance of all eye contact. We knew…everyone did. And it added to the romance and mystery of the story.
     Ever wonder why they haven’t made a feature-length modern-day film version of the old show, Gilligan’s Island?
     That innocent little ditty about a small charter boat shipwrecked on an uncharted island in the Pacific... two young attractive women, three single guys, and a wealthy elderly couple (who carried all of their cash in suitcases, and surely could have afforded to cruise on a much larger vessel). And don’t even try to pretend you don’t know the words to the theme song!
     As with other remakes and updated versions, in order to bring it into the 21st century, such a plot would include many escapades, and I highly doubt the seven stranded folk would remain only seven over course of what seemed to be an amazingly long amount of time, during which neither their clothes or shoes ever seemed to wear out, although Gilligan, the Skipper, and the Professor wore the same clothes every day.
     (I always thought it would be cool to drive around in one of their bamboo pedal-cars.)
     If that were indeed a modern day idea, it would most likely be a little more like Survivor, which after 40 days, has the entire group ready to turn on each other, forming alliances, not only voting each other off the island, but into the lagoon to await a passing freighter — without the aid of any type of flotation device. Such a series, using the same cast of characters wouldn’t last through the first season.
     We’ve also been inundated with Hollywood’s versions of classic literature, such as Jane Eyre (my personal favorite), Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, and Emma. All of which are inspiring novels, and nearly all of which have been dismal failures in their attempts to bring the true depth of the characters to the screen. It makes you wonder sometimes, if they ever actually read the books.
     And, it makes me wonder why we even spend the time watching them, when there’s so much more “scope for the imagination” in the written word.