Tag: willing suspension of disbelief

Pizza and a Movie: Brooklyn

This weekend’s Pizza Toppings at Corner Pizza:

  • Arugula
  • Feta Cheese
  • Italian Sausage

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Movie:

Brooklyn

It happened.

Last week, we (inadvertently) chose a combination of 3 toppings for our pizza (see: Bridge of Spies) that we had already had in the past year. My husband, who is keeping track of our combinations (and wants us to exhaust all possible ones, eventually), was displeased, because now we’ve chosen that combo twice.

Oh, well. Pas grand-chose.

Anyway, this week, he insisted on arugula, saying we’d hardly had it much, so whatever else we chose, it ought to be a new combination. I selected Feta Cheese, and, looking for a meat, we agreed on Italian sausage.

The combination was a bit bizarre, but still good. You feel like you’re eating a (pizza) salad, kind of, when arugula is on top. But what the heck.

The film was very good – I would even say it makes my top 5 for the year, or top 3. Like Bridge of Spies, it was set in the 1950s, and the story was captivating. I liked the scenes crossing the Atlantic, and on Ellis Island, which I’ve never visited, but which one of my sons recently did. I loved the scenes at the beach, and the outfits. And I loved hearing the Irish accents, and just watching the story unfold.

There’s a good amount of conflict in the movie, and some people who aren’t very nice. We discussed some of the film’s aspects on the short drive home, and I had to invoke a bit of “willing suspension of disbelief,” but not a whole lot. For example:

“Why would (or wouldn’t) she have said/done/not said/not done this? Or that?”

(If you go see the movie, you’ll know what I’m talking about.)

All in all, though (to borrow an expression from Mademoiselle‘s post cards), this is a treasure of a movie – no matter what you’re looking for.

 

 

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Pizza and a Movie: Black Mass

This weekend’s Pizza Toppings at Corner Pizza:

  • Chicken
  • Red Onions
  • Spinach

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Movie:

Black Mass

Johnny Depp is another one of my favorite actors, and this was a compelling film. I like Johnny best in movies like this; another one I liked him in was Blow. This film was solid, and the account of real events was incredible. “Stranger than fiction,” as they say. I found the story fascinating, and in one scene having to do with James “Whitey” Bulger’s family, I was moved to tears.

The Pizza:

My husband wanted one of the toppings to be chicken. We’d only had chicken once before (I think), and he asked me to choose the other two toppings.

“What if I select the two we’ve already had with chicken?” I asked, knowing that he’s keeping track of our topping combinations, and that he doesn’t want to repeat one that we’ve already had.

“I don’t think you will,” he said. Then, ever the mathematician/statistician/probability/keeper-tracker, he added, “What are the chances?”

“Maybe there are only certain other toppings that I would even think of, to have with chicken,” I protested. “I mean, it’s not like I’m going to choose italian sausage and pepperoni with it.”

“Good point,” he said.

[Actually, we had the second half of this conversation (starting with, “Maybe there are only…”) the next day, but I’m using artistic license in telling it this way, here. Instead of replying when he asked, “What are the chances?”, the truth is, I merely tossed my head and chose the other two toppings, fully confident that, if we’d already had that exact same combination, he would veto it immediately.]

The pizza was good; chicken goes well with spinach, and the onions added a bite.

Back to truth and fiction, and artistic license. One thing I remember from grade school (and remember marveling at, when I fully understood it) was the principle (?) of  “willing suspension of disbelief.” In Black Mass, though you knew the film was based on a true story, you almost had to do that – willingly suspend your disbelief. As an author, when I write fiction, it’s what I want you to do, as the reader. It’s what I’ve done, countless times, as a reader.

It makes everything so much more real.

 

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