SATC in Montreal: Le ooh! Le ahhh!

For many, this weekend was the weekend of sex… Sex and the City, that is.

I actually am not one of those gals who have loyally followed SATC four years as they negotiated the waters of life and love (and yes, that ‘s’ word too). It’s not for lack of interest—I’ve fully enjoyed the few random episodes I’ve caught here and there but I could never really figure out when it was on and on what channel and it just seemed like a really big commitment I wasn’t ready for at the time.

But I get why SATC is more an obsession than a hobby for some.

For those people, having another chance to gorge themselves on the exploits, riotous conversation and drool-worthy Manolos of Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte after they (the fans, that is) had been forced to say their tearful goodbyes for—what they thought would be—ever at the series finale, it must have been too exquisitely joyful for words.

At least, that’s the kind of reaction I was expecting from the hard-core SATC fans in the audience on Friday night.

As we lined up outside the theatre doors I had my misgivings.

The theatre we ended up at (Cavendish in Montreal… hey, tickets were really hard to come by and Katie and Jenna—or was it Mark?—were desperate) was pretty ghetto and didn’t exactly attract, ahem, girls for whom SATC was a style bible, ifyouknowwhatimean.

But once the lights went down and the first few notes of the SATC theme song came bouncing out of the speakers, I got the reaction I was looking for. The theatre heaved with a collective gasp and a few girls couldn’t hold back their squeals. The true appreciation of these fans was obvious.

I must admit, it was quite cute. Heart-warming, almost.

As the movie rolled along, it was punctuated with our reactions—bursts of laughter (that Charlotte scene is forever etched in my mind), groans of despair (don’t worry, I won’t ruin it for you) and—I couldn’t see but could FEEL it—tears of anguish and of joy.

It was a great movie, even for a non-SATC addict; maybe especially for a non-SATC addict. Since I didn’t have any preconceived notions as to what should happen or expectations as to its fidelity to the TV series, I could enjoy it for what it was: a fun story with endearing characters who delivered witty lines with panache, both metaphorically and physically (some of those clothes really were to die for)… and who made a lot of girls very, very happy this past weekend.

I totally envied them.

Now can someone please magically unearth a ninth book in the Anne of Green Gables series so I can experience the same delicious thrill?

Kite Runner: If you’ve read it, don’t run to the theatre to see it

Earlier this week I went with some gals to see Kite Runner.

Even if you haven’t read the book by Khaled Hosseini that this movie is based on, chances are you’ve heard something about it from someone, since it’s one of those books that everyone loves so much, they tell everyone they see to read it. (And we all know, word-of-mouth marketing is the best kind of marketing.)

I read it earlier last year on the recommendation of a friend and yes, I loved it. There are lots of reviews out there on it so I won’t spare you with my own. Suffice to say it was one of those books that, after you turn the last page, you sigh and think, that was a good story. It was thoughtful, emotional, fascinating and complete – and by that, I mean it all tied up nicely in a little bow at the end which you have to admit, no matter how much criticism that might ignite in some frou-frou literary types, is intensely satisfying.

It was also the first book that my book club picked when it formed a few months ago. It’s a great book for discussions since it’s rich but not too complex that you can’t follow the storyline or get confused about the characters, as sometimes happened in Love in the Time of Cholera (at least, for me).

So I was pretty excited to see the movie version.

Watch the trailer for the Kite Runner movie here or here

And what did I think?

Well, we all know what I’m going to say so let’s just get it out of the way: the book is soooooo much better than the movie.

No big surprise, there. In fact, in all my life I’ve only known one instance where that wasn’t true, and it was The Motorcycle Diaries. Incidentally, that is fresh in my mind since it was another one of our book club picks. We all agreed we’d rather watch paint dry than attempt to read that book again, but the movie has some gorgeous scenery.

It’s always interesting to see how closely your imagined version of a face, a house, a village or a scene relates to a director’s vision of it. In the Kite Runner movie, all five of us who went to go see it were shocked to learn that the movie takes place fairly recently, as evidenced by the funny 70s vests and Westernized clothing that the characters wore and by the more-or-less modern furnishings in Amir’s house. For some funny reason, all of us had a very different image of Afghanistan in our minds – a much older Afghanistan – with cloaks, beards and primitive housing. I’m not sure why each of us thought the same thing; then again, we’re all probably exposed to the same media portrayals of that country.

The movie clung fairly closely to the book as I thought it would. After all, it’s dearly loved the world over. I can imagine that the screenwriter who suggests replacing one of the characters or altering the plot line would have a hard time of it. Of course, certain parts were cut out, but that’s to be expected.

All in all, the movie was pretty much a faithful portrayal of the movie as far as facts go, but somehow, the magic of it was missing. Maybe it’s because it all happens so fast when you’re sitting in a movie theatre and you don’t get to savor each new chapter and spend time wondering what would happen next. I don’t know.

For those that don’t like reading, it’s still a good story so I’d recommend seeing the movie.

For everyone else though, definitely go with the book.

It will resonate in your heart for a lot longer.