My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2.

Posted on by Thor

Nia Vardalos wrote this endearing and incredibly funny movie about the Portokalos family. I didn’t see My Big Fat Greek Wedding 1, so I went into this premiere rather blind. The line to get into the free screening wrapped around the building. I walked past a guard and asked him if that was the line for the wedding. He said, “That’s the line for the premiere. Not sure what movie it is.” I told him that I had confused the movie for Mama Mia, a musical with music by Abba that I hated. A friend let me know that My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, was probably going to be a fun ride. Everyone in line got a card for a free Baklava at Little Greek Restaurant! Not sure if, or when I’ll cash that in.

I was laughing out loud for most of the movie, and fell in love with this crazy family. Nia Plays the part of Toula, who married Ian, which must have caused some chaos in the first movie since Ian isn’t Greek. Probably the most heart warming moment in the movie came when Toula’s father, Gus, met his brother whom the whole family had chipped in with air miles, to fly in from Greece. The brother from Greece resented that his brother left his home country. Gus sent money over seas to prove his success to his brother but the money was always returned. These crusty old men faced off and finally years of resentment melted away and they hugged. I got choked up. After several shots of Ouzo they were laughing like children. In Greek, Gus told his brother that his son in law isn’t bad for a gringo. Ian responds in Greek, “You aren’t bad yourself for a grumpy old man.” They are shocked he has learned Greek and they all have another shot and laughed.

Still working in her parents’ Greek restaurant, Toula’s
daughter Paris is growing up. She is getting ready to graduate high
school and Toula and Ian are experiencing marital issues. It is hard to find romance with the demands of everyday life and the demands of an insanely close family. Toula’s struggle to give her daughter room to grow is beautiful an heart breaking. When Toula’s
parents find out they were never officially married, because a priest forgot to sign the marriage license. Gus wants to immediately get married, but his wife Maria, wants a proper proposal after 50 years together.

Hilarity ensues as the family chips in to make the wedding bigger and better with many tasteless touches. They forget to hire limousines and police officers volunteer get the couple to the church with sirens blazing. The women are jostled and panicked but the men in the back of their cop car are laughing up a storm drinking Ouzo which spills with each sharp turn. The wedding reception is boisterous, loud with plenty of Greek dancing. The movie is a joyous celebration of life with all of its laughter and drama. I had a grand time and the audience applauded when the credits rolled. Definitely get out and see this movie, you will laugh until you cry. The movie opens March 25th at a theater near you.

500 Days of Summer

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While traveling I’ll be posting sketches from that were not posted from 2009. This sketch was done at the Enzian Theater before seeing 500 Days of Summer. The film was about a summer romance. The guy was head over heels in love but the girl didn’t believe in love. She went through the motions but in the end dumped the guy after 500 days. It was an annoying premise. Soon after, she did fall head over heels in love but with someone else. I wanted to see the movie because it showed the guy sketching on the movie poster. In the final scene the unlucky lover was sketching buildings with contentment like a true Urban Sketcher. Who needs love when you have a pencil and paper? A sketch is sure to meet expectations.

At a gas station yesterday I spoke with another guy pumping gas. He was heading to New Orleans, having come from Miami. His brother worked as an armored car driver in New Orleans. Several days ago, his brother was shot dead the second he opened the armored truck door by three gunmen. There is a $50,000 reward for anyone with information that leads to the arrest of the killers and thieves.  So this guy and his wife were on their way to his brothers funeral a few days before Christmas. The killing was senseless and the couple at the gas station had many more miles to drive before meeting family at the funeral. He showed me the news footage on his cell phone. I’m not sure why he shared so much. Perhaps that much grief needs to be shared. Live every moment. Life is precious and short.

Eye Rinse

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On Sunday October 21st, Terry was doing her laundry, trying to remove a stain from a white garment. She was using some bleach and she dropped the jug on the washing machine. The bleach splashed up in her face and some went in her eye. She rinsed her eye under the sink faucet and then started reading  medical internet sites to be sure she was alright. The site said that you should always go to a doctor if you get bleach in your eyes to be sure there isn’t any permanent damage to the membranes. She asked me to look at her eye to see if it was blood shot and it was.

I drove her to a Centra Care Florida Hospital Urgent Care a mile or so from her home. A sign above the receptionist desk read something like, “We continue Christ’s tradition of healing ministry.” Terry said there was a similar sign blessing her from above the toilet. Apparently chemical spills like this take top priority in triage so we went right in after filling out some paper work. Thankfully the place was fairly quiet. Terry sat on the examining table and a male nurse took her blood pressure and asked her a few questions. She was asked to put a hand over each eye and read an eye chart. I’m not sure how she did on that test.

The doctor gave her eye drops which numbed the nerves in the eye. He then put a little red dye in her eye and inspected her eye with a magnifying glass and black light to look for abrasions or damage. He then advised that she have an eye rinse. A saline bag was hung above her head as she lay on the table. A white plastic contact lens was fitted with a clear plastic tube. Terry wears contact lenses sometimes so she was brave as the doctor put the device in her eye. I don’t think I could have done that.

She had to lie there for about 20 minutes or as long as she could stand the procedure. The saline solution ran from her eye an then down her face soaking the pillow. It was a forced one eyed cry. Most people get very uncomfortable and call out to stop the procedure. Terry went for ten to fifteen minutes before she stopped. A fifteen minute rinse is what the internet site advised so she felt it was enough.

Finally, she was given an ointment which she was to squeeze out onto her lower lid. She would have to use the ointment three times a day for seven days. After this we went to see the movie Argo. I loved how Alan Arkins character would say, “Argo f*ck yourself” when he spoke about the movie. It was a very suspenseful film and really well made. We both gave it a 9 out of 10. That night, I watched The Walking Dead on AMC. Zombies died when  crowbars, machetes and re-bar were shoved into their skulls through their eye sockets. This happened again and again as zombies were slaughtered. Terry refused to watch.

The Help

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Terry sent me a text message Friday saying she would like to see a movie at the Cinemark Theater at Festival Bay. Festival Bay is a mall that was built a few years ago at the head of International Drive near all the outlet malls. It was built at the height of the real estate boom. Walking through the mall most of the store fronts are shut with giant posters making it look like it will one day be a great place to shop. It has been that way for years as more stores shut. The only reason Terry and I ever go there is for the Cinemark. I arrived early to sketch.

We went to see “The Help” based on a book Terry had read in book club. She joked with me saying it might be a chick flick. In the theater she did a head count and found 5 other men in the half full theater. The row directly in front of us was full of women. The movie was fantastic. A young 23 year old woman decided she wanted to write a book from the vantage point of the black maids in Jackson Mississippi. This was a dangerous proposition for the maids since segregation was the law and the civil rights movement had just begun. The maids raised white babies with love and compassion but they were required to use a separate bathroom. A maid was arrested and beaten when she was accused of stealing a ring. Violence against blacks was the norm. Just talking to a young white journalist was dangerous and against the law.

The movie celebrates the courage required to speak the truth in an age of oppression and prejudice. A scene of people watching the John F. Kennedy funeral on TV sparked one of my earliest memories, reminding me that segregation existed within my lifetime. The story was told with warmth, sincerity and showed the hard truth of bitter prejudice which happened at quaint tea parties as white house wives jockeyed for the power of oppression.

We all have a voice, a story that needs to be told. We can’t drift through life, invisible, following the path of least resistance. The movie left me feeling good knowing that a journalist willing to uncover the truth can help bring about change. Change always comes at a cost and it never happens quickly. As Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” I highly encourage you to see “The Help.”