Coffee, Films, Ordinary Life

Posted on November 11, 2011 by Ali Murtaza

I have been thinking about starting a blog called the Barista Diaries. Now why would that be interesting to anyone? I do not have the answer to that. Or do I? I think I actually might have the answer to that. Who in their lives has not thought of being a Barista. We all think of it as the glorious job that it very well promises to be. We all love hanging out at coffee shops. They have a symbiotic relationship with our hearts and imagination. The coffee shop culture is here to stay. To be part of that on the inside is even better isn’t it? It must be.

In the meanwhile being bored the other day I end up watching the film Crazy, Stupid, Love. The film was Dizzy, Insipid, Droll. So it wasn’t the worst thing in the world but Steve Carell has a tendency of picking films that look better in reduced quality played back on my television then in full quality on a big screen. No 1080p for these films. Not at all. they are somewhat akin to Will Ferrell’s recent endeavors. So what is it all? Why do I feel this way about the film?

I’ll tell you why. Because to me there is nothing epic about a day to day story of love. Real love transcends reality. For the millions that never go through extraordinary circumstances for love, isn’t it appropriate to see on the screen what you feel you’re willing to do for your true love.  If you’ve never fought off ten armed men for the girl of your dreams you’ve at least felt that you could. Right? That is love. Same goes the other way around. If you haven’t had you guy do that, at leas you feel that he would.

So to me thats what films are all about. I’ve never wanted to live an ordinary life, so I don’t want to see ordinary people in my films. That is not to say that these films are not good films. They just don’t appeal to me as much. I like to watch extraordinary people do extraordinary things. You’re thinking I have impossible standards and I’m not easily impressed. Yes and no. I’m not easily impressed, but almost everyone I have met has at least one story that makes me believe that they are simply amazing.

We all have those stories and they all come out sooner or later. It’s the boring things in life that hold us back. If we listened to our hearts then we are all extraordinary people.

Okay I’ll be honest. I’m watching Crazy, Stupid, Love as I write this. Honestly its growing on me. Still better as a TV film then a full screen blast. I guess the lesson is that everything can have an endearing quality. Even semi-okay films.