Between Friends

Given the gale-force winds and cold temperatures yesterday morning, doing something outside -- prior to the Mother's Day brunch we had planned for the afternoon -- was not the least bit desired. So, I elected to do something indoors -- watch TV.

I happened to catch a movie on TBS that I had never heard of: Weatherman. Starring two actors whose movies I tend to like -- Nicholas Cage and Michael Caine -- and a female actor -- cannot recall her name, but she was the one who rode Tom Cruise as they both rode the train in Risky Business.   

Few movies on TV hold my interest -- most are too predictable or silly or just plain boring or stupid. But this movie piqued and held my interest from the get-go. Weatherman had some strange moments -- and some verbiage that caught me off-guard -- and although I'm no prude when it comes to sexuality or human anatomy, a line in the movie gave me an education on something I had previously not known [and wish I still didn't know].

And it introduced some interesting angles in regards to relationships -- between a man and a woman [divorced parents and the new man in the ex-wife's life], among men [the ex-husband and ex-wife's lover], among father and son, among parents and thier kids, and among their kids' and other kids and adults.

It was compelling and for me, memory and thought provoking. I could identify with some signficant core issues presented -- the untimely death of my father, whose approval of me was without question, but was something I questioned; and having been unable to communicate with him prior to his death [unable to tell him what he meant to me]. Also the dynamic of interacting with an ex whom you still love, and are still in love with, and yet they've moved on and are with someone else.  And dealing with -- and helping your kids deal with -- difficult people intent on doing harm -- to you and them.

Some pretty serious issues.  

Anyway, the purpose of this blog is twofold: [1] Just to ask if anyone is familiar with this movie -- if you've seen it and can recall these scenes, I'd like to know your take on some of the scenes. Because to me, the movie didn't connect most of the dots it presented, and nothing that occurred was predictable -- save for one thing. And the ending was just as odd as the beginning. It left a lot of loose ends. 

And [2] since Cage's job was a weatherman, the dialogue generated some questions about the science and practice of meterology. And so, Mr. Dave Murray, if you're so bored as to be reading my blog, I'd like to know if the premises made -- about being a weatherman -- are valid? 

1. Is the use of the greenscreen more difficult and complicated than the science of forecasting weather?

2. Is all weather throughout the world truly attributed to nothing more than the wind -- pushing heat or cold here and there, which in turn creates other weather patterns?

3. Are weatherman this well-paid -- $250,000 to $1.2 million?! 

4. Are weathermen provided lucrative kickbacks for product endorsements -- and required, per their contract, to endorse certain advertisers' products?    

Yes, this is a weird blog. No, it doesn't have much to do with the weather. Oh well.