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The Magic of Film

We went to see Charlie Bartlett this weekend. I think the last movie we saw together in the theater was the first National Treasure movie. Wow, that was a long time ago, especially since we don't have the excuses of traveling jobs or kids.

I was pleasantly surprised and delighted by this gem of a film. As we sat in our seats watching the scrolling credits, I breathed, "Robert Downey, Jr. was so awesome that I want to rent everything he's ever been in and watch it all."

My sweetie gave me a crooked smile which means he knows me well enough to accept that I won't ever have time to do that anytime soon, but he doesn't want to issue me a dare by voicing that out loud.

But, really, he was AWESOME. I've never before watched a movie and thought, "What a brilliant performance." Oh, it was. His performance was the only thing that got me through the one sex scene in the movie.

I mean, for the record, teenage sex scenes are just plain creepy. Right? I sat there pretending my mother was next to me covering my eyes through the naughty parts. Ugh! My skin is crawling all over again just thinking about it.

In more palatable news, I had no voice today thanks to my bout with the flu (first time ever, I think). I went back to work prepared to do a worksheet-style lesson based on Charlie Chaplin's "The Kid." I started showing this movie a few years ago and create some sort of lesson each year for it.

It's so much fun to tell the students they will watch a silent film. I smile as they complain that it will be boring and they won't know what's going on. I press play.

Have I ever mentioned how much I love listening to my students laugh. You know that deep belly laugh that stems from sheer delight of the moment? Yeah, that's what I get to watch when this movie is on.

By the end of the movie, they were begging for more silent films. No voice. Low grade fever. Pure blissful day.

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