Journal Entry # 234
October 27th, 2010
Tonight I took some time it to just chill and watch a great movie. It is always a chance when you pick a movie as you never know if it will fulfill you need for that moment. I wanted something that would just take my wife and me away for a couple of hours. A movie with a great story but not full of action a combination chick flick/drama/fantasy set mostly in the real world. A fell feel good movie. We found such a movie in Charlie St. Cloud.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzgOvvMi8Lg
Charlie St. Cloud Official Trailer (HD) – Zac Efron.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_St._Cloud_(film)
plot outline from wikipedia
Plot
Charlie St. Cloud (Zac Efron) is a sailor who wins a boat race along with his younger brother Sam (Charlie Tahan), and receives a sailing scholarship to Stanford University. Charlie graduates from high school and after getting home from his graduation ceremony, Charlie promises Sam, that they will practice baseball together every day until he leaves. Later that night, Charlie was supposed to go to a graduation party with his friends, but his mother Claire (Kim Basinger) makes him babysit Sam while she picks up another shift at her job as a nurse. When Sam is asleep, Charlie tries to sneak out and go to the party. But he is caught by Sam when he turns his fog lights on and asks Charlie to drive to his friend Tommy’s house, Charlie gives in when Sam makes compliments about his car. Whilst driving, Charlie and Sam talk about Charlie’s departure until they get into a bad car accident with a Mack semi-trailer. Although a paramedic named Florio Ferrente (Ray Liotta) is able to revive Charlie, Sam succumbs to his wounds, and dies in Charlie’s arms. At Sam’s funeral, Charlie runs off after being unable to put a baseball glove in the grave and finds Sam’s spirit. Charlie keeps his promise to Sam by practicing baseball with him every day at sunset.
Five years later, Charlie, who gave up his scholarship, is now caretaker at a cemetery. During a trip into town, Charlie visits the boat docks and meets Tess Carroll (Amanda Crew), a sailor who dreams of one day sailing around the world. The following day, Charlie runs into Florio Ferrente, the paramedic who saved his life. Ferrente is dying of cancer and questions Charlie if he ever wonders why he was saved and tells him there is a reason for his gift. Charlie returns to the cemetery and finds Tess injured, with whom he develops a relationship. Meanwhile, Sam begins to feel that Charlie is forgetting him when Charlie arrives late for their game of catch. However, Tess follows Charlie as he explains to her that the more he is in her world, the less he can be in Sam’s.
Later, Charlie discovers that Tess had gone missing while sailing through a storm a few days earlier, revealing that Charlie could see her just like he could Sam. Ferrente’s wife Carla (Francesca in the book) comes to Charlie and tells him that Ferrente had died the previous night and to give him his lucky medallion that he wore the night Charlie was revived. However, while visiting with Sam, Charlie realizes that Tess is not dead and that there’s still time to save her life. Along with his friend Alistair and Tess’s coach, Charlie and the group take a boat to find Tess based on Charlie’s instincts that he knows where she is. The following sunset, Charlie finally misses his game with Sam. As Charlie apologizes, Sam simply tells Charlie that he loves him and takes off as a shooting star to point out Tess’ location. The group finds Tess’ wrecked boat along with her lying on a rock. Charlie uses his body heat to keep themselves warm until they are eventually found.
Charlie and Tess are taken to the hospital where Alistair tells Charlie that Tess had hypothermia and that he saved her. Later, Charlie purchases an old boat and asks Tess if she would like to take a ride with him. However, Tess fears him explaining that she had been having vivid dreams about them together. Charlie tells Tess that her dreams are memories. Tess takes the chance and goes sailing with Charlie. Charlie decides to resign from his job and goes into the forest to reminisce and say farewell to Sam.
As we were watching the movie I said to my wife when Charlie finds Tess in the graveyard for the first time that she was dead. A great plot development but it was obvious. After the movie my wife says I see he can see dead people because he as dead for a short time earlier, that explains it. My response was this; Honey it is fantasy movie you can come up with any explanation you want to and it will fit.
The reality of fantasy is that you can make it anything you want to. Nothing is right and nothing is wrong. The reality of reality is that we have rules that we must follow and not everything you want to be true will be. If you believe fantasy to be true you are delusional and I see this constantly when I talk with the faithful.
