Sunday, June 21, 2009

Here's To You, Mr. Solis.


If my dad was to be played by someone in a movie, it would definitely be Dustin Hoffman. They both share the same distinctively large Jewish nose, even if my dad isn't Jewish, they both remind me of Simon & Garfunkel's "The Sounds of Silence" and they both have a fondness for khaki slacks.
But there's more to my dad than Hoffman comparisons, we also share a special kind of love for Penélope Cruz and Kate Winslet.
We both love watching Biblical epics during Easter- the wonder in his eyes watching the parting of the Red Sea is nothing short of wonderful- we also enjoy dissing Steven Spielberg (we have turn his last name into an adjective for all that is corny and contrived), singing "Moon River" and "The Man That Got Away" and sipping martinis in a hotel bar that reminds us of "Lost in Translation".
There's also things we disagree on; he hated "Moulin Rouge!", I fall asleep watching "Patton" (his favorite film), but then he calls me to say how much he loved "Star Trek" and the blood bonds only thicken more.
He introduced me to Stanley Kubrick, Laurence Olivier and Woody Allen (I still remember how much fun we had watching "Manhattan Murder Mystery", my first Woody) and he never said no when I was twelve asking him to rent me R-rated foreign films.
For all the occasions when we pull off a Henry and Jane Fonda kind of thing, at the end of the day like Scout during dawn sitting at the porch, there's nothing I enjoy more than having him read something to me (his Meryl and Barbra impersonations are genius and he likes my Tyrone Power).
He's my Homer Simpson and my Atticus Finch.

3 comments:

Mark said...

Aw, that was great. I can tell the cinephilia is in the blood with your family.
I remember years ago, having to bug my parents for R-rated films. I'd always give them my sob story of how the films were art and I needed to see them if I ever wanted to be a director lol. They usually relented.
Overall, sounds like your dad has pretty good taste :) (except for that "Moulin Rouge!" bit. Argh!)

Matt Kilgore said...

a wonderful post... well said

Lucas Dantas said...

awww we love our papas.