“We are now no longer the knights who say “Ni”!”
I quote Monty Python because The Holy Grail is burned into my memory like a brand on a cow’s behind! But I marvel at people who can vividly recall scenes from eh-eh movies they’ve seen and recite them, even if their last viewing was half a decade ago.
I seem to have a very selective memory. I remember if I liked (Moll Flanders) or disliked (Far And Away) a movie but my grey matter refuses to release specifics about all except the most compelling films. I can tell you that Drew Barrymore’s character in Never Been Kissed makes me laugh when she explains her geeky outfit (They’re culottes – I got them on sale!) but I can’t recall what was said in the spine tingling revenge scene in The Count of Monte Cristo. Maybe it’s in the writing. Maybe it’s just the mood I was in as I watched. Maybe it’s because I identified with the goofiness of the Barrymore character and the Count was a more distant character. I very rarely get thrown in a barren prison or eat mice. But I digress.
It’s amazing to me when a pal can recite an entire scene from a so-so movie. Anyone can say, “You had me at hello” from Jerry Maguire. It’s an actual cliche now. But I’m talking about remembering everyone’s dialogue from the bar scene from 1995’s Beautiful Girls. It was an OK flick and has a cult following but it’s far from a classic. You have to have a truly excellent memory to retain that stuff. I’m assuming that my grey matter is letting certain things slip through so it can hang on to enough room for motorcycle maintenance tips and easy recipes. I would hate to think my memory quadrant has little orange cones around it and a “do not enter” sign because it’s full of Hollywood gossip and Monty Python skits.