I admit that I have a penchant for doomsday movies - anything from Al Gore's 'Inconvenient Truth' to 'Day after Tomorrow'. I am, at heart, a pessimist, or maybe just a bit of a fatalist. I believe that climate change is something we're experiencing, and I believe it spells the end of civilisation as we know it. Quite why, or when it's going to happen, is still up for debate.
I accept that part of the reason is that there are simply too many human beings on this planet. Part of the reason is that we eat too much meat. Part of the reason has, however, nothing to do with humans. It's just about our earth being where it is in space and time, and this is part of the natural cycles of life.
I was therefore rather excited when DH brought '2012' home from the library - by the same director as 'Day after tomorrow', as it turns out - Roland Emmerich. For those who haven't seen it, all I will say about the story line is that the movie is based on the premise that a particularly large solar flare disrupts the earth's core, with disasterous results for all species on the earth.
The special effects are incredible! I would have loved to see it on the Big Screen - just for that. However, I found the story oddly disturbing in a way the others haven't been. I was touched by the human element in this movie. Throughout it I found myself wondering how I would cope, what I would do, especially as far as my kids were concerned, if something like that really started to occur. I was struck by the immense suffering and tragedy that would occur. I was traumatised by the thought of all the kids who would die in terror and pain; of the thought of my own kids dying in terror and pain.
I suppose that, so soon after 15 Oct (International Stillbirth awareness day), and having been so ill so recently, my emotional defenses were down. I was very upset though. Maybe, though, this movie just paints a more realistic picture, in this regard - maybe it's just better at the human element than previous movies in this genre.
It didn't help though, to have my hubbie at my side laughing with derision at various of the special effects - he tends to be very skeptical about things. For e.g. where the rest of us might have seen the crack appearing between God's finger and Adam's, in Michelangelo's 'Creation of Adam' frescoe on the Cistene Chapel's ceiling, as a nice touch, he laughed with scorn at how cheesy he thought it was. On the bright side, I guess it kept me from becoming too morbid about things.
[But of course, for that, there's always chocolate. YUM! My friends know me well - earlier in the evening one had dropped by to bring me some, as a 'get well soon' present. What a lovely lady she is!]
Yet, my dreams last night were troubled by collapsing buildings, pathways, and roads up at UCT, where I was a mature student. If I remember correctly, in my dream I'd gone back to study my masters. (My hubbie had also gone back to studying full time, but I can't remember what.) In the midst of the dream, I knew I was dreaming, and was surprised how unafraid I was of the world caving in around me. Maybe, in the dream, because I knew I was dreaming, I felt invincible. Maybe I was just too wrapped up in my story line to really care about the buildings falling down around me. Or maybe it's just that fatalistic edge in me coming to the fore.
Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Monday, October 17, 2011
Saturday, July 30, 2011
"The final cut"
If you like SF movies at all, or philosophical ones, then this is an interesting movie to watch. It revolves around the concept of a brain implant before birth that records all your memories, everything you see and hear, which can be recovered when you die so that your life can be edited into a "rememory" for your family - to be able to remember all your best/ favourite memories. It initially took me aback that the software implant was called a 'Zoe'... but I managed to get beyond that.
The story revolves around a cutter (the person who edits the footage of your life) who is asked to do a particularly difficult job, and how what he sees in that person's memories sparks a series of events. The great philosophical debate of the movie is whether or not the implant (which is entirely voluntary, but is decided upon by parents on behalf their children, so is it really voluntary??) is an enfringement of a person's human rights, or not.
One of the questions arising out of the idea of such an implant is to what extent memories are personal things, only to be shared between the people involved. Cutters are not allowed to have the implant, because then everything they would see while cutting someone else's memories would be recorded in their own Zoe implant. One of the characters, whose ex-boyfriend had an implant that was recovered after his death, went crazy when she realised that a particular cutter, who was in an on-again/ off-again relationship with her, had seen the footage from her ex. Think about it - your most intimate moments with someone, seen by someone else... I'd be rather uncomfortable about that to say the least!
Something that wasn't touched on in the movie, but which I thought about, was whether the footage in such an implant could ethically have been used for criminal prosecution or not (post-humously, of course, but at least to solve crimes that would otherwise remain unsolved). It reminded me of 'Minority Report'.
The thing that really struck me though, was when a cutter commented about a girl who had behaved atriciously until such time as her parents told her about her implant. Overnight, she changed into a well-behaved, well-mannered person, but later went on to commit suicide, because she couldn't cope with the pressure of being perfect. The cutter then commented that it wasn't fair to anyone to know that every moment of their life would be open to anyone to view after they were dead.
It got me thinking. According to Christian theology, on Judgement Day, both the known deeds and the secret deeds, as well as the motives of the heart, for every person, will be made known, and judged. Essentially, this is a bit like the 'Zoe' implant of this movie, just even further reaching. There will come a day when EVERYTHING I've done and thought will be laid open and bare for all to see, and I will be judged accordingly.
While I know that those who have trusted in Jesus will be saved, we will still be judged. Our reward in heaven will be based upon our deeds and thoughts, so we can't act without impunity just because we are already a forgiven people.
That is both a scary and a comforting thought. I'm not looking forward to having everyone else know all my deep, dark, secret thoughts and motives. That's the truly terrifying bit. Every horrid thought I've ever had towards or about someone else, every moment of jealousy or hatred that has filled my heart, every sin of omission, every sin of commission - all my dirtiest laundry will be hung up for everyone to see. That's a pretty terrifying thought.
The comforting bit is that everyone else will be just as terrified, and (hopefully) so concerned with their own sins and failings that they won't care too much about the revelations from my my life. The other comforting thing about it is that EVERYONE will be judged.
While some get away (literally and figuratively) with murder in this life, there will be a day where they will be called to account for their actions - and there will be no plea bargaining on that day. Not only will they be named, they will be shamed. (Of course - this just goes to show you how skewed my practical beliefs about sin are. God views murder in the same light as telling a lie - but I don't - not in practice. Murder is a far worse crime, in my book.)
The protesters in 'The Final Cut' were protesting against exactly this sort of exposure. They were protesting the possibility of having one's most private actions (not thoughts, since the implant couldn't record those) being made public. My self-preservation instinct also protests against Judgement Day. I don't want everyone knowing everything about me - particularly because I have so many unholy moments.
Yet, it is only when we face ourselves at our worst that we can really begin to grasp how truly incredible the gift of friendship with God through Jesus' death on the cross is.
'How great the Father's love for me
how vast beyond all measure
that He would give his only son
to make a wretch his treasure...'
And this, dear friends, is the scandalous mystery that is at the heart of Christianity.
The story revolves around a cutter (the person who edits the footage of your life) who is asked to do a particularly difficult job, and how what he sees in that person's memories sparks a series of events. The great philosophical debate of the movie is whether or not the implant (which is entirely voluntary, but is decided upon by parents on behalf their children, so is it really voluntary??) is an enfringement of a person's human rights, or not.
One of the questions arising out of the idea of such an implant is to what extent memories are personal things, only to be shared between the people involved. Cutters are not allowed to have the implant, because then everything they would see while cutting someone else's memories would be recorded in their own Zoe implant. One of the characters, whose ex-boyfriend had an implant that was recovered after his death, went crazy when she realised that a particular cutter, who was in an on-again/ off-again relationship with her, had seen the footage from her ex. Think about it - your most intimate moments with someone, seen by someone else... I'd be rather uncomfortable about that to say the least!
Something that wasn't touched on in the movie, but which I thought about, was whether the footage in such an implant could ethically have been used for criminal prosecution or not (post-humously, of course, but at least to solve crimes that would otherwise remain unsolved). It reminded me of 'Minority Report'.
The thing that really struck me though, was when a cutter commented about a girl who had behaved atriciously until such time as her parents told her about her implant. Overnight, she changed into a well-behaved, well-mannered person, but later went on to commit suicide, because she couldn't cope with the pressure of being perfect. The cutter then commented that it wasn't fair to anyone to know that every moment of their life would be open to anyone to view after they were dead.
It got me thinking. According to Christian theology, on Judgement Day, both the known deeds and the secret deeds, as well as the motives of the heart, for every person, will be made known, and judged. Essentially, this is a bit like the 'Zoe' implant of this movie, just even further reaching. There will come a day when EVERYTHING I've done and thought will be laid open and bare for all to see, and I will be judged accordingly.
While I know that those who have trusted in Jesus will be saved, we will still be judged. Our reward in heaven will be based upon our deeds and thoughts, so we can't act without impunity just because we are already a forgiven people.
That is both a scary and a comforting thought. I'm not looking forward to having everyone else know all my deep, dark, secret thoughts and motives. That's the truly terrifying bit. Every horrid thought I've ever had towards or about someone else, every moment of jealousy or hatred that has filled my heart, every sin of omission, every sin of commission - all my dirtiest laundry will be hung up for everyone to see. That's a pretty terrifying thought.
The comforting bit is that everyone else will be just as terrified, and (hopefully) so concerned with their own sins and failings that they won't care too much about the revelations from my my life. The other comforting thing about it is that EVERYONE will be judged.
While some get away (literally and figuratively) with murder in this life, there will be a day where they will be called to account for their actions - and there will be no plea bargaining on that day. Not only will they be named, they will be shamed. (Of course - this just goes to show you how skewed my practical beliefs about sin are. God views murder in the same light as telling a lie - but I don't - not in practice. Murder is a far worse crime, in my book.)
The protesters in 'The Final Cut' were protesting against exactly this sort of exposure. They were protesting the possibility of having one's most private actions (not thoughts, since the implant couldn't record those) being made public. My self-preservation instinct also protests against Judgement Day. I don't want everyone knowing everything about me - particularly because I have so many unholy moments.
Yet, it is only when we face ourselves at our worst that we can really begin to grasp how truly incredible the gift of friendship with God through Jesus' death on the cross is.
'How great the Father's love for me
how vast beyond all measure
that He would give his only son
to make a wretch his treasure...'
And this, dear friends, is the scandalous mystery that is at the heart of Christianity.
Sunday, October 03, 2010
Inception
Talk about a mind-f#ck! Oh. My. Word. What an awesome movie.
I know it's been on circuit for a while now, but with the #pinkmilkshake crew around, we seldom have time for ourselves. We took a day out during the school hols to go and see this movie, and it was well worth the money, IMHO.
This one is definitely best seen on the big screen, so catch it while it's still out.
The underlying theme of the movie is a question about what reality is. One of the recurring comments is that the worst parasite is an idea - for once an idea really takes root in your brain, there is no stopping its growth, multiplication or outworking.
Nearly a week later, I'm still pondering and reflecting on the questions raised by the main theme - about the nature of how the brain perceives reality, about how that might be used against one. It's a very powerful movie, for those willing to enter whole-heartedly into the story.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Invictus & 67 minutes of doing good
I finally got to see Invictus last night (gotta love home viewing!). While there were several errors and omissions (and yes, I realise that this is a work of fiction, only BASED upon the truth) it was still an awesome movie.
As we were watching, G and I were talking about our memories of that time - voting in the 1994 elections, our hopes and fears at that time, our rising hopes as the Springboks won match after match, and the day we won the Rugby World Cup. That was a truly emotional time - and to be honest, we didn't even know the half of what was really going on. In that regard, it was incredible to watch this movie, which filled in many of the blanks for us.
It's not the best movie I've ever seen, but it touched my heart deeply. I feel more patriotic than ever, more proud to be South African, more proud to call this rainbow nation (or butterfly, as Tutu called us) my own.
As someone said - in 1994, we put the World Cup bandage on the wound of our history. In 2010 we took it off. What lies below? What state is that wound in? Is it healed? Is it well on its way to being healed, or is it festering and gangrenous?
I'd like to think that it's healing, but maybe not as fast as we'd like it to. I'd like to think that reconciliation is taking place.
This morning, in church, we watched a video on poverty in Cape Town, with interviews from various people living in squatter camps around the Peninsula. The service went on to focus on Madiba's vision for us all to make this world a better place for everyone - which means uplifting those in poverty.
Given that I live in middle class suburbia, and earn a decent salary, I recognise that my view on whether or not reconciliation is taking place is going to be skewed. I'd like to believe that it's happening, but I can't really say - I'm protected, to a large extent, by my income.
So where does that leave me?
Hoping.
I live in hope that the sacrifice of one unique, incredible human being (and I'm not referring to Christ here) made has not been in vain.
I live in hope that the sacrifice of the unique Son of God made has not been in vain either - for it if is to have meaning, then the people of God need to step up to the plate in whatever way we can to make that hope a reality.
Thursday, July 01, 2010
An appointment with destiny
"It is said that some lives are joined through time, connected by a powerful calling to a higher purpose... Destiny."
So begins and ends "Prince of Persia: Sands of Time" (or words to that effect... my memory at this hour isn't great).
The movie itself was really good (see the end of this post), although G thinks the ending is a bit weak. But I want to talk about those words, not really discuss the movie in too much depth.
"It is said that some lives are joined through time, connected by a powerful calling to a higher purpose." I think that pretty much sums up what the true Christian community through the ages is. Our lives are joined through time to Christ, and to each other. We have a powerful calling on our lives, one that may demand we sacrifice our dignity, our pride, our comfort, our homes, our families, our jobs, even our lives, to the higher purpose of growing His kingdom and saving this world. I know that's not how the movie wants you to think about it - after all, this it is fantasy. But that doesn't stop those words from being literally true as well as fantastically true.
Destiny. Do you believe in it? Do you believe that fate and destiny are the same thing?
I believe in destiny in as much as I believe that before I was born God had already created good works for me to do. I don't believe in fate though: I believe in God-incidences. And yes, the Bible teaches that we are both free to choose Christ, and that we have been predestined (i.e. chosen by God before the beginning of time) to choose Christ. I'm not quite sure how free will and predestination work together at the same time, but they do. It's one of the mysteries of Christian spirituality. I believe that I was destined to love Christ and destined to follow him (and that I chose to do so out of my own free will).
Let's be honest: most of the time, I'm rubbish at doing either. Most of the time, my own comfort and desires and pressing demands are far more urgent and immediate, or even important, than following Christ. Most of the time, I'm in the driver's seat, not God.
But every now and then I have an appointment with destiny, an appointment with God, where he reminds me that, um, actually? He's God and I'm me.
Today was not one of those days.
But seeing those words on the screen, I meditated on them. I was reminded that my life is meant to be one of service to THE king, that I am a gate-keeper to THE Truth, and that THAT kind of life is actually one of the greatest honours that could be bestowed upon a human.
The lead female character (I'm useless with names, sorry) was a guardian and a princess. So am I. (All Christians are princes or princesses, btw.)
There was no better way for her than living her life in service to the gods, and ultimately in being prepared to offer up her life, even if it meant being misunderstood by others. If truth be told, the same is true for me. It's just that I choose to ignore that most of the time.
Having been reminded about all that, maybe going to see this film today was an appointment with destiny after all.
But, philosophy aside, go and see the movie - it's still a great film and one I think I'd like to get on DVD. Good special effects in places, great fights, some witty humour, a fabulous love story, one or two interesting plot twists and (I thought, at least) a just & happy ending. Pity real life can't be as awesome as fantasy movies!
(... or can they? Maybe we just aren't seeing the ending, and we're still in the throes of going through the horrible scary bits in the middle, so this doesn't feel like the happy-ever-after we see on the Big Screen.)
So begins and ends "Prince of Persia: Sands of Time" (or words to that effect... my memory at this hour isn't great).
The movie itself was really good (see the end of this post), although G thinks the ending is a bit weak. But I want to talk about those words, not really discuss the movie in too much depth.
"It is said that some lives are joined through time, connected by a powerful calling to a higher purpose." I think that pretty much sums up what the true Christian community through the ages is. Our lives are joined through time to Christ, and to each other. We have a powerful calling on our lives, one that may demand we sacrifice our dignity, our pride, our comfort, our homes, our families, our jobs, even our lives, to the higher purpose of growing His kingdom and saving this world. I know that's not how the movie wants you to think about it - after all, this it is fantasy. But that doesn't stop those words from being literally true as well as fantastically true.
Destiny. Do you believe in it? Do you believe that fate and destiny are the same thing?
I believe in destiny in as much as I believe that before I was born God had already created good works for me to do. I don't believe in fate though: I believe in God-incidences. And yes, the Bible teaches that we are both free to choose Christ, and that we have been predestined (i.e. chosen by God before the beginning of time) to choose Christ. I'm not quite sure how free will and predestination work together at the same time, but they do. It's one of the mysteries of Christian spirituality. I believe that I was destined to love Christ and destined to follow him (and that I chose to do so out of my own free will).
Let's be honest: most of the time, I'm rubbish at doing either. Most of the time, my own comfort and desires and pressing demands are far more urgent and immediate, or even important, than following Christ. Most of the time, I'm in the driver's seat, not God.
But every now and then I have an appointment with destiny, an appointment with God, where he reminds me that, um, actually? He's God and I'm me.
Today was not one of those days.
But seeing those words on the screen, I meditated on them. I was reminded that my life is meant to be one of service to THE king, that I am a gate-keeper to THE Truth, and that THAT kind of life is actually one of the greatest honours that could be bestowed upon a human.
The lead female character (I'm useless with names, sorry) was a guardian and a princess. So am I. (All Christians are princes or princesses, btw.)
There was no better way for her than living her life in service to the gods, and ultimately in being prepared to offer up her life, even if it meant being misunderstood by others. If truth be told, the same is true for me. It's just that I choose to ignore that most of the time.
Having been reminded about all that, maybe going to see this film today was an appointment with destiny after all.
But, philosophy aside, go and see the movie - it's still a great film and one I think I'd like to get on DVD. Good special effects in places, great fights, some witty humour, a fabulous love story, one or two interesting plot twists and (I thought, at least) a just & happy ending. Pity real life can't be as awesome as fantasy movies!
(... or can they? Maybe we just aren't seeing the ending, and we're still in the throes of going through the horrible scary bits in the middle, so this doesn't feel like the happy-ever-after we see on the Big Screen.)
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Movie recommendation
Do yourself a favour. Go and see "Cloudy with a touch of meatballs". Not only is it a GREAT movie, it has a GREAT message. It's funny, sweet, serious and beautifully illustrated.
And then do yourself another favour. Sit through the credits. Watch out for the vignette of London. And then die laughing! When you've seen it, you can come back here and laugh with me. I would hate to spoil it for others, so won't say more.
As fantastic as the movie was, I think that single moment was the absolute bestest, BEST moment of the movie for me.
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! The creators are definitely people after my own heart.
And then do yourself another favour. Sit through the credits. Watch out for the vignette of London. And then die laughing! When you've seen it, you can come back here and laugh with me. I would hate to spoil it for others, so won't say more.
As fantastic as the movie was, I think that single moment was the absolute bestest, BEST moment of the movie for me.
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! The creators are definitely people after my own heart.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
Ok, yes, I know I'm VERY behind the times. I mean, I haven't seen Up yet either... but bear with me. Eventually I'll catch up (like in a gazillion years). In the meantime, here's my penny's worth on this movie.
As you all know, it's the story about a German commandant's son who befriends a Jewish child in a concentration camp. They don't have a normal friendship because of the presence of the electric barbed-wire fence between them. However, it is still a fascinating look into Nazi-ism (should that be one 'i'?) from a very fresh perspective.
And as you've all seen the movie already, I know, you all know how it ends. I won't spoil it for the potentially one reader who hasn't, though. But, OMW, what a seriously harrowing ending. Couldn't someone have warned me? I mean - HELLOOOOO??? I should not be watching movies like that. As the ending became obvious, I could feel myself clamming up inside. I just kept thinking - this is Hollywood... they'd never let it happen. It won't happen. His dad will save him. It'll all turn out okay...
And then it happened.
And my heart turned to ice.
And all because of one decision, made from a desire to make it up to his friend for the lie he told.
One split second decision - back in that dining room - to save his own skin or to tell the truth - framed the rest of their friendship, concluding in that horrific way.
As I switched off the DVD player, I was left with several questions: 1) How did that event change his father's paradigm about the 'great' nation? 2) How did it change the relationship between his mother and his father? 3) While I know that he didn't know what the outcome would be of his decision to make it up to his friend for lying, his sacrifice meant the world to his friend. (Can you imagine going through that horror on your own? Wouldn't it have been slightly less horrific if you had a friend like that to hold your hand?)
Ignoring Q3 for the moment, I REALLY wanted to know how the story progressed from there. That wasn't, for me, the end of the story. It was really only the beginning. An event like that changes the world forever, and I want to know about the rest of the story. While I know that the rest of the story probably wouldn't make for a good movie, if it were to be made, I'd go to see it. If the rest of the story were written in a novel, I'd read it.
The mother's portrayal of the moment she learns of the event was... awesome. I have recently begun to appreciate how difficult it is to play that sort of role with any honesty or integrity. Yet, she managed it with such integrity my heart wondered how she learnt about grief, because only someone who knows grief intimately can protray pain like that.
I was surprised, I guess, that I didn't react more to the movie in general. I was surprised at how easy it was to put up a wall between the atrocities I was seeing and my emotions. Maybe, growing up & living in SA, where poverty and inhumanity are something we see all too often, have taught me how to do that. Maybe losing Zoe has taught me how to partition my heart and mind. Maybe the inhumane treatment of the Jews is just so awful to contemplate that I don't.
The problem is, though, that if you don't react to inhumanity, if you wall yourself off, you become immune to it, and ultimately you become able to partake in it. All that evil requires to flourish is that good men do nothing, the saying goes. For that reason, I applaud the mother's reaction to the whole 'work camp' thing. She refused to just accept it and go along with it, despite being married to a soldier. She kept her conscience.
Sometimes, when I look at the way I treat those around me who are less fortunate than I am, I wonder whether I have lost mine, or whether I'm in the process of losing mine, or whether I'm in the process of just discovering mine.
All in all, it's a fabulous movie and definitely worth seeing, despite its ending, or maybe because of it.
As you all know, it's the story about a German commandant's son who befriends a Jewish child in a concentration camp. They don't have a normal friendship because of the presence of the electric barbed-wire fence between them. However, it is still a fascinating look into Nazi-ism (should that be one 'i'?) from a very fresh perspective.
And as you've all seen the movie already, I know, you all know how it ends. I won't spoil it for the potentially one reader who hasn't, though. But, OMW, what a seriously harrowing ending. Couldn't someone have warned me? I mean - HELLOOOOO??? I should not be watching movies like that. As the ending became obvious, I could feel myself clamming up inside. I just kept thinking - this is Hollywood... they'd never let it happen. It won't happen. His dad will save him. It'll all turn out okay...
And then it happened.
And my heart turned to ice.
And all because of one decision, made from a desire to make it up to his friend for the lie he told.
One split second decision - back in that dining room - to save his own skin or to tell the truth - framed the rest of their friendship, concluding in that horrific way.
As I switched off the DVD player, I was left with several questions: 1) How did that event change his father's paradigm about the 'great' nation? 2) How did it change the relationship between his mother and his father? 3) While I know that he didn't know what the outcome would be of his decision to make it up to his friend for lying, his sacrifice meant the world to his friend. (Can you imagine going through that horror on your own? Wouldn't it have been slightly less horrific if you had a friend like that to hold your hand?)
Ignoring Q3 for the moment, I REALLY wanted to know how the story progressed from there. That wasn't, for me, the end of the story. It was really only the beginning. An event like that changes the world forever, and I want to know about the rest of the story. While I know that the rest of the story probably wouldn't make for a good movie, if it were to be made, I'd go to see it. If the rest of the story were written in a novel, I'd read it.
The mother's portrayal of the moment she learns of the event was... awesome. I have recently begun to appreciate how difficult it is to play that sort of role with any honesty or integrity. Yet, she managed it with such integrity my heart wondered how she learnt about grief, because only someone who knows grief intimately can protray pain like that.
I was surprised, I guess, that I didn't react more to the movie in general. I was surprised at how easy it was to put up a wall between the atrocities I was seeing and my emotions. Maybe, growing up & living in SA, where poverty and inhumanity are something we see all too often, have taught me how to do that. Maybe losing Zoe has taught me how to partition my heart and mind. Maybe the inhumane treatment of the Jews is just so awful to contemplate that I don't.
The problem is, though, that if you don't react to inhumanity, if you wall yourself off, you become immune to it, and ultimately you become able to partake in it. All that evil requires to flourish is that good men do nothing, the saying goes. For that reason, I applaud the mother's reaction to the whole 'work camp' thing. She refused to just accept it and go along with it, despite being married to a soldier. She kept her conscience.
Sometimes, when I look at the way I treat those around me who are less fortunate than I am, I wonder whether I have lost mine, or whether I'm in the process of losing mine, or whether I'm in the process of just discovering mine.
All in all, it's a fabulous movie and definitely worth seeing, despite its ending, or maybe because of it.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Meme time again
Imagine you've been told you have less than a year to live. What would you do with the remaining time allotted to you?
I ask because tonight G and I watched 'Bucket List'. It's the story of two old guys who wind up in the same cancer ward, and are given the same diagnosis - you have less than a year to live. One starts a 'Bucket List' - a list of things to do before he dies. The other then starts adding to the list. They then embark upon this crazy tour of the world, ticking off their items. The movie is generally very funny, with moments of real poignancy. I think I'll add it to my list of favourites.
The underlying question of the movie though is about how we choose to spend the time we have left, since most of us have no idea how long we have left to live. Of course, the thought of me dying, and leaving Nellie to grow up without her mommy is enough to have me balling my eyes out and leaving snot trails bigger than a slug - so let's not go there. (Graeme's a big boy; I know he'd cope without me. I hope he'd find someone else to love.)
But it got me thinking - what would I do with my life if I knew I only had a year or less left? I've been pondering some of the things on the main characters' bucket list - like to kiss the most beautiful girl in the world (I won't spoil it for you if you haven't seen the movie... how they go about achieving this one is a beautiful miracle! What I will say is that I have already done that one, and I'm not vain enough to think that kissing my own reflection in the mirror as a child qualifies!), see something majestic, skydive.
So I'm going to create my own list... although it will probably take me a few days. When I'm done, I'll post it for you, probably, if I have the guts.
I challenge you to do the same - come up with your list and post it somewhere. Really think about your life & what you would do if you had a year or less left. I don't want pie in the sky stuff - like becoming the first woman president - nor do I want dreams you know will never be fulfilled (like getting to walk your daughter down the aisle - if you were to die in the next year, that probably wouldn't happen unless your daughter is already dating her one true love). I want real stuff, achievable stuff, but stuff that also has real meaning to it. OK, I know we all have to work to earn a living, and that does rather put a damper on the amount of time and resources we would have available to really make the most of the fictional year we have left. Still, give it your best shot. What would be on your list?
I ask because tonight G and I watched 'Bucket List'. It's the story of two old guys who wind up in the same cancer ward, and are given the same diagnosis - you have less than a year to live. One starts a 'Bucket List' - a list of things to do before he dies. The other then starts adding to the list. They then embark upon this crazy tour of the world, ticking off their items. The movie is generally very funny, with moments of real poignancy. I think I'll add it to my list of favourites.
The underlying question of the movie though is about how we choose to spend the time we have left, since most of us have no idea how long we have left to live. Of course, the thought of me dying, and leaving Nellie to grow up without her mommy is enough to have me balling my eyes out and leaving snot trails bigger than a slug - so let's not go there. (Graeme's a big boy; I know he'd cope without me. I hope he'd find someone else to love.)
But it got me thinking - what would I do with my life if I knew I only had a year or less left? I've been pondering some of the things on the main characters' bucket list - like to kiss the most beautiful girl in the world (I won't spoil it for you if you haven't seen the movie... how they go about achieving this one is a beautiful miracle! What I will say is that I have already done that one, and I'm not vain enough to think that kissing my own reflection in the mirror as a child qualifies!), see something majestic, skydive.
So I'm going to create my own list... although it will probably take me a few days. When I'm done, I'll post it for you, probably, if I have the guts.
I challenge you to do the same - come up with your list and post it somewhere. Really think about your life & what you would do if you had a year or less left. I don't want pie in the sky stuff - like becoming the first woman president - nor do I want dreams you know will never be fulfilled (like getting to walk your daughter down the aisle - if you were to die in the next year, that probably wouldn't happen unless your daughter is already dating her one true love). I want real stuff, achievable stuff, but stuff that also has real meaning to it. OK, I know we all have to work to earn a living, and that does rather put a damper on the amount of time and resources we would have available to really make the most of the fictional year we have left. Still, give it your best shot. What would be on your list?
Monday, February 02, 2009
Movies
We never go out to movies. There's the hassle of finding a babysitter, or paying for one if the usual grandparent pool has been exhausted. Then you have to drive all the way there and find parking. Then you have to pay for the movie, and you always get suckered into buying popcorn and coke and sweets at exorbitant prices because you were running late and so didn't have time to pop into Spar and buy some sweets to sneak into the theatre. And then you can't pop to the loo during ad breaks or by pausing the movie (which is a crucial option for me at the moment).... So we don't go to movies all that often.
Despite all these drawbacks, I really love going to the movies. But I love watching movies at home more.
But we never hire out movies, because when do we ever have time to a) drive over to the video store or b) come to a mutually pleasing decision about which video to hire? I mean, please!
So usually we wind up watching whatever movies are on TV. And, sadly, we don't even have DSTV... (too expensive, too much hassle to set it up, and we'd probably wind up TV addicts more than we are). Nope, we're E-TV and SABC viewers.
What that means is that we've seen all the movies (at least once) that come on. But we watch them never the less. Something is better than nothing, and we're usually too tired to concentrate on reading a book, or haven't had time to go to the library before it closes to take some out.
Last night we had a very pleasant surprise though: there was a movie on that neither of us had seen. 'Mr and Mrs Smith'. It's about a couple who are both assassins, but neither knows about the other. We weren't expecting great things (after all, this is terrestrial TV!), but as it had Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, there was eye candy for both of us.
Well, slaan my dood! What a good movie! We giggled and laughed our way through the (entirely predictable) plot, and loved the action scenes. For a Monday night, it was great viewing. Who knew that terrestrial TV actually could produce the goods.
Despite all these drawbacks, I really love going to the movies. But I love watching movies at home more.
But we never hire out movies, because when do we ever have time to a) drive over to the video store or b) come to a mutually pleasing decision about which video to hire? I mean, please!
So usually we wind up watching whatever movies are on TV. And, sadly, we don't even have DSTV... (too expensive, too much hassle to set it up, and we'd probably wind up TV addicts more than we are). Nope, we're E-TV and SABC viewers.
What that means is that we've seen all the movies (at least once) that come on. But we watch them never the less. Something is better than nothing, and we're usually too tired to concentrate on reading a book, or haven't had time to go to the library before it closes to take some out.
Last night we had a very pleasant surprise though: there was a movie on that neither of us had seen. 'Mr and Mrs Smith'. It's about a couple who are both assassins, but neither knows about the other. We weren't expecting great things (after all, this is terrestrial TV!), but as it had Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, there was eye candy for both of us.
Well, slaan my dood! What a good movie! We giggled and laughed our way through the (entirely predictable) plot, and loved the action scenes. For a Monday night, it was great viewing. Who knew that terrestrial TV actually could produce the goods.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
V for Vendetta
You can tell holidays have started - not only have I read a book, but I've watched a movie too!
V for Vendetta is a very interesting movie, posing very interesting questions. The story is set in the UK in the future, when a Hitler style regime (Conservative party, wouldn't you know it?!!) is in power. One man, known only as V, and always masked, seeks to overthrow the government of the day, and takes as his model Guy Fawkes and the events around the 5th November.
V makes several very intriguing comments - about the nature of ideas and freedom, and about whose responsibility it is to protect freedom. Maybe because I'd just finished reading 'The Shack', which also deals with the nature of freedom, I was viewing it in a very different light, I'm not sure.
During the course of the story, V, who is initially portrayed as a hero, perpetrates several atrocities, some as a form of justice for atrocities perpetrated against the innocent, some in the name of creating freedom for others.
For me, given the current political climate in SA (where the president has sacked the national director of public prosecutions for very dubious reasons... and the speculation is that the actual reasons include being able to appoint someone who will not continue to prosecute Jacob Zuma, thereby smoothing his way into the presidential office), there were a lot of similarities between V's actions and those of the ANC in the Apartheid era. Yet, this in turn raises the question of whether violence is ever justified. Yes, the ANC did push the SA government of the day to the point where democracy became the only option. But at what cost?
The Hitler-esque party leaders are assassinated, which enables the general populace to experience a peaceful end to their nightmare. The similarities to the situation in Zim were inescapable. Would it be right for someone to assassinate Mugabe and his cronies, in the name of protecting the freedom and peace of the nation? Again, is there ever a situation in which violent means to a peaceful solution are justified?
Despite my portrayal of it, this is not a 'heavy' movie. It has its moments, but it's actually a very human movie, with your usual love stories and humour thrown in for good measure. But the dialogue is fast-paced and deep, so not a movie to watch when you're tired, or you'll miss a great deal! Definitely to be recommended.
V for Vendetta is a very interesting movie, posing very interesting questions. The story is set in the UK in the future, when a Hitler style regime (Conservative party, wouldn't you know it?!!) is in power. One man, known only as V, and always masked, seeks to overthrow the government of the day, and takes as his model Guy Fawkes and the events around the 5th November.
V makes several very intriguing comments - about the nature of ideas and freedom, and about whose responsibility it is to protect freedom. Maybe because I'd just finished reading 'The Shack', which also deals with the nature of freedom, I was viewing it in a very different light, I'm not sure.
During the course of the story, V, who is initially portrayed as a hero, perpetrates several atrocities, some as a form of justice for atrocities perpetrated against the innocent, some in the name of creating freedom for others.
For me, given the current political climate in SA (where the president has sacked the national director of public prosecutions for very dubious reasons... and the speculation is that the actual reasons include being able to appoint someone who will not continue to prosecute Jacob Zuma, thereby smoothing his way into the presidential office), there were a lot of similarities between V's actions and those of the ANC in the Apartheid era. Yet, this in turn raises the question of whether violence is ever justified. Yes, the ANC did push the SA government of the day to the point where democracy became the only option. But at what cost?
The Hitler-esque party leaders are assassinated, which enables the general populace to experience a peaceful end to their nightmare. The similarities to the situation in Zim were inescapable. Would it be right for someone to assassinate Mugabe and his cronies, in the name of protecting the freedom and peace of the nation? Again, is there ever a situation in which violent means to a peaceful solution are justified?
Despite my portrayal of it, this is not a 'heavy' movie. It has its moments, but it's actually a very human movie, with your usual love stories and humour thrown in for good measure. But the dialogue is fast-paced and deep, so not a movie to watch when you're tired, or you'll miss a great deal! Definitely to be recommended.
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