When the Watergate scandal captured America's attention in the early nineteen seventies, I was in fifth grade. I remember hearing "Watergate" everywhere and knowing that it was something bad, but not understanding anything about it. Someone asked our teacher, Miss Bender, what Watergate was, and she told us it had something to do with phones. That explanation didn't really clarify things for me then, although now I realize that she was talking about the phones in the DNC office being bugged. Last week Henry and I watched All the President's Men, the Robert Redford/Dustin Hoffman 1976 movie that told the story of Woodward and Bernstein, the two young Washington Post journalists who blew the Watergate story wide open, and I have a little better grasp of the events.
It was fascinating to see how much technology has changed things since the nineteen seventies: the way we gather information, the way we communicate, the whole purpose of news reporting. Early in the investigation, after several men had been arrested for burglary in the DNC office, Woodward and Bernstein were collecting names, trying to figure out who people were, what they did, how they might be connected to each other. While I watched them make phone calls, frantically trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together, I thought how much easier their task would have been if they had Google search. If they could have done searches on the names they had, they would have found out quickly the relationships these people had to Nixon administration personnel like John Dean and Chuck Colson.
In another scene, Dustin Hoffman had flown to Florida to speak with an attorney. Even though he had called ahead and made arrangements to meet with the attorney, he was left sitting in the waiting room all day while the receptionist made excuses about why the attorney couldn't see him. Finally, at the end of the day, the receptionist told him he'd have to come back tomorrow. Frustrated, Hoffman left the office. Seconds later, the phone rang, and the audience could hear what was clearly Hoffman's voice instructing the receptionist to come to another office to pick something up. When she left, Hoffman snuck in to meet with the attorney. And how much easier would all of that have been if Hoffman had had a cell phone and hadn't had to track down a phone booth?
The newsroom scenes themselves were fascinating. There were no computers on desks--only typewriters. And while there were a few women reporters in the newsroom, a meeting showing the newspaper's editors hashing out which stories would be told on what page included no women at all. I'm wondering if there are any major newspaper editorial staffs today that have no women among their editors.
It struck me how journalism itself has changed in my lifetime. Woodward and Bernstein were committed to exposing the truth--for the benefit of the nation. As they worked together, they frequently reminded each other to make sure that the conclusions they were drawing were based on the facts. They were constantly verifying their sources, making sure that what they reported was fair. But they were committed to telling the story, even when their lives were threatened and no one else even believed they had a story worth telling.
Today, journalists (with a few exceptions) aren't interested in exposing the truth; rather, they want to create the truth. There's an agenda, and only those facts that support the agenda are told. Sometimes the facts are twisted a little if they don't further the agenda. If a story doesn't promote the truth that journalists are creating, they don't tell it. An interesting example: The media ridicules the "birthers," those who are taking the issue of the president's citizenship to court, demanding to see a valid birth certificate. How ridiculous! Of course the president is a legal citizen, they say. And yet, where's the valid birth certificate? If only there were a Woodward and Bernstein team out there on this story now.
In her column last week, Peggy Noonan wrote about how, as a culture, we are losing our privacy, largely because of all the new technologies that make information about anyone available to anyone. She points out that unlike the past, today there is no place to hide:
If you, complicated little pirate that you are, find yourself caught in the middle of a big messy scandal in America right now, you can't go to another continent to hide out or ride out the storm. Earlier generations did exactly that, but you can't, because you've been on the front page of every website, the lead on every newscast. You'll be spotted in South Africa and Googled in Gdansk. Two hundred years ago, or even 100, when you got yourself in a big fat bit of trouble in Paris, you could run to the docks and take the first ship to America, arrive unknown, and start over. You changed your name, or didn't even bother. It would be years before anyone caught up with you.
She's right. And in theory, it should be much harder to commit a Watergate crime--or to engage in scandalous behavior for that matter-- today than it was back in 1972. And yet how long did it take journalists--and even then it was the National Inquirer-- to reveal that John Edwards was having an affair that resulted in the birth of his illegitimate child? It may be impossible to hide in the twenty-first century, but I get the feeling that today's journalists just aren't looking.
Showing posts with label Good Movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Good Movies. Show all posts
5/26/10
7/6/09
The Boring Things
Anyone who believes in global warming should really go on one of our family vacations because we tend to pick the record-breaking cold weeks--like last week. And yet we still managed to have a good time during our beach/hiking/pool/outdoor activity oriented vacation, even though we kept hearing things like "Nice day--for October," or "Welcome, fall."
But what are you going to do when it's 62 degrees on July 2, gray, and drizzly--and you're on vacation? You go see a movie. And so instead of slathering on sun block and heading outdoors, Henry, Jonathan, and I (Katie had not joined us yet) headed off to see Pixar's Up!, which I had already seen; Henry and Jonathan were seeing it for the first time.
I'm always hesitant to say too much about a movie here because I don't want to spoil the story for someone who hasn't seen it yet. It is one of the most charming films I've ever seen, and I cried both times I watched it. The movie tells the story of the adventures of Carl Frederickson, the most unlikely hero of a children's movie you could ever imagine. While we get a brief recap of Carl's life, Carl is a senior citizen at the beginning of the movie. He misses his wife Ellie, the love of his life and best friend, who has recently died. And to make matters worse, he is about to lose the house he has shared with Ellie during their entire marriage, and he's being forced into living at the Shady Oaks Retirement Home.
Carl feels like he and Ellie have missed out. They were unable to have children, and their dream of visiting Paradise Falls in South America never worked out. But in a desperate escape, Carl, a balloon salesman at the zoo, attaches balloons to his house and floats off for the adventure of his life.
At the risk of spoiling the movie for those who haven't seen it yet, I'll stop there. But the thing I love the most about this movie is Carl's interactions with a young boy named Russell, who accidentally ends up as Carl's companion on the adventure. We learn Russell has a deep yearning for his dad, who really isn't around much. In a poignant moment, Russell tells Carl about an experience he shared with his dad when they went out for ice cream. The two of them sat on the curb eating ice cream and counting cars--red ones and blue ones. It was a game to see who could count the most. Young Russell reflects on this time and tells Carl that while this may not sound very exciting, "it's the boring things I think I remember the most."
I love that thought--coming especially from the mouth of a child. And as the movie continues, Carl learns that this is a truth that Ellie had come to realize as well. She understood that adventure is in the things that we experience every day. In the end, it's the small things that matter to us. And I think of my own "boring things." Playing Old Maid with my own family when we were on vacation during a cold, rainy stretch and laughing hysterically at my little sister's antics. Walking into my grandma's house on a cold winter day after school to find warm, buttery cinnamon toast waiting. Competing with my siblings to get the ice cream off the ice cream maker blades after my dad finished making ice cream. Sitting on the steps with my cousins to eat a meal at my grandma's house because there wasn't room for us all at the table and sharing the sofa bed with my sister and at least one other cousin when we went to bed (things were always a little cramped at Grandma's house).
It was the perfect movie for a family that was a little disappointed in the weather to see--to be reminded that the real adventures don't just happen on the beach or in the woods or at the swimming pool; they can happen wherever we are if we're with the people we love.
3/9/09
Curse Breakers
I've had the opportunity recently to watch a charming movie and re-read one of my favorite novels, and while on the surface they seem very different (and they are), they deal with a similar problem but come to opposite conclusions.
Penelope is a sweet fairytale-ish movie that has been in release for some time. In this story with a contemporary setting, the daughter of a wealthy family has been placed under a terrible curse: She is born with a literal pig face, complete with snout and pointy ears. As in most fairytales, the curse can be broken when she finds true love "with one of her own kind." Penelope spends most of her early years trapped inside the family mansion with her overbearing mother and clueless father, protected from gawkers. But as she reaches marriageable age, her mother begins an all-out search among the world's wealthiest bachelors (those who are of Penelope's own kind)to find true love for Penelope and break the curse.
While I'm being intentionally vague here, trying not to spoil the ending for those of you who want to see this movie, the curse (of course) is broken--but not in the way you would expect. Penelope's character develops through the course of the movie as she decides she'd rather live her life with stares and giggles than hiding away in a dark old mansion, never having lived life at all. She becomes a teacher, and in the final scene of the movie, she is telling her story to her students. One of the children asks what the story means. Several children offer up their hysterical theories, based on what they just heard. But the last, wise child offers this up as the moral to the story: "It's not the power of the curse; it's the power you give to the curse." With self-love and determination, Penelope has saved herself. In the end, she was dependent on no one or nothing for her "salvation."
In Till We Have Faces, perhaps C. S. Lewis's least known but most critically acclaimed novel, a heroine named Orual suffers a fate similar to Penelope's: She has an ugly face, and all who see her agree. Lewis has given us a "myth retold" rather than a fairy tale in this story, and his setting is the ancient country of Glome, a barbaric, pre-Christian culture. Although Orual begins life as a princess (and eventually becomes a powerful queen), she is very angry with the gods, who--she believes--have robbed her of everything beautiful in life. In the first 250 pages of this novel, Orual angrily and bitterly makes her case against the gods, telling the story of her life and tracing the injustices that have been thrust upon her. Indeed, she lives under a terrible curse, and her ugliness is only a small part of it.
In part 2, Orual, now an old woman, receives the gods' answer, and here I marvel at the genius of Lewis, who sets his story in a pagan culture, using mythic gods, but gives us a story that can be understood only as the Christian story of sin and salvation. Through a series of revelations, the gods show Orual herself--in all of her selfishness and ugliness--inner ugliness. As the gods do their work on her soul, they show her that they are, in fact, beautiful. And as Orual truly sees herself and realizes that she has received mercy, not justice, she views her reflection in the water and sees herself--now beautiful as well.
Unlike Penelope, Orual learns to despise her selfish ways and hate her bitterness. And it's then that the gods can break the curse. Orual acknowledges, "Why should [the gods] hear the babble that we think we mean. How can they meet us face to face till we have faces?" The curse is broken because the gods have given Orual a face--with eyes--that allow her to see.
And so in Lewis's myth we see the reflection of reality: We can never break our own curse by believing in ourselves, by loving ourselves, by recognizing our significance. The curse can be broken only when we recognize our complete dependence on the One who bore our curse for us. So Penelope, as fun as it is, remains a fairytale, and Lewis's myth becomes a beautiful allegory of death to self and new birth in Christ.
"And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:18).
Penelope is a sweet fairytale-ish movie that has been in release for some time. In this story with a contemporary setting, the daughter of a wealthy family has been placed under a terrible curse: She is born with a literal pig face, complete with snout and pointy ears. As in most fairytales, the curse can be broken when she finds true love "with one of her own kind." Penelope spends most of her early years trapped inside the family mansion with her overbearing mother and clueless father, protected from gawkers. But as she reaches marriageable age, her mother begins an all-out search among the world's wealthiest bachelors (those who are of Penelope's own kind)to find true love for Penelope and break the curse.
While I'm being intentionally vague here, trying not to spoil the ending for those of you who want to see this movie, the curse (of course) is broken--but not in the way you would expect. Penelope's character develops through the course of the movie as she decides she'd rather live her life with stares and giggles than hiding away in a dark old mansion, never having lived life at all. She becomes a teacher, and in the final scene of the movie, she is telling her story to her students. One of the children asks what the story means. Several children offer up their hysterical theories, based on what they just heard. But the last, wise child offers this up as the moral to the story: "It's not the power of the curse; it's the power you give to the curse." With self-love and determination, Penelope has saved herself. In the end, she was dependent on no one or nothing for her "salvation."
In Till We Have Faces, perhaps C. S. Lewis's least known but most critically acclaimed novel, a heroine named Orual suffers a fate similar to Penelope's: She has an ugly face, and all who see her agree. Lewis has given us a "myth retold" rather than a fairy tale in this story, and his setting is the ancient country of Glome, a barbaric, pre-Christian culture. Although Orual begins life as a princess (and eventually becomes a powerful queen), she is very angry with the gods, who--she believes--have robbed her of everything beautiful in life. In the first 250 pages of this novel, Orual angrily and bitterly makes her case against the gods, telling the story of her life and tracing the injustices that have been thrust upon her. Indeed, she lives under a terrible curse, and her ugliness is only a small part of it.
In part 2, Orual, now an old woman, receives the gods' answer, and here I marvel at the genius of Lewis, who sets his story in a pagan culture, using mythic gods, but gives us a story that can be understood only as the Christian story of sin and salvation. Through a series of revelations, the gods show Orual herself--in all of her selfishness and ugliness--inner ugliness. As the gods do their work on her soul, they show her that they are, in fact, beautiful. And as Orual truly sees herself and realizes that she has received mercy, not justice, she views her reflection in the water and sees herself--now beautiful as well.
Unlike Penelope, Orual learns to despise her selfish ways and hate her bitterness. And it's then that the gods can break the curse. Orual acknowledges, "Why should [the gods] hear the babble that we think we mean. How can they meet us face to face till we have faces?" The curse is broken because the gods have given Orual a face--with eyes--that allow her to see.
And so in Lewis's myth we see the reflection of reality: We can never break our own curse by believing in ourselves, by loving ourselves, by recognizing our significance. The curse can be broken only when we recognize our complete dependence on the One who bore our curse for us. So Penelope, as fun as it is, remains a fairytale, and Lewis's myth becomes a beautiful allegory of death to self and new birth in Christ.
"And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:18).
4/24/08
Movie Fun: And the Winner Is . . .
Thanks to all of you who participated in my movie fun contest. The winner is one of my dearest friends--Julie from Columbus--who is also my person of honor in my wedding. And it makes sense that we would love the same movies because we've been friends since ninth grade. That's a lot of history. Congratulations, Julie! Your prize will be arriving soon.
And the answers:
1. Notting Hill--Julia Roberts plays a movie star (a real stretch!) who falls in love with a London bookstore owner. (You will find that books and bookstore owners recur in my favorite movies.) In a great twist of irony, her character begs the "regular" guy to love her.
2. Sleepless in Seattle-- Movies about young widows and widowers with children have also been a favorite of mine. Here Tom Hanks's character explains to a radio talk show host how he fell in love with his now deceased wife and why losing her has left him sad and empty.
3. You've Got Mail--What could be better? Meg Ryan has my fantasy career: children's bookstore owner in NYC. And here she speaks for all true book lovers about how amazing children's stories can be.
4. Jerry MaGuire--A young widow (Renee Zellweger) falls in love with the pre-crazy-still-with-Nicole Tom Cruise (Jerry MaGuire) that I once liked very much. I felt like the writer of Renee's character, Dorothy, read my mind. Dorothy wears this great black dress on her first date with Jerry, and what woman wouldn't be swept off her feet by this compliment?
5. Shakespeare in Love--Shakespeare. Romeo and Juliet. Clever quotes from Shakespeare plays incorporated into the script. England in the 1600's. Need I explain further why I loved this movie so? And this is Gwyneth Paltrow's character waxing eloquently on her desire for that great love that everyone wants (and that I have found!).
6. Toy Story--It's just the most ingenious, creative movie made for kids and adults ever. And those little creatures in the toy game at the Pizza Planet are hilarious!
7. Elf--Will Ferrell and this movie crack me up every time I watch it. It's become a Christmas standard along with #9 at our house.
8. Steel Magnolias--This was the last movie I ever watched with my sister Kristi before she died, so it will always hold a special place in my heart. We sat there and sobbed together, and a few months later, I comforted myself with the thought that Kristi had experienced "thirty minutes of wonderful," and so had everyone who had been privileged to love her.
9. It's a Wonderful Life--I just love this story. If you've never watched it, you must not let one more Christmas pass without seeing it.
10. Lord of the Rings/The Two Towers--Not really one of my favorites, and definitely not my favorite of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but I love this line because it's spoken by my favorite character, Sam Gamgee, and Katie and Jonathan would repeat this line, in rhythm, more times than I can count.
11. Beauty and the Beast--The best Disney love story, hands down, with Belle being the best Disney princess. She's beautiful AND smart AND loves reading books. You'll never catch Cinderella or Snow White with a book--and definitely not Ariel.
12. Pride and Prejudice--Elizabeth played by Keira Knightley has to be the best! And how insightful and honest of her to recognize her own flaws holding her back from her true love, Mr. Darcy.
13. When Harry Met Sally--It's New Year's Eve, and Harry realizes that he does love Sally. And when he finds her at that New Year's Eve party, feeling as miserable as he does, this is what he says to her. And he proves once and for all that men and women really can't be "just friends." And Sally, played by Meg Ryan, quickly comes around and acquiesces to Harry; even though she's mad as can be at him, she can't help but love him.
14. Pretty Woman--It's a great moment. Both Viv (a former prostitute who knows she can do better) and Richard Gere's high-powered, wealthy businessman realize at the same time that he's just as bad off as she is. And you just know that together, they're going to work out all of those issues and have a great marriage. Yet another Cinderella story.
15. Horton Hears a Who--Again, not one of my favorite movies, but definitely enjoyable. And this line is uttered by a little fluff-ball creature named Katie. We all said this line at our house for at least a couple weeks after seeing the movie.
And the answers:
1. Notting Hill--Julia Roberts plays a movie star (a real stretch!) who falls in love with a London bookstore owner. (You will find that books and bookstore owners recur in my favorite movies.) In a great twist of irony, her character begs the "regular" guy to love her.
2. Sleepless in Seattle-- Movies about young widows and widowers with children have also been a favorite of mine. Here Tom Hanks's character explains to a radio talk show host how he fell in love with his now deceased wife and why losing her has left him sad and empty.
3. You've Got Mail--What could be better? Meg Ryan has my fantasy career: children's bookstore owner in NYC. And here she speaks for all true book lovers about how amazing children's stories can be.
4. Jerry MaGuire--A young widow (Renee Zellweger) falls in love with the pre-crazy-still-with-Nicole Tom Cruise (Jerry MaGuire) that I once liked very much. I felt like the writer of Renee's character, Dorothy, read my mind. Dorothy wears this great black dress on her first date with Jerry, and what woman wouldn't be swept off her feet by this compliment?
5. Shakespeare in Love--Shakespeare. Romeo and Juliet. Clever quotes from Shakespeare plays incorporated into the script. England in the 1600's. Need I explain further why I loved this movie so? And this is Gwyneth Paltrow's character waxing eloquently on her desire for that great love that everyone wants (and that I have found!).
6. Toy Story--It's just the most ingenious, creative movie made for kids and adults ever. And those little creatures in the toy game at the Pizza Planet are hilarious!
7. Elf--Will Ferrell and this movie crack me up every time I watch it. It's become a Christmas standard along with #9 at our house.
8. Steel Magnolias--This was the last movie I ever watched with my sister Kristi before she died, so it will always hold a special place in my heart. We sat there and sobbed together, and a few months later, I comforted myself with the thought that Kristi had experienced "thirty minutes of wonderful," and so had everyone who had been privileged to love her.
9. It's a Wonderful Life--I just love this story. If you've never watched it, you must not let one more Christmas pass without seeing it.
10. Lord of the Rings/The Two Towers--Not really one of my favorites, and definitely not my favorite of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but I love this line because it's spoken by my favorite character, Sam Gamgee, and Katie and Jonathan would repeat this line, in rhythm, more times than I can count.
11. Beauty and the Beast--The best Disney love story, hands down, with Belle being the best Disney princess. She's beautiful AND smart AND loves reading books. You'll never catch Cinderella or Snow White with a book--and definitely not Ariel.
12. Pride and Prejudice--Elizabeth played by Keira Knightley has to be the best! And how insightful and honest of her to recognize her own flaws holding her back from her true love, Mr. Darcy.
13. When Harry Met Sally--It's New Year's Eve, and Harry realizes that he does love Sally. And when he finds her at that New Year's Eve party, feeling as miserable as he does, this is what he says to her. And he proves once and for all that men and women really can't be "just friends." And Sally, played by Meg Ryan, quickly comes around and acquiesces to Harry; even though she's mad as can be at him, she can't help but love him.
14. Pretty Woman--It's a great moment. Both Viv (a former prostitute who knows she can do better) and Richard Gere's high-powered, wealthy businessman realize at the same time that he's just as bad off as she is. And you just know that together, they're going to work out all of those issues and have a great marriage. Yet another Cinderella story.
15. Horton Hears a Who--Again, not one of my favorite movies, but definitely enjoyable. And this line is uttered by a little fluff-ball creature named Katie. We all said this line at our house for at least a couple weeks after seeing the movie.
4/17/08
Movie Fun
I was researching award-winning blogs today and ran across this idea. Below are fifteen of my favorite lines, many of them from my favorite movies. Guess which movies they come from (without googling the lines or reading others' comments), answer in the comments, and the person who gets the most correct will win a prize (so I really hope it's someone local that I see often): a complimentary copy of both the Better Than Life book and CD, which has absolutely nothing to do with movies. Winner will be determined one week from today.
1. After all... I'm just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her.
2. Well, it was a million tiny little things that, when you added them all up, they meant we were supposed to be together... and I knew it. I knew it the very first time I touched her. It was like coming home... only to no home I'd ever known... I was just taking her hand to help her out of a car and I knew. It was like... magic.
3. When you read a book as a child, it becomes a part of your identity in a way that no other reading in your whole life does.
4. That's more than a dress. That's an Audrey Hepburn movie.
5. I will have poetry in my life. And adventure. And love. Love above all. No... not the artful postures of love, not playful and poetical games of love for the amusement of an evening, but love that... over-throws life. Unbiddable, ungovernable - like a riot in the heart, and nothing to be done, come ruin or rapture. Love - like there has never been in a play.
6. The Claw is our master. It decides who will go and who will stay.
7. We elves try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns, and syrup.
8. Mama, I don't know why you have to make everything so difficult. I look at having a baby as the opportunity of a lifetime. Sure there may be risk involved, but that's true for anybody. But you get through it and life goes on. And when it's all said and done there will be a little piece of immortality with Jackson's good looks and my sense of style, I hope. Please, please I need your support. I would rather have thirty minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special.
9. Remember, George: no man is a failure who has friends.
10. Po-tay-toes! Boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew... Lovely big golden chips with a nice piece of fried fish.
11. Ahhh, Isn't this amazing / It's my favorite part because, you see / Here's where she meets Prince Charming / But she won't discover that it's him / Till chapter three.
12. I could more easily forgive his vanity had he not wounded mine.
13. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.
14. Q. So what happens after he climbs up and rescues her?
A. She rescues him right back.
15. In my world everyone is a pony, and they all eat rainbows and poop butterflies.
Have fun! Are you surprised at some of my favorite movies?
________________________________________
1. After all... I'm just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her.
2. Well, it was a million tiny little things that, when you added them all up, they meant we were supposed to be together... and I knew it. I knew it the very first time I touched her. It was like coming home... only to no home I'd ever known... I was just taking her hand to help her out of a car and I knew. It was like... magic.
3. When you read a book as a child, it becomes a part of your identity in a way that no other reading in your whole life does.
4. That's more than a dress. That's an Audrey Hepburn movie.
5. I will have poetry in my life. And adventure. And love. Love above all. No... not the artful postures of love, not playful and poetical games of love for the amusement of an evening, but love that... over-throws life. Unbiddable, ungovernable - like a riot in the heart, and nothing to be done, come ruin or rapture. Love - like there has never been in a play.
6. The Claw is our master. It decides who will go and who will stay.
7. We elves try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns, and syrup.
8. Mama, I don't know why you have to make everything so difficult. I look at having a baby as the opportunity of a lifetime. Sure there may be risk involved, but that's true for anybody. But you get through it and life goes on. And when it's all said and done there will be a little piece of immortality with Jackson's good looks and my sense of style, I hope. Please, please I need your support. I would rather have thirty minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special.
9. Remember, George: no man is a failure who has friends.
10. Po-tay-toes! Boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew... Lovely big golden chips with a nice piece of fried fish.
11. Ahhh, Isn't this amazing / It's my favorite part because, you see / Here's where she meets Prince Charming / But she won't discover that it's him / Till chapter three.
12. I could more easily forgive his vanity had he not wounded mine.
13. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.
14. Q. So what happens after he climbs up and rescues her?
A. She rescues him right back.
15. In my world everyone is a pony, and they all eat rainbows and poop butterflies.
Have fun! Are you surprised at some of my favorite movies?
________________________________________
3/13/07
Stranger Than Fiction
Stranger Than Fiction is a recent DVD release that I expected to enjoy, but I ended up enjoying it for unexpected reasons.
With Will Ferrell playing the main character, I was waiting for Elf--a sweet, funny, and somewhat juvenile comedy. But Will Ferrell proved that he could be more than just funny; he actually can act. Ferrell plays IRS auditor Harold Crick, whose life is completely predictable. He knows how many teeth he has and how many times he will brush each one every morning. There is no variation in his life, until one morning when he hears a voice narrating his every action, every move: the voice of novelist Kay Eiffel, except one of the big questions for Harold for much of the movie is whose voice is he hearing, and why.
This movie asks the big questions: Is my life controlled by fate? Do I have anything to do with my destiny? Is the narrator making the events occur, or do they happen first, and she is just giving a play by play? And interestingly, another thread runs through the film about the role the small, seemingly meaningless circumstances of life play in how things turn out. In fact, what sets things in motion for Harold, the voiceover tells us, is his watch. (I'm not going to tell you how.)
As it turns out, Eiffel is a talented, acclaimed novelist who hasn't published in awhile. The hallmark of her novels is that all of her characters die at the end, and this is the problem for her as she tells Harold's story: how to kill him off. So Harold's quest for much of the movie is to found out whose voice is narrating his story, and why. And all the while, Eiffel is trying to create a poetic way of killing Harold off.
I don't want to give anything away here, but as Harold's character evolves from an IRS auditor whose life is, well, boring to someone who learns to live, he seeks advice from a literature professor played by Dustin Hoffman. He also has an interesting encounter with a baker who is making a political statement by not paying all of her taxes.
I don't know that we really get any solid responses to the big questions; the answers seem nebulous. But I suppose that for one whose starting point is not a sovereign God, no real answers is probably a more honest approach. Does fate control our lives? The answer seems at times to be yes. Do we have anything to do with controlling our fate? Yes again--maybe. I think my favorite insight of the movie is how seemingly small things can play a significant role in our lives. I hear echoes of not despising the day of small things, and I think of a God who uses weak things and weak people to display His power.
The movie is a little quirky but not so intense in dealing with the "big questions" to make it an intellectual exercise. For viewers like me who enjoy writers, plot lines, and how stories take shape, this is a fun, often insightful, and entertaining look at the creative process with interesting characters portrayed well. Get it in your NetFlix queue soon!
With Will Ferrell playing the main character, I was waiting for Elf--a sweet, funny, and somewhat juvenile comedy. But Will Ferrell proved that he could be more than just funny; he actually can act. Ferrell plays IRS auditor Harold Crick, whose life is completely predictable. He knows how many teeth he has and how many times he will brush each one every morning. There is no variation in his life, until one morning when he hears a voice narrating his every action, every move: the voice of novelist Kay Eiffel, except one of the big questions for Harold for much of the movie is whose voice is he hearing, and why.
This movie asks the big questions: Is my life controlled by fate? Do I have anything to do with my destiny? Is the narrator making the events occur, or do they happen first, and she is just giving a play by play? And interestingly, another thread runs through the film about the role the small, seemingly meaningless circumstances of life play in how things turn out. In fact, what sets things in motion for Harold, the voiceover tells us, is his watch. (I'm not going to tell you how.)
As it turns out, Eiffel is a talented, acclaimed novelist who hasn't published in awhile. The hallmark of her novels is that all of her characters die at the end, and this is the problem for her as she tells Harold's story: how to kill him off. So Harold's quest for much of the movie is to found out whose voice is narrating his story, and why. And all the while, Eiffel is trying to create a poetic way of killing Harold off.
I don't want to give anything away here, but as Harold's character evolves from an IRS auditor whose life is, well, boring to someone who learns to live, he seeks advice from a literature professor played by Dustin Hoffman. He also has an interesting encounter with a baker who is making a political statement by not paying all of her taxes.
I don't know that we really get any solid responses to the big questions; the answers seem nebulous. But I suppose that for one whose starting point is not a sovereign God, no real answers is probably a more honest approach. Does fate control our lives? The answer seems at times to be yes. Do we have anything to do with controlling our fate? Yes again--maybe. I think my favorite insight of the movie is how seemingly small things can play a significant role in our lives. I hear echoes of not despising the day of small things, and I think of a God who uses weak things and weak people to display His power.
The movie is a little quirky but not so intense in dealing with the "big questions" to make it an intellectual exercise. For viewers like me who enjoy writers, plot lines, and how stories take shape, this is a fun, often insightful, and entertaining look at the creative process with interesting characters portrayed well. Get it in your NetFlix queue soon!
1/29/07
Cinderella Man
I watched the excellent movie Cinderella Man this weekend. I saw it in the theater when it was originally released, but after meeting the main character's real-life grandson at a party a couple of weeks ago, my interest was piqued, and I decided it was time to see it again.
Cinderella Man is based on the true story of James Braddock, a Depression-era, down-on-his-luck boxer who makes an amazing comeback, capturing the boxing championship from Max Baer. (Somebody please explain to me the thrill of boxing! I find it hard to believe that God is pleased when two of His image bearers climb into a ring [which is actually rectangular shaped] with the ultimate goal of knocking an opponent unconscious by repeated blows to the head and abdomen. Perhaps I'm oversimplifying, but I definitely digress!) Aside from the boxing context, this is storytelling at its finest, and Russell Crowe proves to be more than a pretty face as he masterfully plays the half-starved, world-weary Braddock.
So many themes weave themselves throughout the story, but one that stood out to me as I watched was the question of what it is that makes a man manly. It becomes clear that to the storyteller, what a man is, is not necessarily what he does. Although he has proven himself to be a skilled boxer, Braddock does not exude the machismo, brutish, violent sensibilities often associated with the sport's champions. A gentle man, Braddock clearly values his wife and children above all, and he will do what it takes to meet their needs with integrity and dignity. In fact, the only time Braddock shows anger in the course of the film is when his wife--of necessity--sends their three children to stay with relatives. The electricity has been turned off because the Braddocks have not had enough money to pay the bill for several months, the children are sick, and what else could she do? Braddock swallows his pride, goes to the local government assistance office, and gets about half of what he needs to pay the bill. To collect the other half, he goes to the sportsmen's club where he once was lauded as a boxing hero, explains the situation to the financially comfortable men there, and, hat in hand, goes around the room collecting the rest of what he needs to bring his children home. And Crowe portrays all of this in such a way that the viewer feels respect--not pity or disgust--for a man who is clearly doing what he would rather not do for the well-being of his family.
Toward the end of the movie, an obvious contrast is drawn between Baer and Braddock. Baer was known for having "legally" killed two men in the ring with his powerful punch, and he intends to make Braddock the third. Baer is everything Braddock is not: physically huge, arrogant, with an obvious blood lust--a beast. Again, the financial gain that Braddock will earn for his family from this fight--win or lose--makes him willing to put his life on the line. The evening before the big fight, Braddock and his wife are treated to dinner in an elegant New York restaurant. Baer enters with his entourage of women and fans just as Braddock and his wife are stashing leftovers in her purse to take home to the children. In a spirit of sportsmanship, Braddock approaches Baer to wish him well. Baer responds by taunting Braddock, threatening him with certain death. As Braddock's wife approaches, Baer makes lewd comments about how he will be the one to comfort her when Braddock is gone. May Braddock picks up the nearest glass from the counter and throws it in Baer's face in response. As Braddock and his wife leave, Baer shouts one last taunt, "Got your wife fighting for you, Braddock?" What follows is now my favorite moment in the movie: All becomes quiet, Braddock slowly turns to face Baer, and in a few brief seconds, Crowe reflects with his face all the possible responses he might give here. After a pregnant pause, Braddock smiles widely and says, "Yeah--ain't she somethin'?" And again the storyteller shows us a superior man, one who conducts himself with dignity, self-respect, and discipline.
So what makes a man manly? One who can kill another with a single blow? One who could weather the financial storms of the Depression with money and comfort? This movie shows us that what makes a man manly is his character--his love for his family, his willingness to sacrifice himself for their good, one who is honest, self-disciplined, and conducts himself with dignity in all circumstances.
Cinderella Man is based on the true story of James Braddock, a Depression-era, down-on-his-luck boxer who makes an amazing comeback, capturing the boxing championship from Max Baer. (Somebody please explain to me the thrill of boxing! I find it hard to believe that God is pleased when two of His image bearers climb into a ring [which is actually rectangular shaped] with the ultimate goal of knocking an opponent unconscious by repeated blows to the head and abdomen. Perhaps I'm oversimplifying, but I definitely digress!) Aside from the boxing context, this is storytelling at its finest, and Russell Crowe proves to be more than a pretty face as he masterfully plays the half-starved, world-weary Braddock.
So many themes weave themselves throughout the story, but one that stood out to me as I watched was the question of what it is that makes a man manly. It becomes clear that to the storyteller, what a man is, is not necessarily what he does. Although he has proven himself to be a skilled boxer, Braddock does not exude the machismo, brutish, violent sensibilities often associated with the sport's champions. A gentle man, Braddock clearly values his wife and children above all, and he will do what it takes to meet their needs with integrity and dignity. In fact, the only time Braddock shows anger in the course of the film is when his wife--of necessity--sends their three children to stay with relatives. The electricity has been turned off because the Braddocks have not had enough money to pay the bill for several months, the children are sick, and what else could she do? Braddock swallows his pride, goes to the local government assistance office, and gets about half of what he needs to pay the bill. To collect the other half, he goes to the sportsmen's club where he once was lauded as a boxing hero, explains the situation to the financially comfortable men there, and, hat in hand, goes around the room collecting the rest of what he needs to bring his children home. And Crowe portrays all of this in such a way that the viewer feels respect--not pity or disgust--for a man who is clearly doing what he would rather not do for the well-being of his family.
Toward the end of the movie, an obvious contrast is drawn between Baer and Braddock. Baer was known for having "legally" killed two men in the ring with his powerful punch, and he intends to make Braddock the third. Baer is everything Braddock is not: physically huge, arrogant, with an obvious blood lust--a beast. Again, the financial gain that Braddock will earn for his family from this fight--win or lose--makes him willing to put his life on the line. The evening before the big fight, Braddock and his wife are treated to dinner in an elegant New York restaurant. Baer enters with his entourage of women and fans just as Braddock and his wife are stashing leftovers in her purse to take home to the children. In a spirit of sportsmanship, Braddock approaches Baer to wish him well. Baer responds by taunting Braddock, threatening him with certain death. As Braddock's wife approaches, Baer makes lewd comments about how he will be the one to comfort her when Braddock is gone. May Braddock picks up the nearest glass from the counter and throws it in Baer's face in response. As Braddock and his wife leave, Baer shouts one last taunt, "Got your wife fighting for you, Braddock?" What follows is now my favorite moment in the movie: All becomes quiet, Braddock slowly turns to face Baer, and in a few brief seconds, Crowe reflects with his face all the possible responses he might give here. After a pregnant pause, Braddock smiles widely and says, "Yeah--ain't she somethin'?" And again the storyteller shows us a superior man, one who conducts himself with dignity, self-respect, and discipline.
So what makes a man manly? One who can kill another with a single blow? One who could weather the financial storms of the Depression with money and comfort? This movie shows us that what makes a man manly is his character--his love for his family, his willingness to sacrifice himself for their good, one who is honest, self-disciplined, and conducts himself with dignity in all circumstances.
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