I remember the first time that I saw this movie, it had seemed very strange. Weird, and not necessarily in a good way.
If memory serves correctly, then the commercials made it look almost as if it were a horror movie. It isn't. Not really, anyway.
What it is, however, is a strange movie. Also, it is one of the grimmest and most depressing movies that I have seen.
Now, I have heard others suggest other things about the movie. One guy, who loves action/adventure, felt that this movie was boring, that nothing happens. I certainly don't agree with that although, strangely enough, I understand why he said it. That might sound contradictory, so perhaps an explanation is in order.
This is not a movie with high drama and the intense music that accompanies it. In fact, it tends to focus on more subtle things by way of illustrating examples. Viggo Mortensen's character is preoccupied not only with survival and finding the means to get through the day to day, but also with a fear bordering on paranoia about just how dangerous and untrustworthy other people are. He is trying to be a good father who prepares his son (played by Kodi Smit-McPhee) as well as he can under difficult circumstances, yet eventually, the viewer gets the sense that he systematically goes too far. That maybe, he even is a bit unstable.
The circumstances of the movie remain mysterious throughout. We easily understand that it is a colder world than the one that we live in, as the urgency with which the man tries to travel further south in order to avoid "another winter" like the last one that they experienced is evidence of. In fact, we see one of his memories, when his wife (or partner, and mother of the son), essentially gives up on life and decides to in effect kill herself by stepping outside and walking off into the night without adequate clothing. It is implied that this is, in fact, a death sentence, and that she has just taken her own life.
Yet, trees sometimes seemingly spontaneously burst into flames, and there is no explanation or clarifying point as to why this is the case. It is a mysterious, and very uninviting, world that we are witness to. We can understand why the mom wants to commit suicide.
The man is haunted by many memories from his past. He obviously is old enough to remember better times, yet he seems almost to focus exclusively on the grimmer aspects, of the times after the world changed for the worse. His attitude perhaps matches the ugliness and grimness of the world, thus.
**Spoiler Alert***
We watch as the man leads his son towards the beach, the ocean. He feels that this is a huge task, and that somehow, the ocean should prove easier and safer. The man is obsessed with the notion that someone is following him, but it seems like something strictly in his imagination.
Yet, it is when they finally reach the ocean that they actually fall under attack. The man is struck by a bow, and although he manages through a mixture of better ammo and apparently smarter instincts, to get the better of his surprise opponents, the wound limits him too much. he grows sicker and sicker, until, ultimately, it proves fatal.
The boy seems all alone in the world - at least until we see a man approach him on the beach. They talk, the boy keeping his gun initially pointed squarely at this new seeming intruder. But as it turns out, the man is with a woman and a couple of other kids, and they essentially offer the boy the chance to live a better life. Ironically, it took the death of the boy's father for them to finally get their opportunity to approach, and offer something better, presumably.
This movie is grim, grim grim! If you are in the mood to be, or to get, depressed (and really, who isn't?), then this is the movie for you. If, by some chance, you are in the mood for lighthearted stuff, then you probably want to skip this one for another time. But it is a fascinating movie, and it is hard not to find yourself watching with rapt attention.
I recommend this movie but, again, if you get depressed, don't say I didn't warn you!
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Movie Rental Review: Knowing
It took only a few moments into this film to realize that there was something a bit famliar with this movie, but I could not place it. A minute or two into it, and suddenly I knew that I had definitely seen this movie before, yet still, I could not quite put my finger on it. Nicolas Cage would be a part of it (would be the main star, in fact), but still, it was not fully making sense.
Finally, a few minutes into it, I more or less remembered the premise, and how it ended. Of course, I was not alone, so I let the movie play on, and essentially relived the movie.
It is a good movie, I think, but it is also certainly a strange one, as well. Not your ordinary, run of the mill movie. For that matter, although it is an end of the world, kind of apocalyptic scenario, it still is a bit different, a bit unique, in that it is a natural phenomenon (however unique the event is suposed to be) that causes the world as we know it to end, and not merely human stupidity (although there is plenty of that shown in the movie, particularly once it is known that the world is, indeed, about to end).
Nicolas Cage plays John Koestler, a professor who's son, Caleb (played by Chandler Canterbury) receives a rather strange letter from his school's time capsule, which has remained buried now for fifty years. It is not a drawing, or some letter or artifact from the time, but rather, a page of numbers that, seemingly, don't make sense.
The numbers on the page seem crazy and meaningless at first glance, until John notices particularly numbers that includes 91101 - for September 11th. He then sees the exact number of victims written right next to it, and of course, this gives him pause for thought. He wants to dismiss it as some kind of elaborate hoax, only he has seen the time capsule, and knows that nobody really could have pulled off a fast one like that. The note seems real enough, and all the numbers are definitely real enough. When he does some further research on the numbers, he finds more such incidents and numbers with direct correlation to accidents and tragedies, and they are accurate right down to the last number.
***Spoiler Alert***
He is skeptical, but then by chance, on a day when the numbers on this piece of paper tell him that there will be some kind of tragedy that will take 81 lives, he sees that the coordinates match where he is right at that moment! Just then, there is plane crash, and he is stunned by the carnage that follows. He is in shock, but seems almost resigned when he hears on the news later that evening that 81 people have died in the crash. Suddenly, he is a believer.
But he does not know what to do or where to go with all of this. He now has a formula, and has things worked out. But not everything is clear or makes sense. Yet, there is one date that he is sure makes sense, and that is in New York City. He is sure that this is a terrorist attack, and is determined to stop it himself. When he goes, he tries to warn the police, but they automatically suspect him. There is a chase, and he manages to make an exit via the subway, only to find that something has gone wrong down here. It is no terrorist attack, but just a tragedy of epic proportions. Once again, he is witness to a tragedy foreseen by the numbers on the paper. He seeks out some answers, and looks to find the little girl who wrote all those numbers out, only to find out that she died years before.
Diana Wayland (played capably by Rose Byrne), and her daughter Abby (played by Lara Robinson) enter the picture, because Diana is the daughter of the strange girl who authored the note of numbers. She is scared initially of John Koestler himself, but once John has mentioned specifics about a tragedy to come, and the exact number dead to follow, she becomes convinced, and they begin to work as a team.
John and Diana manage, finally, to figure it all out. At the end of the paper, after a specific date (October 19, 2009) seemingly, is the number 33. But the numbers look strange, and Diana knows that, sometimes, her mom used to write letters backwards. What "33" really stands for is EE, but now that seems to make even less sense. That is, until they visit her mom's home, and find out that EE actually means "Everyone Else".
It becomes clear that there will be some apocalyptic event on the 19th of October that will, evidently, kill off the remaining human population. John has been examining some strange solar activities recently, which coincides with an unusually warm, if not hot, pattern of weather just recently. Finally, this allows him to see the truth, that there will be a huge solar flare that will wipe out the Earth, and all of life on it, on the 19th.
The 19th of October in 2009 means something else to Diana, as well. it is the date that her own mother has told her, repeatedly, that she (Diana) will die. So, this really gets her attention.
John's son, Caleb, and Diana's daughter, Abby, in the meantime, have been having some strange experiences of their own. John keeps getting visited by people he calls "whisperers", as does, eventually, Abby. they have strange dreams, where they see the coming apocalypse. The whisperers urge them to come with them and save themselves.
John, in the meantime, wonders why he was able to decipher the code, when all of the signs seemed to suggest that he was meant to decode it, yet he is unable to intervene or prevent it. or even, really, do anything meaningful about it.
Diana kind of panics, and tries to find some caves, which she hopes will save her and the kids. But John is determined to find the last, missing numbers, knowing full well that it was the numbers that have been so accurate and told so much in the first place. He is right, of course. He finds the coordinates, and they are the address of Lucinda, the little girl who wrote the numbers note in the first place, and the mother of Diana. This is, apparently, the one safe haven. He does not know how or why this could possibly be safe, but he knows that he must be there.
Diana's panic is full-fledged, and she gets careless. She leaves the kids in the car at a gas station, and when the whisperers come into the car and start driving away, she just jumps in another car and peels after them, eventually getting in a car accident. At exactly midnight on the 19th, she died, just as her mother predicted.
John, in the meantime, pursues the kid. He knows where they are likely going - to Lucinda's cabin. There, he finds tons of these weird, mysterious black rocks that he has found so many different places, which symbolize upcoming deaths, evidently.
The kids are with the whisperers, who turn out to be, in fact, aliens from another planet. Far from threatening the kids, as he has initially feared, they are trying to save them, and set up life for humans (those who can hear the whispers of the "whisperers"), and this excludes John. John, realizing that the only hope is with his son, and others, on another planet, finally accepts, and lets go. He is torn apart internally, and falls asleep.
When he awakes, he does the only thing that he can, driving through the city (where there is all sorts of violence and pillaging), to his family home, where he meets with them. They give one giant, group hug, before the flames from the solar flare come in to destroy their lives.
But Abby and Caleb are safe, and human life continues on another planet.
Finally, a few minutes into it, I more or less remembered the premise, and how it ended. Of course, I was not alone, so I let the movie play on, and essentially relived the movie.
It is a good movie, I think, but it is also certainly a strange one, as well. Not your ordinary, run of the mill movie. For that matter, although it is an end of the world, kind of apocalyptic scenario, it still is a bit different, a bit unique, in that it is a natural phenomenon (however unique the event is suposed to be) that causes the world as we know it to end, and not merely human stupidity (although there is plenty of that shown in the movie, particularly once it is known that the world is, indeed, about to end).
Nicolas Cage plays John Koestler, a professor who's son, Caleb (played by Chandler Canterbury) receives a rather strange letter from his school's time capsule, which has remained buried now for fifty years. It is not a drawing, or some letter or artifact from the time, but rather, a page of numbers that, seemingly, don't make sense.
The numbers on the page seem crazy and meaningless at first glance, until John notices particularly numbers that includes 91101 - for September 11th. He then sees the exact number of victims written right next to it, and of course, this gives him pause for thought. He wants to dismiss it as some kind of elaborate hoax, only he has seen the time capsule, and knows that nobody really could have pulled off a fast one like that. The note seems real enough, and all the numbers are definitely real enough. When he does some further research on the numbers, he finds more such incidents and numbers with direct correlation to accidents and tragedies, and they are accurate right down to the last number.
***Spoiler Alert***
He is skeptical, but then by chance, on a day when the numbers on this piece of paper tell him that there will be some kind of tragedy that will take 81 lives, he sees that the coordinates match where he is right at that moment! Just then, there is plane crash, and he is stunned by the carnage that follows. He is in shock, but seems almost resigned when he hears on the news later that evening that 81 people have died in the crash. Suddenly, he is a believer.
But he does not know what to do or where to go with all of this. He now has a formula, and has things worked out. But not everything is clear or makes sense. Yet, there is one date that he is sure makes sense, and that is in New York City. He is sure that this is a terrorist attack, and is determined to stop it himself. When he goes, he tries to warn the police, but they automatically suspect him. There is a chase, and he manages to make an exit via the subway, only to find that something has gone wrong down here. It is no terrorist attack, but just a tragedy of epic proportions. Once again, he is witness to a tragedy foreseen by the numbers on the paper. He seeks out some answers, and looks to find the little girl who wrote all those numbers out, only to find out that she died years before.
Diana Wayland (played capably by Rose Byrne), and her daughter Abby (played by Lara Robinson) enter the picture, because Diana is the daughter of the strange girl who authored the note of numbers. She is scared initially of John Koestler himself, but once John has mentioned specifics about a tragedy to come, and the exact number dead to follow, she becomes convinced, and they begin to work as a team.
John and Diana manage, finally, to figure it all out. At the end of the paper, after a specific date (October 19, 2009) seemingly, is the number 33. But the numbers look strange, and Diana knows that, sometimes, her mom used to write letters backwards. What "33" really stands for is EE, but now that seems to make even less sense. That is, until they visit her mom's home, and find out that EE actually means "Everyone Else".
It becomes clear that there will be some apocalyptic event on the 19th of October that will, evidently, kill off the remaining human population. John has been examining some strange solar activities recently, which coincides with an unusually warm, if not hot, pattern of weather just recently. Finally, this allows him to see the truth, that there will be a huge solar flare that will wipe out the Earth, and all of life on it, on the 19th.
The 19th of October in 2009 means something else to Diana, as well. it is the date that her own mother has told her, repeatedly, that she (Diana) will die. So, this really gets her attention.
John's son, Caleb, and Diana's daughter, Abby, in the meantime, have been having some strange experiences of their own. John keeps getting visited by people he calls "whisperers", as does, eventually, Abby. they have strange dreams, where they see the coming apocalypse. The whisperers urge them to come with them and save themselves.
John, in the meantime, wonders why he was able to decipher the code, when all of the signs seemed to suggest that he was meant to decode it, yet he is unable to intervene or prevent it. or even, really, do anything meaningful about it.
Diana kind of panics, and tries to find some caves, which she hopes will save her and the kids. But John is determined to find the last, missing numbers, knowing full well that it was the numbers that have been so accurate and told so much in the first place. He is right, of course. He finds the coordinates, and they are the address of Lucinda, the little girl who wrote the numbers note in the first place, and the mother of Diana. This is, apparently, the one safe haven. He does not know how or why this could possibly be safe, but he knows that he must be there.
Diana's panic is full-fledged, and she gets careless. She leaves the kids in the car at a gas station, and when the whisperers come into the car and start driving away, she just jumps in another car and peels after them, eventually getting in a car accident. At exactly midnight on the 19th, she died, just as her mother predicted.
John, in the meantime, pursues the kid. He knows where they are likely going - to Lucinda's cabin. There, he finds tons of these weird, mysterious black rocks that he has found so many different places, which symbolize upcoming deaths, evidently.
The kids are with the whisperers, who turn out to be, in fact, aliens from another planet. Far from threatening the kids, as he has initially feared, they are trying to save them, and set up life for humans (those who can hear the whispers of the "whisperers"), and this excludes John. John, realizing that the only hope is with his son, and others, on another planet, finally accepts, and lets go. He is torn apart internally, and falls asleep.
When he awakes, he does the only thing that he can, driving through the city (where there is all sorts of violence and pillaging), to his family home, where he meets with them. They give one giant, group hug, before the flames from the solar flare come in to destroy their lives.
But Abby and Caleb are safe, and human life continues on another planet.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
NY Giants 41, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 34
Really, I swear that I had originally meant to use yesterday's blog to give a glowing review of an incredible game. Having just taken my son to it in an attempt to get a bit closer to him (it seemed that there was some distance growing between us lately, and he's only six - which seems just too young an age for us to already begin to drift apart). Hoping that this might be something fun to share good times with, and on a beautiful, breathtaking day under the canopy of a perfect blue sky broken only by the golden disk of the sun, it has been a good memory.
But perhaps the stress of the last few weeks had taken it's toll. He and I did indeed have a good time (I think, anyway). Yet, my blog sank into an introspective narrative about why my interest in sports has waned considerably with age.
Yet, it is a fascinating topic, and one that I have been giving some thought to for a while now, actually. So, I will indeed continue it, but that can wait a little bit longer. Because it would be unfortunate if I lost sight of what sports can do, and can bring, at it's best. It was an opportunity for my son and me to get a bit closer, to share and enjoy an experience together. A game involving the favorite team for us both: the New York Giants.
And what a game it was!
To be sure, it did not start out in a very promising fashion. The Bucs seemed the more organized, energetic, and resourceful team on the field throughout the first half, at least, and probably even through the third quarter. They not only answered whenever the Giants created something positive on the field (not that this happened often in the early going), but seemed to be at least a step ahead of the Giants at every turn - at least a step. It was a frustrating afternoon under a sun that was beginning to feel blazing and oppressive. You could feel the tension within the stadium, as the patience was wearing very thin.
The Giants offense is supposed to be one of the most dangerous offenses in the league, particularly their passing game. Yet, Eli Manning was having more than just an off day. he threw three picks in the first half - including one pick six. And when he did manage a good pass, it bounced in and out of the waiting hands of the intended receiver.
So, the offense was not playing well, but surely, the Giants "D" (or the G-Fense, as it has been called) would hold the team together, right?
Wrong. The defense was being pushed around all over the field. The vaunted defensive line, which has been touted by some as the best in the league (and maybe the best of all time), was not getting to Freeman. in fact, they did not appear to be getting near him, and he is not the most mobile quarterback out there by any stretch. And speaking of Freeman, he was having a good day against the Giants secondary, and the G-Fense was matching the Giants offense for inefficiency and poor play.
Yes, watching that was very annoying, and if the crowd was not exactly sitting on it;s hands, then many people were holding their heads up with their hands, and wanting to turn away from the disastrous performance that their favorite team, allegedly the defending champions for the second time in five season, was putting out thereon the field. It was a bit surprising just how quickly, and loudly, the home crowd turned on it's Super Bowl championship team.
It was painful to watch.
When Tampa Bay held a 27-13 lead, not only did it look like the game was already out of reach for the Giants, but it looked as if they would be lucky if it did not get worse. They just looked horrible, and everyone was wondering what had happened to the team that, just earlier in the year, had that incredible run to the Super Bowl, which it won, to become the first team in NFL history to win six straight elimination games (unofficially they had defacto playoff games against the Jets and Cowboys), then actual playoff games against the Falcons, the Packers, the 49ers, and then the Patriots. They won them all, and were crowned Super Bowl champions once again.
This team on the field before us, they couldn't possibly be that same team. Oh, sure, they were wearing the familiar Giants uniforms, had those same NY logos on their helmets, and the names and numbers matched that team. But the level of play was nowhere near, and they were on the verge of becoming the first defending champion since the 1999 Denver Broncos to start off a season at 0-2, and that team had seen the departure of John Elway, and lost their star running back early in the season, en route to a disastrous 6-10 season, from which they never truly bounced back. These Giants, too, had lost some talent, but not that much talent, that they should be playing like this!
Then, of course, came the moment when magic happened. A moment that will surely be immortalized in team history, as this game changed from a snoozer to an immortal classic that will add to the mysticism of this team's achievements.
Eli Manning came alive! he showed his true greatness by not allowing his past failures to bother him. When he gets hot, he gets hot! And he is very dangerous when he gets hot. From one of his worst games ever, with three picks and virtually zero production, to over five hundred yards passing, for the second most productive game by a Giants quarterback in franchise history (Phil Simms enjoyed the most productive, with 315 yards with three touchdown passes in an away game against the Bengals in 1985). Eli fell a few yards shy of that, but also had the three touchdown passes, and just in the nick of time, to boot - right in the fourth quarter.
In the meanwhile, the defense suddenly came alive, as well. Freeman was getting hit, being pressured. The Bucs suddenly looked like the inept team that could not get anything going, although they finally did manage that incredible drive very late in the 4th quarter to tie it all up, after falling behind 34-27.
But this was the day of the Big Blue return, and the Giants responded with another touchdown drive, and finally nipped the game in the bud with an interception.
Shades of their recent postseason success!
Of course, not all of the drama was done with. There was the controversy of that final play, when Tampa's defense, at the behest of rookie head coach Greg Schiano (recently head coach for my alma mater, Rutgers), went hard at the Giants, who were taking a knee to run out the clock. That incited Tom Coughlin's anger, prompting the now famously tense handshake between the two.
I think that it was a cheap shot, and a relatively classless thing to do, although Schiano certainly was not backing down, and said that he did not want to send the message to his team to take a play off or concede defeat. I really appreciate what he did at Rutgers, and he did manage to make sound justifiable what I initially thought to be entirely unjustified. Still, however, I am not entirely sure that it was not simply a classless and unsportsman like thing to do.
But all of that is up for debate now. Bottom line, the Giants won an incredible game, and my son and I, who enjoyed the magic of last season's Giants Super Bowl run with a playoff game and the stadium celebrations a couple of days after the Super Bowl, got to enjoy another magical moment at the stadium with an incredible, and very memorable, team - the New York Giants!
But perhaps the stress of the last few weeks had taken it's toll. He and I did indeed have a good time (I think, anyway). Yet, my blog sank into an introspective narrative about why my interest in sports has waned considerably with age.
Yet, it is a fascinating topic, and one that I have been giving some thought to for a while now, actually. So, I will indeed continue it, but that can wait a little bit longer. Because it would be unfortunate if I lost sight of what sports can do, and can bring, at it's best. It was an opportunity for my son and me to get a bit closer, to share and enjoy an experience together. A game involving the favorite team for us both: the New York Giants.
And what a game it was!
To be sure, it did not start out in a very promising fashion. The Bucs seemed the more organized, energetic, and resourceful team on the field throughout the first half, at least, and probably even through the third quarter. They not only answered whenever the Giants created something positive on the field (not that this happened often in the early going), but seemed to be at least a step ahead of the Giants at every turn - at least a step. It was a frustrating afternoon under a sun that was beginning to feel blazing and oppressive. You could feel the tension within the stadium, as the patience was wearing very thin.
The Giants offense is supposed to be one of the most dangerous offenses in the league, particularly their passing game. Yet, Eli Manning was having more than just an off day. he threw three picks in the first half - including one pick six. And when he did manage a good pass, it bounced in and out of the waiting hands of the intended receiver.
So, the offense was not playing well, but surely, the Giants "D" (or the G-Fense, as it has been called) would hold the team together, right?
Wrong. The defense was being pushed around all over the field. The vaunted defensive line, which has been touted by some as the best in the league (and maybe the best of all time), was not getting to Freeman. in fact, they did not appear to be getting near him, and he is not the most mobile quarterback out there by any stretch. And speaking of Freeman, he was having a good day against the Giants secondary, and the G-Fense was matching the Giants offense for inefficiency and poor play.
Yes, watching that was very annoying, and if the crowd was not exactly sitting on it;s hands, then many people were holding their heads up with their hands, and wanting to turn away from the disastrous performance that their favorite team, allegedly the defending champions for the second time in five season, was putting out thereon the field. It was a bit surprising just how quickly, and loudly, the home crowd turned on it's Super Bowl championship team.
It was painful to watch.
When Tampa Bay held a 27-13 lead, not only did it look like the game was already out of reach for the Giants, but it looked as if they would be lucky if it did not get worse. They just looked horrible, and everyone was wondering what had happened to the team that, just earlier in the year, had that incredible run to the Super Bowl, which it won, to become the first team in NFL history to win six straight elimination games (unofficially they had defacto playoff games against the Jets and Cowboys), then actual playoff games against the Falcons, the Packers, the 49ers, and then the Patriots. They won them all, and were crowned Super Bowl champions once again.
This team on the field before us, they couldn't possibly be that same team. Oh, sure, they were wearing the familiar Giants uniforms, had those same NY logos on their helmets, and the names and numbers matched that team. But the level of play was nowhere near, and they were on the verge of becoming the first defending champion since the 1999 Denver Broncos to start off a season at 0-2, and that team had seen the departure of John Elway, and lost their star running back early in the season, en route to a disastrous 6-10 season, from which they never truly bounced back. These Giants, too, had lost some talent, but not that much talent, that they should be playing like this!
Then, of course, came the moment when magic happened. A moment that will surely be immortalized in team history, as this game changed from a snoozer to an immortal classic that will add to the mysticism of this team's achievements.
Eli Manning came alive! he showed his true greatness by not allowing his past failures to bother him. When he gets hot, he gets hot! And he is very dangerous when he gets hot. From one of his worst games ever, with three picks and virtually zero production, to over five hundred yards passing, for the second most productive game by a Giants quarterback in franchise history (Phil Simms enjoyed the most productive, with 315 yards with three touchdown passes in an away game against the Bengals in 1985). Eli fell a few yards shy of that, but also had the three touchdown passes, and just in the nick of time, to boot - right in the fourth quarter.
In the meanwhile, the defense suddenly came alive, as well. Freeman was getting hit, being pressured. The Bucs suddenly looked like the inept team that could not get anything going, although they finally did manage that incredible drive very late in the 4th quarter to tie it all up, after falling behind 34-27.
But this was the day of the Big Blue return, and the Giants responded with another touchdown drive, and finally nipped the game in the bud with an interception.
Shades of their recent postseason success!
Of course, not all of the drama was done with. There was the controversy of that final play, when Tampa's defense, at the behest of rookie head coach Greg Schiano (recently head coach for my alma mater, Rutgers), went hard at the Giants, who were taking a knee to run out the clock. That incited Tom Coughlin's anger, prompting the now famously tense handshake between the two.
I think that it was a cheap shot, and a relatively classless thing to do, although Schiano certainly was not backing down, and said that he did not want to send the message to his team to take a play off or concede defeat. I really appreciate what he did at Rutgers, and he did manage to make sound justifiable what I initially thought to be entirely unjustified. Still, however, I am not entirely sure that it was not simply a classless and unsportsman like thing to do.
But all of that is up for debate now. Bottom line, the Giants won an incredible game, and my son and I, who enjoyed the magic of last season's Giants Super Bowl run with a playoff game and the stadium celebrations a couple of days after the Super Bowl, got to enjoy another magical moment at the stadium with an incredible, and very memorable, team - the New York Giants!
At the incredible Giants-Bucs game on a beautiful, perfect Sunday afternoon. The game seemed painfully dull at first, but it certainly did not stay that way! One of the most incredible 4th quarters in team history, and it will live on for a long time, surely! Here, my young son is posing for the camera with the field below as the backdrop.
Monday, September 17, 2012
The Meaning of Sports II (Part One)
My weekends tend to be so busy, that they are, in fact, my busiest times, while for most people, they are an opportunity to relax.
But every now and then, I do get to have a bit of a life, and go out and do something fun during a weekend.
So it is that the last month has been really kind of hard on me. A lot of pressures seemed to be rushing at me from different angles, and I was on the verge of feeling overwhelmed - on numerous occasions. But this past Friday, I received two signs that, perhaps (dare I hope?), this unfortunate stretch might finally be over. Maybe, at the very least, the worst of it will be over.
Now, that came right before a weekend, and this weekend itself no ordinary weekend. It was expected to be quite busy - and believe me, it was! I had a rough night (I usually work overnights, by the way), having a very difficult time staying awake. This has been about the third or fourth consecutive night shift in a row where I struggled almost every minute to stay awake. In fact, right now, this is the most awake that I have felt - and I just came back from my "lunch hour", during which, yes, I take it down and close my eyes and take a nap.
This one seems to have actually helped a bit, and that comes at just the right time, because for once, this weekend won't end for me on Monday morning. Once I get out of here, instead of going home or being free to do whatever I want to do, I have instead to go to my other job, my weekend job, for a four hour meeting.
Why four hours? Isn't that a bit on the long side, for something that is supposed to be rather a routine?
I thought so. So did everyone else who has to attend. But, as that new saying goes, "It is what it is."
Right.
In any case, I really felt great heading into this weekend, and was in the mood to celebrate.
Now, I have to make an admission here. The stress and pressure that I have been under has affected my moods, my behavior. It made me more irritable, more easily prone to snap at someone else, and that is where this celebration comes in. You see, for the first time ever, I felt as if my son and I were drifting apart a little bit there. Now, I wanted to use this weekend to do something that might help us gel once again. Something purely fun that he could enjoy. That we could enjoy, together.
So, I got tickets to the Giants game.
And what a game it was! If you are at all familiar with American football, you know that this time of the year, September, marks the annual start to the new football season. Weekend television tends to be dominated by football programming. College on Saturdays, and professional on Sundays.
Now, I have long been a fan of the New York Football Giants. As I was growing up, I became a huge fan of theirs, especially when they rewarded us fans with a Super Bowl XXI title, and then followed that up four years later with another championship in Super Bowl XXV, although they won it by the slimmest of margins in a very hard fought game, just barely holding off the favored Buffalo Bills, 20-19.
That last title came during my high school days, and of course, predictably, things changed. I changed, for that matter, too. Went to college, tried to build a social life, and suddenly, making a point of staying inside on a beautiful weekend such as the one that we just experienced was not such a priority. Up until that point in time, I would systematically stay inside in order to watch the games, particularly those involving my Giants. It often times would make or break my week, depending on whether the Giants won or lost. I really hate to admit that, but there it is. If they won, I'd be predictably happy. But if they lost, I would feel down, as if I personally had lost something.
When they won the championship, it felt like it almost made my year. I was euphoric, in seventh heaven!
I remember hearing a quote from then Giants head coach Bill Parcels after winning Super Bowl XXV, where he said that winning was better than sex. Since I had not yet had sex back then, I really had no basis for comparison. All I knew is that the feeling I got from their victories, particularly from their championships, were sweet indeed, and it seemed natural that I would be as rabid a fan all of my life as I was then. I didn't question it.
Not yet, anyway.
But here's the thing: once I started meeting girls that I was interested in, the interest in football took an automatic backseat. Before long, I was more interested - far more interested! - in having some semblance of an actual social life, than in making such a point to follow a bunch of spoiled athletes in matching uniforms play a game against another band of athletes in other matching uniforms do battle with one another, presenting a unique opportunity for these athletes to perform and show off their talents, all in a bid, essentially, to illustrate why they were so essential and, why they should get more money. They already were paid millions of dollars for what they were doing, and they constantly wanted more and more. That had been the case when I was younger, of course. But salaries just took off and absolutely exploded beginning in the seventies and into the eighties (the so-called "Me decade", after all).
In the meanwhile, it was expected that "real fans", and I had long believed myself to be just such a fan, would loyally follow and route for their team, and that usually included purchasing clothes and other merchandise, of course.
Of course.
Somehow, as I started growing up a bit, I did question it. And here's the strange thing: it began to seem silly, indeed. Moreover, it began almost to feel offensive, as if someone were pulling the wool over all of our eyes, collectively. It was all just one big hoax, seemingly.
So, my interest in sports waned quite a bit. I even remember the moment, or a moment that I keep returning to, when it perhaps fully dawned on me that there had been a fundamental shift in my own approach to sports. It came in 1993, and the Giants were on Monday Night Football. They had won the Super Bowl a few seasons before that (as I mentioned already), but had then suffered through two poor seasons in following that up. But now, they were good again, and even enjoyed the best record in the league. That Monday night, they were to play the New Orleans Saints, and the Saints, who had been very strong in the seasons prior, were suddenly really struggling. The Giants were expected to win, and convincingly - and indeed, they did so.
But I had been hanging out with a girl that I was interested in at the community college that I attended, and I enjoyed spending time with her. Somehow, however, I mentioned the game and how big it was, and she then urged me to go home and watch it. The thing was, I really did not want to, and for the first time, perhaps, even felt silly for having mentioned the game at all. That was the moment that I realized that something had seriously changed in my approach to sports.
Now, don't get me wrong: I still enjoyed sports. Still enjoy them, in fact. But my approach was beginning to be more detached, and to be quite honest, this seemed (and still seems) like a healthier approach to sports.
Sports is entertainment. No more, no less. A lot of people make analogies between sports and other things, including life, including war. On some level, I can see the basis for comparison. On some other levels, such comparisons seem laughable, especially depending on the level of seriousness in the approach by the one forwarding such arguments.
For example, let's take the famous words of legendary Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi. He once said, "Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing." He went on to suggest, essentially, that winning was a habit and that so was losing.
While there may be some grain of truth to that, it is a limited and limiting, black and white approach to life, if taken at face value (as it very often is, believe me). It has been used by players in various sports, not just football, and it has been recognized as words of inspiration in other fields, as well. That certainly includes the business world. In fact, the first time I saw a copy of the fuller speech, and came to understand the context of that famous quote, it was in an office, in the office, in fact, of a top executive.
At first, I wrote down parts of it, with the intention of looking it up online in order to reread it. You see, I wanted to find something in it, some secret to success or something that might provide a hint at a new approach to life to take in order to be successful. Wanting to fulfill some personal ambitions towards being well accomplished and well off, I was hoping to feel that tide of inspiration that would suddenly come pouring over me.
It never happened.
Yet, I wanted it to happen. And since these fabled words had become so legendary, even achieving a measure of immortality and mysticism, probably as a result of the death of Lombardi, which elevated his status to that of almost a demigod. Someone who could do no wrong.
I wanted to believe that there was some secret to success in this world, in this life, and that all it would take was an attitude adjustment.
Okay, I have perhaps, arguably, gone off track. This was supposed to be a relatively short blog about a football game I went to, and obviously, I digressed. I will write about it, but am finding this little treatise quite entertaining and thought-provoking in it's own right, and will likely return to it, as well. But for now, I will leave this here, to be continued....
Here is a link that provides the full text of those famous words by Vince Lombardi:
http://www.cnbc.com/id/25145570/Vince_Lombardi_The_Number_One_Speech
But every now and then, I do get to have a bit of a life, and go out and do something fun during a weekend.
So it is that the last month has been really kind of hard on me. A lot of pressures seemed to be rushing at me from different angles, and I was on the verge of feeling overwhelmed - on numerous occasions. But this past Friday, I received two signs that, perhaps (dare I hope?), this unfortunate stretch might finally be over. Maybe, at the very least, the worst of it will be over.
Now, that came right before a weekend, and this weekend itself no ordinary weekend. It was expected to be quite busy - and believe me, it was! I had a rough night (I usually work overnights, by the way), having a very difficult time staying awake. This has been about the third or fourth consecutive night shift in a row where I struggled almost every minute to stay awake. In fact, right now, this is the most awake that I have felt - and I just came back from my "lunch hour", during which, yes, I take it down and close my eyes and take a nap.
This one seems to have actually helped a bit, and that comes at just the right time, because for once, this weekend won't end for me on Monday morning. Once I get out of here, instead of going home or being free to do whatever I want to do, I have instead to go to my other job, my weekend job, for a four hour meeting.
Why four hours? Isn't that a bit on the long side, for something that is supposed to be rather a routine?
I thought so. So did everyone else who has to attend. But, as that new saying goes, "It is what it is."
Right.
In any case, I really felt great heading into this weekend, and was in the mood to celebrate.
Now, I have to make an admission here. The stress and pressure that I have been under has affected my moods, my behavior. It made me more irritable, more easily prone to snap at someone else, and that is where this celebration comes in. You see, for the first time ever, I felt as if my son and I were drifting apart a little bit there. Now, I wanted to use this weekend to do something that might help us gel once again. Something purely fun that he could enjoy. That we could enjoy, together.
So, I got tickets to the Giants game.
And what a game it was! If you are at all familiar with American football, you know that this time of the year, September, marks the annual start to the new football season. Weekend television tends to be dominated by football programming. College on Saturdays, and professional on Sundays.
Now, I have long been a fan of the New York Football Giants. As I was growing up, I became a huge fan of theirs, especially when they rewarded us fans with a Super Bowl XXI title, and then followed that up four years later with another championship in Super Bowl XXV, although they won it by the slimmest of margins in a very hard fought game, just barely holding off the favored Buffalo Bills, 20-19.
That last title came during my high school days, and of course, predictably, things changed. I changed, for that matter, too. Went to college, tried to build a social life, and suddenly, making a point of staying inside on a beautiful weekend such as the one that we just experienced was not such a priority. Up until that point in time, I would systematically stay inside in order to watch the games, particularly those involving my Giants. It often times would make or break my week, depending on whether the Giants won or lost. I really hate to admit that, but there it is. If they won, I'd be predictably happy. But if they lost, I would feel down, as if I personally had lost something.
When they won the championship, it felt like it almost made my year. I was euphoric, in seventh heaven!
I remember hearing a quote from then Giants head coach Bill Parcels after winning Super Bowl XXV, where he said that winning was better than sex. Since I had not yet had sex back then, I really had no basis for comparison. All I knew is that the feeling I got from their victories, particularly from their championships, were sweet indeed, and it seemed natural that I would be as rabid a fan all of my life as I was then. I didn't question it.
Not yet, anyway.
But here's the thing: once I started meeting girls that I was interested in, the interest in football took an automatic backseat. Before long, I was more interested - far more interested! - in having some semblance of an actual social life, than in making such a point to follow a bunch of spoiled athletes in matching uniforms play a game against another band of athletes in other matching uniforms do battle with one another, presenting a unique opportunity for these athletes to perform and show off their talents, all in a bid, essentially, to illustrate why they were so essential and, why they should get more money. They already were paid millions of dollars for what they were doing, and they constantly wanted more and more. That had been the case when I was younger, of course. But salaries just took off and absolutely exploded beginning in the seventies and into the eighties (the so-called "Me decade", after all).
In the meanwhile, it was expected that "real fans", and I had long believed myself to be just such a fan, would loyally follow and route for their team, and that usually included purchasing clothes and other merchandise, of course.
Of course.
Somehow, as I started growing up a bit, I did question it. And here's the strange thing: it began to seem silly, indeed. Moreover, it began almost to feel offensive, as if someone were pulling the wool over all of our eyes, collectively. It was all just one big hoax, seemingly.
So, my interest in sports waned quite a bit. I even remember the moment, or a moment that I keep returning to, when it perhaps fully dawned on me that there had been a fundamental shift in my own approach to sports. It came in 1993, and the Giants were on Monday Night Football. They had won the Super Bowl a few seasons before that (as I mentioned already), but had then suffered through two poor seasons in following that up. But now, they were good again, and even enjoyed the best record in the league. That Monday night, they were to play the New Orleans Saints, and the Saints, who had been very strong in the seasons prior, were suddenly really struggling. The Giants were expected to win, and convincingly - and indeed, they did so.
But I had been hanging out with a girl that I was interested in at the community college that I attended, and I enjoyed spending time with her. Somehow, however, I mentioned the game and how big it was, and she then urged me to go home and watch it. The thing was, I really did not want to, and for the first time, perhaps, even felt silly for having mentioned the game at all. That was the moment that I realized that something had seriously changed in my approach to sports.
Now, don't get me wrong: I still enjoyed sports. Still enjoy them, in fact. But my approach was beginning to be more detached, and to be quite honest, this seemed (and still seems) like a healthier approach to sports.
Sports is entertainment. No more, no less. A lot of people make analogies between sports and other things, including life, including war. On some level, I can see the basis for comparison. On some other levels, such comparisons seem laughable, especially depending on the level of seriousness in the approach by the one forwarding such arguments.
For example, let's take the famous words of legendary Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi. He once said, "Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing." He went on to suggest, essentially, that winning was a habit and that so was losing.
While there may be some grain of truth to that, it is a limited and limiting, black and white approach to life, if taken at face value (as it very often is, believe me). It has been used by players in various sports, not just football, and it has been recognized as words of inspiration in other fields, as well. That certainly includes the business world. In fact, the first time I saw a copy of the fuller speech, and came to understand the context of that famous quote, it was in an office, in the office, in fact, of a top executive.
At first, I wrote down parts of it, with the intention of looking it up online in order to reread it. You see, I wanted to find something in it, some secret to success or something that might provide a hint at a new approach to life to take in order to be successful. Wanting to fulfill some personal ambitions towards being well accomplished and well off, I was hoping to feel that tide of inspiration that would suddenly come pouring over me.
It never happened.
Yet, I wanted it to happen. And since these fabled words had become so legendary, even achieving a measure of immortality and mysticism, probably as a result of the death of Lombardi, which elevated his status to that of almost a demigod. Someone who could do no wrong.
I wanted to believe that there was some secret to success in this world, in this life, and that all it would take was an attitude adjustment.
Okay, I have perhaps, arguably, gone off track. This was supposed to be a relatively short blog about a football game I went to, and obviously, I digressed. I will write about it, but am finding this little treatise quite entertaining and thought-provoking in it's own right, and will likely return to it, as well. But for now, I will leave this here, to be continued....
Here is a link that provides the full text of those famous words by Vince Lombardi:
http://www.cnbc.com/id/25145570/Vince_Lombardi_The_Number_One_Speech
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Move Rental Review: The Edge
I love this movie! I mean, it just has so much to offer, and it does so in an intelligent, subtle, adult manner. Yet, it is also an edge of your seat thriller!
Perhaps I am dating myself here, but the commercials, when they came out, did not do this movie justice. It looked like an exciting movie, and the bear chasing men somewhere deep in the woods looked exciting enough. But this movie has so much more to offer than that. It is, ultimately, almost a spiritual movie (in a non-religious way), addressing what we have become in this modern world of ours, and how hard it is, in essence, to truly find ourselves, to keep our wits about us and keep an overall better perspective, when thrown, involuntarily, into an unfamiliar setting.
Anthony Hopkins, who I personally think is one of the most capable and talented actors out there, plays Charles Morse, a billionaire who shows a penchant for retaining obscure facts and information that he has never quite fully been able to put a full use to (something that I, admittedly, can kind of relate to on some levels), takes a trip with an entourage to a very remote locale in North America somewhere (we have to figure that it is either in Alaska or northern Canada, somewhere, judging by the nordic remoteness, and the snow capped mountain range). This entourage includes his wife, Mickey (played by model Elle Macpherson) , Charles's assistant Robert (Bob) Green (played by Alec Baldwin), and Stephen (played by Harold Perrineau, who you might recognize from the latter two Matrix movies, and he was also on a few episodes of Lost).
We do not know precisely what business they are in, but we do know that Bob Green is trying to get the perfect photograph. It is during one of his photo shoots with Mickey (Charles's supermodel wife), that we first essentially learn that she is having an affair with Bob. Charles notices, too, perhaps for the first time, but perhaps not. One way or the other, he knows, but says nothing. Robert is, in fact, having a somewhat difficult and stressful trip, however. It is Charles's birthday, and it clearly bothers him to see Charles and Mickey close together. Also, he has come to get the perfect picture, but the person that he specifically wanted to take pictures of has grown severely sick. When Bob comes across a picture that Styles, the backwoodsman host at the remote cabin lodge where the group is staying, has taken a picture of a local Native American, Jack Hawk (played by Gordon Tootoosis), who seems to have the right look that Bob is looking for in a picture. Bob instinctively decides to go after this mysterious man.
It proves a fateful decision, because when they go up to Jack Hawk's cabin, they find it deserted, but with a note attached, saying that he is out hunting up by Big Bass Lake, about twenty miles north of the cabin. They decide to go looking for him, and that is when a flock of birds winds up flying right into the airplane, and they crash into a lake. the pilot is killed in the crash, while Bob, Stephen, and Charles all survive. Bob has taken the note with him, so there really is no way that anyone would necessarily know that the men are actually twenty miles further north than their last stated destination.
Bob and Stephen went on the plane trip because they were looking for the perfect picture with the native, but Charles has decided to go, rather instinctively (and passively) himself for another reason: to get away from the cabin, and specifically the host, Styles. Styles, played quite well by L.O. Jones) seems to be quite knowledgeable about the wilderness himself. Styles comments on how pretty Charles's wife is, but keeps his thoughts to himself, just essentially noticing it (and hinting, perhaps, at the obvious age difference between husband and wife). When Styles hears that Charles is supposed to be quite knowledge of facts, he challenges him. he takes down an oar that is hanging, which shows a panther, and asks Charles what is on the other side. Charles calmly responds that it is a rabbit, smoking a pipe - a sign that he is unafraid, because he knows that he is smarter than the panther. Styles is impressed each time he finds out how much knowledge Charles actually has and, at one point, begins to talk to him about the possibility of developing the area, in order to try and make this beautiful, but extremely remote location more readily accessible for more people to be able to enjoy. Charles is listening to all of this patiently, wordlessly, until Styles mentions a specific dollar amount, when he stops the conversation, understanding that Styles is trying to make some sort of business proposal, obviously aware of Charles's money. There is now clear tension between the two men, and that proves to be the reason that Charles goes on the fateful plane trip. We get the sense that he just wanted to clear his head a little bit. As it turns out, he gets much more than he bargained for.
So, the three men are out in the middle of a very remote wilderness. They have to try and keep warm (they crashed into a northern lake and had to swim their way out), and build a fire. They have difficulty with it, though, and that is the first time we notice a real difference between Bob and Charles. Bob takes the flares that Charles had the foresight of taking from the plane. It lights the fire that warms them, but in the process, they minimized the chances of using them in order to be found by the inevitable search party.
Charles mentions to Bob at one point that the main reason that people die when they get lost in the woods is due to shame, and says that they forgot to do the one thing that could have saved them - thinking.
As the movie goes on, we find a lot of such differences between Bob, who is not used to the woods and thinks only instinctively, looking for any and all comforts that he can (including the comfort of wanting to indulge in hopes of some miraculous return), and Charles, who constantly, relentlessly focuses on the possible worst case scenario and tries to remain prepared for all manner of possible challenges, although he remains optimistic that they will, in fact, walk out of the woods, and back to safety.
They begin their hike back southwards, assuming that they will find their way, hopefully, back to the Jack Hawk's cabin. It is not an easy hike, and along the way, they get chased by a huge bear (played by Bart the Bear), who goes after them relentlessly. They manage to escape, at least this time, and they continue their hike. But when they arrive at the exact location where they had been when they started the hike, they are all disheartened. Charles remains cool, but the other two are showing signs of not just frustration, but nearly panic. Charles gives Stephen a task to do, in order to get his mind off things. He makes him carve a spear, and it is here that Stephen accidentally cuts himself quite severely. Charles tries to attend to the wound, and tears off the blood stained cloth of the pants, handing it to Bob to bury. But Bob hangs it up on a tree branch instead, and the bear smells it in the air and finds them, attacking Stephen and killing him.
Suddenly, the stakes seems very high.
Charles and Bob make their escape, and continue their venture. But before long, they find out that the bear is still following them, essentially stalking them. It is then that Charles knows that they will have to have a confrontation with the bear, a struggle to the death, either for the bear, or for one or both of the men. He prepares, although they are starving, and really still just look for something, some kind of a break that never comes. Help, to be found at last, or even just to finally eat something to restore their strength. maybe a bit of rest.
***Spoiler alert***
Of course, the confrontation is inevitable. The bear comes, and we see just how big of a beast he is. He is huge, enormous, and simply overwhelming. It hardly seems possible that even two grown men with sticks could prevail.
Yet, that is what happens. Charles, having read the book, knows to try and coax the bear and get it to loom over him, then to use it's enormous weight against it once it comes down, in effect impaling it.
Now, they can finally eat as well as stay warm considerably more easily, and can likely traverse through those woods and return to civilization.
Finally, they reach an old, abandoned cabin. It has a boat and some oars, and once they test it out, they know that they have gotten through, and will likely return to the lives that they had known before.
But it is then that Bob, seemingly overly preoccupied with drinking and loading the gun. We see him brooding, and preparing himself to do what he does not want to do.
Charles, in the meantime, has anticipated this. We notice him spotting the deadfall outside, and then, when the two men walk outside in order for Bob to do the deed, Charles rather slyly directs Bob right next to the deadfall, and gets him to engage in conversation, asking him how long the affair with his wife has been going on.
Bob, already nervous and emotionally charged, trying to prepare himself to actually commit an act of murder, just wants to get this whole thing over with. He looks and sounds unstable, while Charles, in facing death, sounds calm and almost conversational. There comes a point when he actually starts to approach Bob, which startles Bob enough that he takes a step back - and in the process, falls right into the deadfall.
His leg has been impaled by one of the sharp sticks on the bottom. The situation has obviously now completely reversed, with Charles in complete control and alive, while Bob, has sustained a serious injury and has now been rendered completely helpless. Charles has a choice, and he makes it quickly. He decides to save Bob.
It takes some doing, but again, Charles remains calm throughout. Bob seems to be wavering in and out of consciousness, and he is clearly not healthy any longer.
Charles managed to do the best that he can with him, and manages, nonetheless, to get him out and onto the kayak. Equipped with a boat, he intends to take the boat and find safety.
They find themselves on an island, essentially seemingly taking a rest. Charles has figured that Bob really needs to warm up, because he is in really rough shape. So, he builds him a fire on the island to keep him warm. Bob, in the meantime, begins to question Charles, questions why he would save a man who had intended to murder him. Bob finally apologizes for what he did, and seems on the verge of giving up, of expiring.
Just then, there is the whirring of a distant engine, but it is so faint, that Charles cannot be sure if he heard it right. When he hears it more distinctly, and more importantly, when it actually comes into view, Charles does everything that he can to signal it, wave it down. But it seems not to see them, so Charles quickly uses the knife that Bob gave him as a gift to cut some plants in order to create smoke, and once he does this, the plane finally sees them, and circles around towards their direction.
They are saved, and Charles is ecstatic - until he looks over at Bob, and sees that he is in a very awkward position, face down. He has died indeed, and surely of shame, much like Charles had warned him about at the beginning of their wilderness adventure.
When returned finally to the safety of the camp, Charles once again turns to Styles, and asks him the question that Styles asked of him not long before. Why is the rabbit unafraid? Because he is smarter than the panther. Styles gives him a knowing smile.
The media assembled all want anything, any small statement or scrap for stories for the publications back home. Charles mentions how life's tests never seem to come at the time or in the form that you expect them.
When asked how the other men died, Charles tears up, and says that they died saving Charles's own life.
In conclusion, this is a really awesome movie! It is one of those strange movies that I simply cannot get enough of. Nary a year will pass without me somehow putting it on to watch yet again, and I always enjoy it, even though I know exactly what will happen, by now. But there always seems to be some small, subtle thing, perhaps even a detail, that I initially missed. When a movie keeps you interested enough to pay attention to such small details, you know it's good!
Perhaps I am dating myself here, but the commercials, when they came out, did not do this movie justice. It looked like an exciting movie, and the bear chasing men somewhere deep in the woods looked exciting enough. But this movie has so much more to offer than that. It is, ultimately, almost a spiritual movie (in a non-religious way), addressing what we have become in this modern world of ours, and how hard it is, in essence, to truly find ourselves, to keep our wits about us and keep an overall better perspective, when thrown, involuntarily, into an unfamiliar setting.
Anthony Hopkins, who I personally think is one of the most capable and talented actors out there, plays Charles Morse, a billionaire who shows a penchant for retaining obscure facts and information that he has never quite fully been able to put a full use to (something that I, admittedly, can kind of relate to on some levels), takes a trip with an entourage to a very remote locale in North America somewhere (we have to figure that it is either in Alaska or northern Canada, somewhere, judging by the nordic remoteness, and the snow capped mountain range). This entourage includes his wife, Mickey (played by model Elle Macpherson) , Charles's assistant Robert (Bob) Green (played by Alec Baldwin), and Stephen (played by Harold Perrineau, who you might recognize from the latter two Matrix movies, and he was also on a few episodes of Lost).
We do not know precisely what business they are in, but we do know that Bob Green is trying to get the perfect photograph. It is during one of his photo shoots with Mickey (Charles's supermodel wife), that we first essentially learn that she is having an affair with Bob. Charles notices, too, perhaps for the first time, but perhaps not. One way or the other, he knows, but says nothing. Robert is, in fact, having a somewhat difficult and stressful trip, however. It is Charles's birthday, and it clearly bothers him to see Charles and Mickey close together. Also, he has come to get the perfect picture, but the person that he specifically wanted to take pictures of has grown severely sick. When Bob comes across a picture that Styles, the backwoodsman host at the remote cabin lodge where the group is staying, has taken a picture of a local Native American, Jack Hawk (played by Gordon Tootoosis), who seems to have the right look that Bob is looking for in a picture. Bob instinctively decides to go after this mysterious man.
It proves a fateful decision, because when they go up to Jack Hawk's cabin, they find it deserted, but with a note attached, saying that he is out hunting up by Big Bass Lake, about twenty miles north of the cabin. They decide to go looking for him, and that is when a flock of birds winds up flying right into the airplane, and they crash into a lake. the pilot is killed in the crash, while Bob, Stephen, and Charles all survive. Bob has taken the note with him, so there really is no way that anyone would necessarily know that the men are actually twenty miles further north than their last stated destination.
Bob and Stephen went on the plane trip because they were looking for the perfect picture with the native, but Charles has decided to go, rather instinctively (and passively) himself for another reason: to get away from the cabin, and specifically the host, Styles. Styles, played quite well by L.O. Jones) seems to be quite knowledgeable about the wilderness himself. Styles comments on how pretty Charles's wife is, but keeps his thoughts to himself, just essentially noticing it (and hinting, perhaps, at the obvious age difference between husband and wife). When Styles hears that Charles is supposed to be quite knowledge of facts, he challenges him. he takes down an oar that is hanging, which shows a panther, and asks Charles what is on the other side. Charles calmly responds that it is a rabbit, smoking a pipe - a sign that he is unafraid, because he knows that he is smarter than the panther. Styles is impressed each time he finds out how much knowledge Charles actually has and, at one point, begins to talk to him about the possibility of developing the area, in order to try and make this beautiful, but extremely remote location more readily accessible for more people to be able to enjoy. Charles is listening to all of this patiently, wordlessly, until Styles mentions a specific dollar amount, when he stops the conversation, understanding that Styles is trying to make some sort of business proposal, obviously aware of Charles's money. There is now clear tension between the two men, and that proves to be the reason that Charles goes on the fateful plane trip. We get the sense that he just wanted to clear his head a little bit. As it turns out, he gets much more than he bargained for.
So, the three men are out in the middle of a very remote wilderness. They have to try and keep warm (they crashed into a northern lake and had to swim their way out), and build a fire. They have difficulty with it, though, and that is the first time we notice a real difference between Bob and Charles. Bob takes the flares that Charles had the foresight of taking from the plane. It lights the fire that warms them, but in the process, they minimized the chances of using them in order to be found by the inevitable search party.
Charles mentions to Bob at one point that the main reason that people die when they get lost in the woods is due to shame, and says that they forgot to do the one thing that could have saved them - thinking.
As the movie goes on, we find a lot of such differences between Bob, who is not used to the woods and thinks only instinctively, looking for any and all comforts that he can (including the comfort of wanting to indulge in hopes of some miraculous return), and Charles, who constantly, relentlessly focuses on the possible worst case scenario and tries to remain prepared for all manner of possible challenges, although he remains optimistic that they will, in fact, walk out of the woods, and back to safety.
They begin their hike back southwards, assuming that they will find their way, hopefully, back to the Jack Hawk's cabin. It is not an easy hike, and along the way, they get chased by a huge bear (played by Bart the Bear), who goes after them relentlessly. They manage to escape, at least this time, and they continue their hike. But when they arrive at the exact location where they had been when they started the hike, they are all disheartened. Charles remains cool, but the other two are showing signs of not just frustration, but nearly panic. Charles gives Stephen a task to do, in order to get his mind off things. He makes him carve a spear, and it is here that Stephen accidentally cuts himself quite severely. Charles tries to attend to the wound, and tears off the blood stained cloth of the pants, handing it to Bob to bury. But Bob hangs it up on a tree branch instead, and the bear smells it in the air and finds them, attacking Stephen and killing him.
Suddenly, the stakes seems very high.
Charles and Bob make their escape, and continue their venture. But before long, they find out that the bear is still following them, essentially stalking them. It is then that Charles knows that they will have to have a confrontation with the bear, a struggle to the death, either for the bear, or for one or both of the men. He prepares, although they are starving, and really still just look for something, some kind of a break that never comes. Help, to be found at last, or even just to finally eat something to restore their strength. maybe a bit of rest.
***Spoiler alert***
Of course, the confrontation is inevitable. The bear comes, and we see just how big of a beast he is. He is huge, enormous, and simply overwhelming. It hardly seems possible that even two grown men with sticks could prevail.
Yet, that is what happens. Charles, having read the book, knows to try and coax the bear and get it to loom over him, then to use it's enormous weight against it once it comes down, in effect impaling it.
Now, they can finally eat as well as stay warm considerably more easily, and can likely traverse through those woods and return to civilization.
Finally, they reach an old, abandoned cabin. It has a boat and some oars, and once they test it out, they know that they have gotten through, and will likely return to the lives that they had known before.
But it is then that Bob, seemingly overly preoccupied with drinking and loading the gun. We see him brooding, and preparing himself to do what he does not want to do.
Charles, in the meantime, has anticipated this. We notice him spotting the deadfall outside, and then, when the two men walk outside in order for Bob to do the deed, Charles rather slyly directs Bob right next to the deadfall, and gets him to engage in conversation, asking him how long the affair with his wife has been going on.
Bob, already nervous and emotionally charged, trying to prepare himself to actually commit an act of murder, just wants to get this whole thing over with. He looks and sounds unstable, while Charles, in facing death, sounds calm and almost conversational. There comes a point when he actually starts to approach Bob, which startles Bob enough that he takes a step back - and in the process, falls right into the deadfall.
His leg has been impaled by one of the sharp sticks on the bottom. The situation has obviously now completely reversed, with Charles in complete control and alive, while Bob, has sustained a serious injury and has now been rendered completely helpless. Charles has a choice, and he makes it quickly. He decides to save Bob.
It takes some doing, but again, Charles remains calm throughout. Bob seems to be wavering in and out of consciousness, and he is clearly not healthy any longer.
Charles managed to do the best that he can with him, and manages, nonetheless, to get him out and onto the kayak. Equipped with a boat, he intends to take the boat and find safety.
They find themselves on an island, essentially seemingly taking a rest. Charles has figured that Bob really needs to warm up, because he is in really rough shape. So, he builds him a fire on the island to keep him warm. Bob, in the meantime, begins to question Charles, questions why he would save a man who had intended to murder him. Bob finally apologizes for what he did, and seems on the verge of giving up, of expiring.
Just then, there is the whirring of a distant engine, but it is so faint, that Charles cannot be sure if he heard it right. When he hears it more distinctly, and more importantly, when it actually comes into view, Charles does everything that he can to signal it, wave it down. But it seems not to see them, so Charles quickly uses the knife that Bob gave him as a gift to cut some plants in order to create smoke, and once he does this, the plane finally sees them, and circles around towards their direction.
They are saved, and Charles is ecstatic - until he looks over at Bob, and sees that he is in a very awkward position, face down. He has died indeed, and surely of shame, much like Charles had warned him about at the beginning of their wilderness adventure.
When returned finally to the safety of the camp, Charles once again turns to Styles, and asks him the question that Styles asked of him not long before. Why is the rabbit unafraid? Because he is smarter than the panther. Styles gives him a knowing smile.
The media assembled all want anything, any small statement or scrap for stories for the publications back home. Charles mentions how life's tests never seem to come at the time or in the form that you expect them.
When asked how the other men died, Charles tears up, and says that they died saving Charles's own life.
In conclusion, this is a really awesome movie! It is one of those strange movies that I simply cannot get enough of. Nary a year will pass without me somehow putting it on to watch yet again, and I always enjoy it, even though I know exactly what will happen, by now. But there always seems to be some small, subtle thing, perhaps even a detail, that I initially missed. When a movie keeps you interested enough to pay attention to such small details, you know it's good!
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Movie Rental Review: Hearts In Atlantis
It had been so long since I last had seen this movie. Not sure how long, but probably at least the better part of a decade.
I remember being excited when I knew that this movie was coming out, having read the book. Since not all of Stephen King's books have translated very well into movies, there were some questions as to how well this one would come out.
Also, this movie essentially focuses on the first third of the book. Not sure why that is, although I guess splitting it up into three different sections might have been too confusing, or perhaps there would have been logistical problems in making the movie, and so forth and so on. One way or the other, however, the movie focuses on that first third of the book, almost exclusively.
Hearts in Atlantis is Stephen King's book on the sixties, essentially. It is not the only time that he writes about that decade or those times, but he really makes a point of it in this book. And so, the book, and this movie, have a different feel about them.
The first third of the book, which again, is what the movie centers on, takes place in the very early sixties. If memory serves me correctly, that would be perhaps 1960 or 1961 itself, as there are references to John F. Kennedy, either as President, or a candidate for President.
Now, I was not around during the sixties. When younger, it always felt like I had missed out on something in this regard. This was a decade that just seemed so different. The first past of it seemed almost like an extension of the fifties, an era of conformism, yet an era where America was still enjoying it's so-called "Golden Age". Later on, the Civil Rights movement would really pick up steam, as would the idealism that sprang up. Still late, the whole Vietnam thing, the hippies, Woodstock, drug experimentation, and man walking on the moon (unless you believe some conspiracy theorists, who insist that "the moon" that is pictured is actually a very elaborate Hollywood studio). All of that would come later.
But the 1960's of this movie preceded all of that. There was an idealism that existed, but it was different than what was to come a few years down the road. The country was not yet divided, fractious, to the extent that it would become. It was still a peaceful place, and a land that most Americans thought was unquestionably the richest, freest, most privileged nation on God's green earth to live in. Looking back on it from a historical, or rather perhaps merely a nostalgic, perspective is all that we can really do now, and it always seems to be portrayed in that way, in any case. Undeniably, that seems to be the prevailing opinion, even these many decades later. The whole world seemed more promising and inviting a place, and America was the leader of that world. I have heard some people suggest that it was not exactly like that, yet enough people recall it feeling like that, and that is the impression captured here for the purpose of this story. It was a more innocent time (and yes, I am aware of just how cliche that sounds, but again, this is the prevailing sentiment about those times, and there may have been more than a grain of truth to this). There was a shift in Washington, as Eisenhower (I like Ike!) was yielding to Camelot and the youthful President who looked like a boy.
An older, fully adult version of Bobby Garfield (played by David Morse) is attending a funeral, and reflects upon his younger life (the younger Bobby Garfield is played by Anton Yelchin). We then relive those times, when Bobby is a boy who has just turned eleven years old. Unbeknownst to him, he is rapidly heading towards a more adult life, filled with complications and heartbreak. But not just yet. He is a boy still, and is enjoying the innocence and, yes, fun, of being a child. He has two main friends, "Sully"( John Sullivan, played by Will Rothhaar) and Carol (Mika Boorem).
Bobby's mother, Liz Garfield (played by Hope Davis), is a rather flighty single mom, trying to make it in a world before single moms were commonplace. She is trying to position herself for a better, more profitable job position, but again, the world is much more dominated by males than the world is nowadays. These are the early sixties, after all. They seem to be living a modest life, and Liz Garfield seemingly cannot afford to get Bobby more than an adult library card for his eleventh birthday, although she always seems to have plenty of money to buy herself very nice new dresses and to keep herself looking very pretty and trendy. She passes this off as necessary towards the upward mobility that she hopes to fulfill for herself, but Bobby and others seem to suspect that this is a little too self-serving.
In the meantime, she does what she can to make money wherever and however she can, within reason. The upstairs of their home in a small town in Maine is rented out to Ted Brautigan, played by lead actor Anthony Hopkins. Hopkins is a great actor, and he does not disappoint in this movie, either. He lends the character class and believability, as well as capturing the warmth that attracted Bobby and Carol to this man in the original story.
***Spoiler alart - don't read on if you have not yet seen this movie, and want to see it and not know what to expect yet***
Ted has some special abilities, although they remain rather vague in the movie. He has the ability to "see" things that most other people do not see, an ability to read other people's thoughts, as well as the ability (if memory serves correctly), to see the future- at least, within reason. As mysterious as these abilities are, they are the reason that he is on the run, from a group that he calls the "low men". During this movie, I was asked about the "low men", because these people are the strangest element to the movie, and are hardly well explained. Yet, they are an essential element, as they are responsible for Ted's constantly being on edge, and his eventual capture by the low men. In Stephen King's world, the low men are directly tied to his "Dark Tower" series of novels (seven books, most of them rather sizable) and numerous short stories have been written by King, so a detailed explanation of their role, and how they fit in, is not possible in such a short space. But briefly, I will say that, in essence, the low men are people of a future, a much darker, grimmer future. And they are trying to mold that future, and require the talents of people such as Ted Brautigan, who have special abilities. The low men leave signs when they are looking for someone. They put up lost pet signs, and drive loud and crass cars. Everything they do and are is essentially a turn off to most people. Having their own talents, they use their own special senses to capture those that they pursue, such as Ted.
When Bobby is introduced to Ted, Ted offers him something that he can't refuse: money. A dollar a week (and that would have been a fairly sizable sum, in the early sixties), merely to read the paper to him, as well as keep an eye out in the neighborhood for any signs of the low men. Bobby is initially skeptical of the low men, whom he somewhat dismissively refers to as the "boogey man". But he grows to love Ted, and when he actually does see signs of the low men, he chooses specifically not to tell Ted, because he is afraid of losing his friend.
In the meantime, Bobby is still a kid, after all. He has friends his own age, and he and Carol have kind of a thing for each other. Only, they are still young, and thus, not entirely sure what to do with these feelings, or even how to express them. They are, again, innocent youths. Ted sees all of this, and informs Bobby that he will kiss Carol, and that this kiss will "be the kiss by which all others are measured....and found wanting". Bobby does not believe him and, predictably, overreacts in a typically boyish, horrified manner.
They are kids, after all, just enjoying summer vacation, having the time of their life in the prime of their life, at a time when America itself was having it's best days, arguably. Life is pretty good.
Bobby and Ted get closer, but Ted has these strange spells, when he zones out as he feels the low men approaching. During one of these such spells, he starts almost panicking, and fiercely hugs Ted, trying to snap him out of it. After this physical contact, Bobby finds that he has gotten some special abilities that Ted possesses, although he himself does not know this. He just suddenly has the ability to read people's minds, and things come to a head with these abilities during a visit to the local fair, when he easily beats a tough and suddenly bewildered (and angry) card dealer. He also knows to finally kiss Carol while on the Ferris wheel, just as Ted has predicted.
In the meantime, Liz Garfield has the opportunity to go on a weekend business trip that she thinks will help her achieve a job promotion. But she cannot find anyone to watch Bobby, until she reluctantly askss Ted. She has clear skepticism towards Ted, and is highly suspicious that he is some kind of a pervert. When she ends up getting raped during her weekend trip, she comes home angry, hurt, and betrayed, and facing an uncertain future. In the meantime, Carol has been badly hurt by a much older boy, and has dislocated her arm. Liz Garfield sees this and misinterprets it as some kind of sexual abuse thing by someone that she already dismisses as a dirty old man, and so she gets very angry and throws Ted out of the house. She later calls the number on one of the lost pets sheets, when she sees the name "Brautigan".
Bobby hears the conversation and sneaks out to warn Ted. he manages to do so, too, only it is already too late. Ted is captured by the low men, leaving Bobby alone, essentially, to make sense of this chapter in his life. He has $2,000 from a bet that Ted has placed (again, he has the ability to see the future), and throws this in his mother's face, slamming the door in her face after telling her that in betraying Ted, she has betrayed him as well.
Bobby has to move away at the end of the summer, and he and Carol have one final meeting, before saying goodbye. The promise to keep in touch but, of course, they do not really manage to do so, and go on with their own lives.
The movie ends with a meeting between the adult Bobby Garfield and Carol's daughter. The whole childhood that the movie has revolved around has taken place during one magical summer vacation, when everything was seemingly fresh and new, and the air was warm. But Bobby is now an adult, and it is the harsh cold of winter, and as he visits his old home, it is in a state of rather extreme disrepair. Carol herself died many years before, but she has evidently remembered Bobby all of these years later, and shared her fond recollections of her first boyfriend and the first kiss with her daughter, who seems a bit overwhelmed to meet someone from her mother's past.
Finally, the movie ends with the image of the childhood version of Bobby, riding a bicycle in what looks like autumn, as he explains that what Ted did was opened his eyes and allowed the future in.
Every now and then, there are movies that just give off a special feel to them. I feel that way about some movies, including a few Stephen King movies, as well - including the Green Mile, Shawshank Redemption, and Storm of the Century. This movie, too, has that special feel, and I really enjoyed watching it again after all these years. So, it should come as no surprise that I would highly recommend this movie, and if you feel particularly experimental, you might want to give the book a shot, as well. it explains the events that transpire in the movie much more fully, and in infinitely richer detail. Also, again, there is much more to the story of Hearts in Atlantis (the title refers to how the magic and mysterious feel of childhood is where we keep our hearts, like in the magical and mystical paradise of Atlantis, which so far, has never yet been found) than what this movie focuses in on, and it is a good read. I definitely recommend it!
I remember being excited when I knew that this movie was coming out, having read the book. Since not all of Stephen King's books have translated very well into movies, there were some questions as to how well this one would come out.
Also, this movie essentially focuses on the first third of the book. Not sure why that is, although I guess splitting it up into three different sections might have been too confusing, or perhaps there would have been logistical problems in making the movie, and so forth and so on. One way or the other, however, the movie focuses on that first third of the book, almost exclusively.
Hearts in Atlantis is Stephen King's book on the sixties, essentially. It is not the only time that he writes about that decade or those times, but he really makes a point of it in this book. And so, the book, and this movie, have a different feel about them.
The first third of the book, which again, is what the movie centers on, takes place in the very early sixties. If memory serves me correctly, that would be perhaps 1960 or 1961 itself, as there are references to John F. Kennedy, either as President, or a candidate for President.
Now, I was not around during the sixties. When younger, it always felt like I had missed out on something in this regard. This was a decade that just seemed so different. The first past of it seemed almost like an extension of the fifties, an era of conformism, yet an era where America was still enjoying it's so-called "Golden Age". Later on, the Civil Rights movement would really pick up steam, as would the idealism that sprang up. Still late, the whole Vietnam thing, the hippies, Woodstock, drug experimentation, and man walking on the moon (unless you believe some conspiracy theorists, who insist that "the moon" that is pictured is actually a very elaborate Hollywood studio). All of that would come later.
But the 1960's of this movie preceded all of that. There was an idealism that existed, but it was different than what was to come a few years down the road. The country was not yet divided, fractious, to the extent that it would become. It was still a peaceful place, and a land that most Americans thought was unquestionably the richest, freest, most privileged nation on God's green earth to live in. Looking back on it from a historical, or rather perhaps merely a nostalgic, perspective is all that we can really do now, and it always seems to be portrayed in that way, in any case. Undeniably, that seems to be the prevailing opinion, even these many decades later. The whole world seemed more promising and inviting a place, and America was the leader of that world. I have heard some people suggest that it was not exactly like that, yet enough people recall it feeling like that, and that is the impression captured here for the purpose of this story. It was a more innocent time (and yes, I am aware of just how cliche that sounds, but again, this is the prevailing sentiment about those times, and there may have been more than a grain of truth to this). There was a shift in Washington, as Eisenhower (I like Ike!) was yielding to Camelot and the youthful President who looked like a boy.
An older, fully adult version of Bobby Garfield (played by David Morse) is attending a funeral, and reflects upon his younger life (the younger Bobby Garfield is played by Anton Yelchin). We then relive those times, when Bobby is a boy who has just turned eleven years old. Unbeknownst to him, he is rapidly heading towards a more adult life, filled with complications and heartbreak. But not just yet. He is a boy still, and is enjoying the innocence and, yes, fun, of being a child. He has two main friends, "Sully"( John Sullivan, played by Will Rothhaar) and Carol (Mika Boorem).
Bobby's mother, Liz Garfield (played by Hope Davis), is a rather flighty single mom, trying to make it in a world before single moms were commonplace. She is trying to position herself for a better, more profitable job position, but again, the world is much more dominated by males than the world is nowadays. These are the early sixties, after all. They seem to be living a modest life, and Liz Garfield seemingly cannot afford to get Bobby more than an adult library card for his eleventh birthday, although she always seems to have plenty of money to buy herself very nice new dresses and to keep herself looking very pretty and trendy. She passes this off as necessary towards the upward mobility that she hopes to fulfill for herself, but Bobby and others seem to suspect that this is a little too self-serving.
In the meantime, she does what she can to make money wherever and however she can, within reason. The upstairs of their home in a small town in Maine is rented out to Ted Brautigan, played by lead actor Anthony Hopkins. Hopkins is a great actor, and he does not disappoint in this movie, either. He lends the character class and believability, as well as capturing the warmth that attracted Bobby and Carol to this man in the original story.
***Spoiler alart - don't read on if you have not yet seen this movie, and want to see it and not know what to expect yet***
Ted has some special abilities, although they remain rather vague in the movie. He has the ability to "see" things that most other people do not see, an ability to read other people's thoughts, as well as the ability (if memory serves correctly), to see the future- at least, within reason. As mysterious as these abilities are, they are the reason that he is on the run, from a group that he calls the "low men". During this movie, I was asked about the "low men", because these people are the strangest element to the movie, and are hardly well explained. Yet, they are an essential element, as they are responsible for Ted's constantly being on edge, and his eventual capture by the low men. In Stephen King's world, the low men are directly tied to his "Dark Tower" series of novels (seven books, most of them rather sizable) and numerous short stories have been written by King, so a detailed explanation of their role, and how they fit in, is not possible in such a short space. But briefly, I will say that, in essence, the low men are people of a future, a much darker, grimmer future. And they are trying to mold that future, and require the talents of people such as Ted Brautigan, who have special abilities. The low men leave signs when they are looking for someone. They put up lost pet signs, and drive loud and crass cars. Everything they do and are is essentially a turn off to most people. Having their own talents, they use their own special senses to capture those that they pursue, such as Ted.
When Bobby is introduced to Ted, Ted offers him something that he can't refuse: money. A dollar a week (and that would have been a fairly sizable sum, in the early sixties), merely to read the paper to him, as well as keep an eye out in the neighborhood for any signs of the low men. Bobby is initially skeptical of the low men, whom he somewhat dismissively refers to as the "boogey man". But he grows to love Ted, and when he actually does see signs of the low men, he chooses specifically not to tell Ted, because he is afraid of losing his friend.
In the meantime, Bobby is still a kid, after all. He has friends his own age, and he and Carol have kind of a thing for each other. Only, they are still young, and thus, not entirely sure what to do with these feelings, or even how to express them. They are, again, innocent youths. Ted sees all of this, and informs Bobby that he will kiss Carol, and that this kiss will "be the kiss by which all others are measured....and found wanting". Bobby does not believe him and, predictably, overreacts in a typically boyish, horrified manner.
They are kids, after all, just enjoying summer vacation, having the time of their life in the prime of their life, at a time when America itself was having it's best days, arguably. Life is pretty good.
Bobby and Ted get closer, but Ted has these strange spells, when he zones out as he feels the low men approaching. During one of these such spells, he starts almost panicking, and fiercely hugs Ted, trying to snap him out of it. After this physical contact, Bobby finds that he has gotten some special abilities that Ted possesses, although he himself does not know this. He just suddenly has the ability to read people's minds, and things come to a head with these abilities during a visit to the local fair, when he easily beats a tough and suddenly bewildered (and angry) card dealer. He also knows to finally kiss Carol while on the Ferris wheel, just as Ted has predicted.
In the meantime, Liz Garfield has the opportunity to go on a weekend business trip that she thinks will help her achieve a job promotion. But she cannot find anyone to watch Bobby, until she reluctantly askss Ted. She has clear skepticism towards Ted, and is highly suspicious that he is some kind of a pervert. When she ends up getting raped during her weekend trip, she comes home angry, hurt, and betrayed, and facing an uncertain future. In the meantime, Carol has been badly hurt by a much older boy, and has dislocated her arm. Liz Garfield sees this and misinterprets it as some kind of sexual abuse thing by someone that she already dismisses as a dirty old man, and so she gets very angry and throws Ted out of the house. She later calls the number on one of the lost pets sheets, when she sees the name "Brautigan".
Bobby hears the conversation and sneaks out to warn Ted. he manages to do so, too, only it is already too late. Ted is captured by the low men, leaving Bobby alone, essentially, to make sense of this chapter in his life. He has $2,000 from a bet that Ted has placed (again, he has the ability to see the future), and throws this in his mother's face, slamming the door in her face after telling her that in betraying Ted, she has betrayed him as well.
Bobby has to move away at the end of the summer, and he and Carol have one final meeting, before saying goodbye. The promise to keep in touch but, of course, they do not really manage to do so, and go on with their own lives.
The movie ends with a meeting between the adult Bobby Garfield and Carol's daughter. The whole childhood that the movie has revolved around has taken place during one magical summer vacation, when everything was seemingly fresh and new, and the air was warm. But Bobby is now an adult, and it is the harsh cold of winter, and as he visits his old home, it is in a state of rather extreme disrepair. Carol herself died many years before, but she has evidently remembered Bobby all of these years later, and shared her fond recollections of her first boyfriend and the first kiss with her daughter, who seems a bit overwhelmed to meet someone from her mother's past.
Finally, the movie ends with the image of the childhood version of Bobby, riding a bicycle in what looks like autumn, as he explains that what Ted did was opened his eyes and allowed the future in.
Every now and then, there are movies that just give off a special feel to them. I feel that way about some movies, including a few Stephen King movies, as well - including the Green Mile, Shawshank Redemption, and Storm of the Century. This movie, too, has that special feel, and I really enjoyed watching it again after all these years. So, it should come as no surprise that I would highly recommend this movie, and if you feel particularly experimental, you might want to give the book a shot, as well. it explains the events that transpire in the movie much more fully, and in infinitely richer detail. Also, again, there is much more to the story of Hearts in Atlantis (the title refers to how the magic and mysterious feel of childhood is where we keep our hearts, like in the magical and mystical paradise of Atlantis, which so far, has never yet been found) than what this movie focuses in on, and it is a good read. I definitely recommend it!
Friday, September 14, 2012
More Dire Headlines from the Middle East...
There are times when it feels like every bit of news coming out of the Middle East/Arab World seems to be bad news.
These last few months and weeks in particular, have proven to be among these kinds of moments. The attacks on the embassies, and the subsequent murder of four officials to show how angry they were about the recent release of a movie in which Mohammad was portrayed in a less than fortunate light.
The protests that have followed, and the extremity and violence of the response of the assembled masses, which have become relatively familiar terrain.
Yet, this was different, somehow. By the end of this protest, we were reminded instead of the original Islamic Revolution, as it occurred in Iran some decades ago.
So, too, perhaps, is this idea of entering into American embassies, and taking people out. Only this time, they did not take American hostages, but rather took American lives.
Of course, there is the matter of foreign policy and such to deal with, and we certainly understand that the utmost delicacy is to be practiced. The Obama Administration has to tread very carefully here, because this could prove to be a very volatile situation. After all, the Mideast, or perhaps the Muslim world in general, seems to be the new powderkeg.
The arguments have been bounced around since then. How shall we proceed? Republican Presidential Candidate made some headlines in expressing his viewpoint almost instantaneously. Quite a few people seem to think that he spoke far too soon, before all of the facts were even out, and that this was mere political opportunism.
But Romney is trying to show that, as President, he would be less interested in approaching such a situation with caution. He would assert American power and dominance far earlier, and apparently far more completely, than the current President would.
So, in turn, the President feels more pressure to act and appear strong, assertive and in control, than he otherwise might. The questions then arise: How far is the President willing to go on this issue? What will the wider ramifications be? Will the nations directly affected - Libya, Yemen, and Egypt, still be considered (relative) allies, or has that chance flown already?
For their part, the Presidents of Libya and Yemen both apologized to the United States, and even asked for some military support to remove any lingering terrorists cells.
Now, Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi is a different story altogether. He has not apologized yet, at least not so clearly. He has remained a mysterious and rather enigmatic figure since first taking office. Hell, since first winning the election. There are questions about Egypt as a whole, in fact. Before, it was more of questions raised with questioning voice. But now, increasingly, it is raised with some considerable anger, political or otherwise. Americans feel a bit victimized, yet again.
Thus, here we are again. It is not out of the question to think war in one of the regions most torn apart by war, although it should be noted that Egypt would be a bit different, since it is the largest country in the Mideast region. Also, it used to be an ally, and recently, to boot.
That is yet another thing that Republicans have blasted President Obama of, similar to criticism some decades ago that President Jimmy Carter had abandoned "our friend", the Shah of Iran.
And that seems to be about all that we are left with. Comparisons with the past, political accusations and finger pointing, especially pronounced because this is not only an election year, but a Presidential election year, to boot. More troubling headlines in the Middle East.
Many Americans are sick and tired of hearing all of this. We've seen this all before, right? Anything else new? Anything else on tv?
The thing is, perhaps we can go back to the Jimmy Carter days now, since so much has been made of this. Republicans have been absolutely insistent on making comparisons, fair or not, between President Carter and President Obama. Romney, during the recent Republican National Convention, spoke about it at length, claiming that "What this President cannot say", is that you are better off now than you were four years ago, when Obama first took power. He tried to pound that particular point home, too boot, by claiming, also, that the only other recent President for which this was true was under President Carter.
You see, Carter had low approval ratings throughout his latter Presidency - very low. He lost his bid for reelection, and by some margin, to boot. He only managed to win four states, and Reagan dominated the election and won the other forty six, then set America on course for a neoconservative policy making agenda that has, more or less, continued ever since. As far as oil was concerned, that meant, in particular, being willing to go to war against any power that, in effect, stood in our way. Maybe that meant Quaddafi back then, or Saddam Hussein in the nineties, or the Taliban and Saddam Hussein again in the 2000's, or perhaps Egypt & Co. presently. Many Americans seem to want further war, despite not wanting the budget that such a war might bring. But Americans are skeptical of countries like Iran, and Syria, and Pakistan, and now, apparently, of Egypt, of Yemen, and Libya.
The more things change, the more they stay the same, right?
But here's the thing: let's take a closer look at those "failed" Carter years, shall we?
Most Americans viewed, and perhaps still view, those Carter years as failed leadership (a theme that they keep hammering away at, as they accuse Obama relentlessly of this same thing). And while it may be true that Carter is a very good, even exceptionally good, man, he perhaps was not a very good President. But I would also posit that he is, perhaps, a very underrated President, as well. He was very forward thinking, even though many do not wish to see that. He actually was rather accurate with predictions given at those times, back in the late 1970's, about what crises were looming ahead for us, if we did not heed the warnings, and do something to alleviate them.
President Carter was best known for two speeches, in particular. He gave the so-called "Malaise speech", a term that he himself did not come up with, but which was tacked on and kind of stuck. During that, he said that a moral crisis now faced America, and that this, more than anything else, posed a greater threat to America than any outside enemy possibly could. In short, he claimed that Americans were getting greedier and greedier, that there was less of a sense of spirit of community and a willingness to share for the common good. That, in effect, this "malaise", if you will, posed the most serious threat to the country. He wanted Americans to be more willing to compromise a little bit, for the future of the country, to secure a better and more promising future.
When Ronald Reagan swept into office, a new spirit indeed did take hold, and it was popular. But it was accused of being a very greedy time. The age of the fictional Gordon Gekko, and the real life Donald Trump. the age of economic scandals to come, from the S&L scandal in the eighties, to the Enron Scandal in the early 2000's, and the whole Halliburton and Blackwater and no bod contracts thing that we had later on in the Bush Jr. Presidency. All of that was the brainchild of deregulation, which still seems to be something that Republicans look upon with loving eyes, and which Democrats, when talking, back away from and criticize, but which, when in office since those fateful days of the 1980's, they themselves have been guilty of continuing, and sometimes, of enhancing.
Fine. All of that is well and dandy, but does that really specifically prove Jimmy Carter was right?
Well, he not only made some good points, but seemed to be pretty much on target, didn't he? Yet, this speech was one of the major reasons often cited for his eventual loss in the election.
But there was another speech that he was known for, as well. This one was even more specific, and the projections that he made for decades into the future have proven entirely too accurate.
This would be the energy speech, in which Jimmy Carter tried to lay out a plan to make America more energy independent. Specifically, it was designed to wean America off of what future President George W. Bush (an oil man himself, by the way) would call America's "oil addiction".
Carter proposed investing in alternative energy to break America's dependence on oil. You see, up to and through the 1960's, America was still the largest producer of oil, and so was independent, not needing to worry so much about what happened overseas. But that changed by the early seventies, and there was an oil crisis - two of them, in fact! That's because, in the 1970's, America was more susceptible to the whims of OPEC. We started not fully controlling our own destiny anymore. Carter saw this, and made projections about energy, and how America was heading down a path to further energy dependence. he saw the possibility that the energy crisis that the United States had been surprised by during the 1970's could get far worse, and that we could find ourselves engaging in wars that were, frankly, unnecessary.
So, he proposed some ideas, and these were scorned. He was lambasted, ridiculed. Eventually, he was thrown out of office. He is still paying the price, still labeled as a failure, still the point of reference for Republicans whenever they accuse a Democrat of "failed leadership" and an ineffective Presidency.
Yet, to me, he seems not only to have made some very strong arguments and points, but in fact, seemed like a visionary. Someone who could not only see the country's future beyond the next election cycle, but who was willing to do something about it, too boot - even if it was not politically profitable. For that, we became a joke, and was roundly rejected and defeated on election day in 1980.
But you have to wonder if we might truly be better off now had we taken him seriously at the time, and done as he suggested. It's hard to imagine how much further ahead on the road towards energy independence we could have been. Instead, we have been passed on many levels by other nations, including Iceland. Iceland, by the way, has about the same population as Newark, New Jersey. In much of the rest of the world, the energy dependence that this country has is itself a source of ridicule and scorn, and even disgust - particularly when it comes to the wars that we engage in to protect our energy interests.
It seems quite clear that we have done something wrong, took a wrong turn somewhere. I think I can point to one such bend in the road that made everyone happy at the time, but which just might prove to have been a looming disaster in waiting, just like Carter predicted.
If only we had listened to Carter than, while we actually had the time to do something about it, before it all hit the fan....
These last few months and weeks in particular, have proven to be among these kinds of moments. The attacks on the embassies, and the subsequent murder of four officials to show how angry they were about the recent release of a movie in which Mohammad was portrayed in a less than fortunate light.
The protests that have followed, and the extremity and violence of the response of the assembled masses, which have become relatively familiar terrain.
Yet, this was different, somehow. By the end of this protest, we were reminded instead of the original Islamic Revolution, as it occurred in Iran some decades ago.
So, too, perhaps, is this idea of entering into American embassies, and taking people out. Only this time, they did not take American hostages, but rather took American lives.
Of course, there is the matter of foreign policy and such to deal with, and we certainly understand that the utmost delicacy is to be practiced. The Obama Administration has to tread very carefully here, because this could prove to be a very volatile situation. After all, the Mideast, or perhaps the Muslim world in general, seems to be the new powderkeg.
The arguments have been bounced around since then. How shall we proceed? Republican Presidential Candidate made some headlines in expressing his viewpoint almost instantaneously. Quite a few people seem to think that he spoke far too soon, before all of the facts were even out, and that this was mere political opportunism.
But Romney is trying to show that, as President, he would be less interested in approaching such a situation with caution. He would assert American power and dominance far earlier, and apparently far more completely, than the current President would.
So, in turn, the President feels more pressure to act and appear strong, assertive and in control, than he otherwise might. The questions then arise: How far is the President willing to go on this issue? What will the wider ramifications be? Will the nations directly affected - Libya, Yemen, and Egypt, still be considered (relative) allies, or has that chance flown already?
For their part, the Presidents of Libya and Yemen both apologized to the United States, and even asked for some military support to remove any lingering terrorists cells.
Now, Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi is a different story altogether. He has not apologized yet, at least not so clearly. He has remained a mysterious and rather enigmatic figure since first taking office. Hell, since first winning the election. There are questions about Egypt as a whole, in fact. Before, it was more of questions raised with questioning voice. But now, increasingly, it is raised with some considerable anger, political or otherwise. Americans feel a bit victimized, yet again.
Thus, here we are again. It is not out of the question to think war in one of the regions most torn apart by war, although it should be noted that Egypt would be a bit different, since it is the largest country in the Mideast region. Also, it used to be an ally, and recently, to boot.
That is yet another thing that Republicans have blasted President Obama of, similar to criticism some decades ago that President Jimmy Carter had abandoned "our friend", the Shah of Iran.
And that seems to be about all that we are left with. Comparisons with the past, political accusations and finger pointing, especially pronounced because this is not only an election year, but a Presidential election year, to boot. More troubling headlines in the Middle East.
Many Americans are sick and tired of hearing all of this. We've seen this all before, right? Anything else new? Anything else on tv?
The thing is, perhaps we can go back to the Jimmy Carter days now, since so much has been made of this. Republicans have been absolutely insistent on making comparisons, fair or not, between President Carter and President Obama. Romney, during the recent Republican National Convention, spoke about it at length, claiming that "What this President cannot say", is that you are better off now than you were four years ago, when Obama first took power. He tried to pound that particular point home, too boot, by claiming, also, that the only other recent President for which this was true was under President Carter.
You see, Carter had low approval ratings throughout his latter Presidency - very low. He lost his bid for reelection, and by some margin, to boot. He only managed to win four states, and Reagan dominated the election and won the other forty six, then set America on course for a neoconservative policy making agenda that has, more or less, continued ever since. As far as oil was concerned, that meant, in particular, being willing to go to war against any power that, in effect, stood in our way. Maybe that meant Quaddafi back then, or Saddam Hussein in the nineties, or the Taliban and Saddam Hussein again in the 2000's, or perhaps Egypt & Co. presently. Many Americans seem to want further war, despite not wanting the budget that such a war might bring. But Americans are skeptical of countries like Iran, and Syria, and Pakistan, and now, apparently, of Egypt, of Yemen, and Libya.
The more things change, the more they stay the same, right?
But here's the thing: let's take a closer look at those "failed" Carter years, shall we?
Most Americans viewed, and perhaps still view, those Carter years as failed leadership (a theme that they keep hammering away at, as they accuse Obama relentlessly of this same thing). And while it may be true that Carter is a very good, even exceptionally good, man, he perhaps was not a very good President. But I would also posit that he is, perhaps, a very underrated President, as well. He was very forward thinking, even though many do not wish to see that. He actually was rather accurate with predictions given at those times, back in the late 1970's, about what crises were looming ahead for us, if we did not heed the warnings, and do something to alleviate them.
President Carter was best known for two speeches, in particular. He gave the so-called "Malaise speech", a term that he himself did not come up with, but which was tacked on and kind of stuck. During that, he said that a moral crisis now faced America, and that this, more than anything else, posed a greater threat to America than any outside enemy possibly could. In short, he claimed that Americans were getting greedier and greedier, that there was less of a sense of spirit of community and a willingness to share for the common good. That, in effect, this "malaise", if you will, posed the most serious threat to the country. He wanted Americans to be more willing to compromise a little bit, for the future of the country, to secure a better and more promising future.
When Ronald Reagan swept into office, a new spirit indeed did take hold, and it was popular. But it was accused of being a very greedy time. The age of the fictional Gordon Gekko, and the real life Donald Trump. the age of economic scandals to come, from the S&L scandal in the eighties, to the Enron Scandal in the early 2000's, and the whole Halliburton and Blackwater and no bod contracts thing that we had later on in the Bush Jr. Presidency. All of that was the brainchild of deregulation, which still seems to be something that Republicans look upon with loving eyes, and which Democrats, when talking, back away from and criticize, but which, when in office since those fateful days of the 1980's, they themselves have been guilty of continuing, and sometimes, of enhancing.
Fine. All of that is well and dandy, but does that really specifically prove Jimmy Carter was right?
Well, he not only made some good points, but seemed to be pretty much on target, didn't he? Yet, this speech was one of the major reasons often cited for his eventual loss in the election.
But there was another speech that he was known for, as well. This one was even more specific, and the projections that he made for decades into the future have proven entirely too accurate.
This would be the energy speech, in which Jimmy Carter tried to lay out a plan to make America more energy independent. Specifically, it was designed to wean America off of what future President George W. Bush (an oil man himself, by the way) would call America's "oil addiction".
Carter proposed investing in alternative energy to break America's dependence on oil. You see, up to and through the 1960's, America was still the largest producer of oil, and so was independent, not needing to worry so much about what happened overseas. But that changed by the early seventies, and there was an oil crisis - two of them, in fact! That's because, in the 1970's, America was more susceptible to the whims of OPEC. We started not fully controlling our own destiny anymore. Carter saw this, and made projections about energy, and how America was heading down a path to further energy dependence. he saw the possibility that the energy crisis that the United States had been surprised by during the 1970's could get far worse, and that we could find ourselves engaging in wars that were, frankly, unnecessary.
So, he proposed some ideas, and these were scorned. He was lambasted, ridiculed. Eventually, he was thrown out of office. He is still paying the price, still labeled as a failure, still the point of reference for Republicans whenever they accuse a Democrat of "failed leadership" and an ineffective Presidency.
Yet, to me, he seems not only to have made some very strong arguments and points, but in fact, seemed like a visionary. Someone who could not only see the country's future beyond the next election cycle, but who was willing to do something about it, too boot - even if it was not politically profitable. For that, we became a joke, and was roundly rejected and defeated on election day in 1980.
But you have to wonder if we might truly be better off now had we taken him seriously at the time, and done as he suggested. It's hard to imagine how much further ahead on the road towards energy independence we could have been. Instead, we have been passed on many levels by other nations, including Iceland. Iceland, by the way, has about the same population as Newark, New Jersey. In much of the rest of the world, the energy dependence that this country has is itself a source of ridicule and scorn, and even disgust - particularly when it comes to the wars that we engage in to protect our energy interests.
It seems quite clear that we have done something wrong, took a wrong turn somewhere. I think I can point to one such bend in the road that made everyone happy at the time, but which just might prove to have been a looming disaster in waiting, just like Carter predicted.
If only we had listened to Carter than, while we actually had the time to do something about it, before it all hit the fan....
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