Offensive, or merely entertaining?

One of the best summer movies from 2007 just released it's sequel this past week titled, " Transformers, the Revenge of the Fallen." Usually my blog is about movies that shadow a deeper meaning or message and that they require deep thinking to uncover the true reason for the making of the film. Now, as much as i loved the action packed, thrill given, intense cinematography of this movie, it didn't have the deeper message i usually write about. However, after talking to a number of students who have recently watched this film, they had much more to talk about than the spectacular action moments. In fact, i talked to enough people who had strong enough comments that i decided it was worthy of addressing these issues. The issues most commented strongly about were how the movie portrayed women as stupid, insecure objects that are only worth but a piece of meat to men. There were multiple scenes in which the female gender were nothing but an object that gets in the way and is good for nothing. One issue that was brought up was the character of the mother and how some people felt she was portraying the average american parents who don't care for their children or don't provide sufficient supervision over them. Another topic of heated conversation is how the women were portrayed as a piece of meat to the men and that the men thought of nothing more of the women. So, commenters to this post will have had to seen the movie to talk about these issues. Did it seem like these topics were indeed stressed on by the directors and producers? Or, do these people take these topics the wrong way and get offended too easily?

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Saving others from a sinking ship

The Royal Tenenbaums is another of my favorite movies for its comical adventures, cinematography and its deep meaning to life. This movie is so creatively designed in every aspect to its introduction to its narrating and music to the ending scenes with the amazing heart felt message of living and saving your life and simply changing for the better. We start with a dysfunctional family ranging from three prodigy children in the theater, tennis, and business to intermarriages and relationships. It is quite an interesting movie filed with many big name actors and actresses. As the father who is at the source of much of the families problems decides to fake his fatal illness to stop his wife from divorcing him and marrying another. As time plays out the family realizes the fallacy in his actions and more problems arise. It is at the end of the movie where the message that brings the whole family together is understood if not already realized by the viewer. For those who have seen the movie what are your thoughts on what is written on his grave stone at the end and how does it relate to the movie? For those who have not yet had the chance to watch this great movie pay attention to the relationships each family member has with each other and how the father plays a part in their lives and how that is different at the end of the movie.

Eternal happiness or Eternal Misery

The Count of Monte Cristo is one of my favorite films not just because of the time period in which it is placed, or the amazing writing and cinematography, but for its message that it brings to us. The interesting thing about the movie is that everyone who has ever been wronged or lied to can re-late somewhat to the film. As many of us have seen it, for those who have not it is a tale of a man named Edmond Dantes who is framed by his best friend who then marries his fiancee when Edmond is in prison. Edmond then dedicates his life to seeking revenge on those who have ruined his life. The message in this movie is revealed while Edmond is in prison. He meets an elderly man who later encourages him that revenge will never bring him eternal happiness. It may seem at the time that those who take after revenge are happy for doing so but they will forever be within its grasps. On his prison wall, and this theme is repeated numerous times in the movie, it says, " God will give me justice". It is only towards the end of the movie that Edmond really knows that that phrase really means. I loved the realization that revenge isn't the source of true happiness that sometimes we must continue on with mercy and forgiveness however hard that may be if we do not raise to the higher pedestal we will fall forever in its misery.

The freedoms we take for granted

This was such a wonderful film. Every time i watch it i feel this sense of overwhelming emotion and gratitude for the freedoms we have. Hotel Rwanda shows a life that existed and in other parts of the world exist. A world where people beat, rape, any even kill because they have different color of skin, belong to a different religion, or in this movie, belong to a different tribe. Don Cheadle plays a hotel manager in the country of Rwanda during the civil unrest against the two differing tribes. Some times the hardest thing to grasp is how no one seems to care about what is happening. During the movie it takes a miracle just to receive attention from other countries to pay attention to the genocide that is taken place. After living in africa for two years, i got a taste of the world seems to forget about africa and just think, " We don't care about africa". It is a hard thing to say but don't we as a people tend to think that way. Just look at the news if you don't believe me. We are so caught up in our fashions and social events that we forget about the crisis's that are happening in the third world countries.

In search of somethings never gained and gained

There Will Be Blood directed by Paul Thomas Anderson depicts a story full of greed, lust, dishonor, murder, and most importantly loneliness. In this film we have a motivated by any means man Daniel Plainview played by actor Daniel Day Lewis. In his search for oil during the early years of the American oil rush, Daniel becomes over zealous in his goal to reach god like status. For those of you who have not seen this film pay attention to the meaning of his name and how it relates to the movie. Daniel meaning the judgment of god, and Planview as his surname depicts how he sees people. For those who have seen this movie how has the meaning of complete loneliness brought out in the end of this movie? It is quite apparent when he says the finishing words, " i am finished". With everything he has gained and everything he has lost, how does it relate to achieving a prideful lust of doing anything to get what you want? All in all i thought this movie had some amazing meaning in everything during the film from the cinematography to the names given for the actors to the end scene of the film especially when Daniel makes Eli denounce his status as a prophet of his church. Trust also has a huge part in this film.

Spiritual Growth, or Spiritual Regression?

As I sat down with my bowl of popcorn to watch this movie I was entirely convinced that this was going to be nothing but a classic ghost story that leaves you with spine chilling goose bumps and eyes wide awake as you lay down for the night. As the movie played out I was the victim of the horror shivers, nonetheless, I realized that the director was really trying to show a deeper message than that of surviving the night in a poltergeist house. The movie is set with a couple that recently bought the orphanage that Laura, played by Belen Rueda, lived in as a child. As they prepare to have their open house their son Tomas comes up missing. In a desperate struggle to find their son, they find themselves six months later with no child and no leads. As Laura looks for her son, she finds interesting objects and hears mysterious sounds in the orphanage that lead her to believe her son is still alive. Towards the end of the movie, she spends three days alone in her old orphanage to find out the secret to all the mysteries she was revealing. She finds out about a freak accident that took Tomas’s life as well as uncovering a series of murders that took place at the orphanage years earlier. Now, towards the end of the movie, she is taken for a moment to the other side and has the opportunity to either spend eternity with these lost children and her son Tomas, or to go back to live her life as it was without Tomas. Laura chooses to be with her son and the other children. Some would say that this was selfish in her not accepting death, others would debate that it was a form of love and obligation for those children and that it was a form of spiritual progress through sacrificial love. Is the phrase, “ Is it better to have loved and lost, then never to have loved at all”, applied to this, or is it a deeper meaning that shows the reality of life after death and how wonderful it will be?