More Than One Lesson

The last couple of days have been very strange for me.  It has been a true roller coaster of emotion.  It has been a time of introspection and self analysis.  And, no, this actually has nothing whatsoever to do with my depression.  This came about because of a television show called “Deadliest Warrior.”

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“Survivor” has long since established itself as a prime time staple.  In many ways, it has paved the way for reality competition programs.  Challenges, alliances, confrontations; it all started with “Survivor.”  I myself was never a big fan of the show; like so many others, I wrote it off as “just another reality show.”

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It seems like almost every week we hear of another disaster- natural or otherwise- befalling some poor, far-away country. We are aware of it largely because we are inundated with media; it’s on every front page, every network, every website. However, once this disaster becomes “old news,” it quickly drops out of view, to be replaced with whatever new thing is happening; perhaps a celebrity scandal or a political skirmish. That’s just the way it is, and to bemoan that would be to beat a horse long since dead.

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CHANNEL NEWS (2010)
Written and Directed by: Jacob Kindberg
Starring: Jacob Kindberg, Sarah Kindberg, Joe Burger, Adam Lynch

Life is not without a sense of irony. When we’re kids, we spend all of our time wishing that we were adults. Then, when we take a look around at the mounting debt and missed opportunities that is adulthood, all we want to do is be children again. We realize too late that it was a simpler, more magical time in our lives. The future seemed like an endless expanse of possibilities. But, now, here we are, disgusted to find that our once-vast vision of the future extends no further than next week, when we have all that stuff we need to get done.

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Much has been made about the various themes of James Cameron’s Avatar. Some are quick to criticize Cameron’s views on the military, the environment, and America itself. Admittedly, Cameron makes no attempt to hide his commentary. As military contractors terrorize the mild-mannered natives of a lush planet, we are reminded of the United States’ involvement in Iraq, and, to an even greater degree, the disgraceful treatment of Native Americans as the government seized more and more of their land. [...]

A BLOODY MESS (2009)
Written and Directed by: Ryan O’Leary
Starring: Sean Caldwell, Robert Clohessy, Vanessa Cuccia

Several years ago, I was told that I had a kidney stone. A couple of them, in fact. This wasn’t declared immediately, of course. The doctor had to perform some tests to make sure. One of them was a routine prostate exam, a test that most men don’t experience until they’re around 50 or so. [...]

I was recently speaking to an old friend and he revealed his general dislike of film critics. This was, of course, quite off-putting, as he knew that this is what I consider my calling to be. I asked what it is exactly that bothers him about critics. His answer was intriguing; he talked about the recent Mira Nair film Amelia, which stars Hilary Swank as famed female pilot Amelia Earhart. As the film’s release approached, he was excited to see the film. However, upon release, the majority of film critics panned the film, stating that it tried too hard to canonize its subject, rather than treat her as if she were a real person. Knowing that Earhart is already a rather mythic figure, the opportunity to see a realistic, human portrait of the missing pilot was an exciting prospect for most critics. But it was not to be and the disappointment of the film critic community was palpable.

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ZOMBIELAND (2009)
Directed by: Ruben Fleischer
Written by: Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin

I remember hearing the theory that those few that were incredibly popular in high school will go on to achieve very little, because their lives have already peaked. On the flipside, those that were misfits in high school will go on to great things, both because the high school experience toughened them up and they have something to prove. I’ve found that this theory, while greatly over-simplified, is sort of true. The more of an outsider you are, the better chance you have for survival in this cold world.

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MISSIONARY POSITIONS (2005)
Written and Directed by: Bill Day
Starring: Craig Gross, Mike Foster

Many already know about XXX Church, the Christian website dedicated to helping the millions of men (and women) dealing with porn addiction. The site and its founders, Craig Gross and Mike Foster, have become so high profile in the modern church, one would be hard pressed to find a Christian guy, age 18-30, that hasn’t heard of the site. The supportive environment offered by XXX Church, as well as the practical accountability software, allows Christians to be more open and honest about these struggles than ever before.

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JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG (1961)
Directed by: Stanley Kramer
Written by: Abby Mann
Starring: Spencer Tracy, Marlene Dietrich, Maximilian Schell, Burt Lancaster

Is there anything more disturbing than when somebody tries to justify rape? Not that many people out there are doing that, but the fact that there are some men out there who blame it on the woman is both infuriating and just sad. One looks at this mindset and tries to figure out what exactly these people are thinking. How can they defend this? What is wrong with them?

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