127 Hours

Near the end of his ordeal as portrayed in Boyle’s film 127 Hours, Aron Ralston, after cutting off his arm to free himself, turns to the boulder that has trapped him for the last 5 days, snaps a photo and says, “Thank you.”

While it could be argued that the film reinforces the sentiment that “What doesn’t kill you makes you stranger,” I think that Ralston, Boyle and co. have a different lesson in mind: “What makes you realize your weakness and dependence is better than strength any day.”

Fan Bias – Ignoring the Evidence Part 1

My daughter being silly.

I was supposed to take my daughter to school this morning,  but in my rush to sleep I set my alarm later than I should have. My wife woke me up a few minutes after it went off, and I moped off to the shower and spent way too much time daydreaming about upcoming projects (that is not a euphemism). When I dried off, I realized I was late. I knew right then that it was too late to get my daughter to school on time, but I refused to believe it.

My daughter was groggy and slow-moving, and I was curt in my attempt to speed her up. I had the data, but I ignored it. I knew who was to blame, but I blamed my daughter. Every muttered question had a perfectly logical answer:

Q: “Why is she so slow?”

A: “She’s six years old.”

Q:”Why is she so groggy?”

A:”Because she was up past her bed-time?”

Q:”Is she going intentionally slower every time I ask her to speed up?”

A:”Yes, because all you’re giving is negative reinforcement so she’s damned if she does and damned if she doesn’t  you idiot.”

All these questions were being answered somewhere back in my subconscious, but I forged on determined to get her to school on time…even though I KNEW we would not make it.

At some point all this registered and I realized that I needed to ask for her forgiveness. It was my fault we were late, and my behavior is the type of stuff that complexes are made of. Kids all-to-readily accept blame for sins of the father, and here I am reinforcing that destructive tendency with my behavior.

Even after all that I still forged on. I was self aware enough to realize:

A. That we were late.

B. That I was not acknowledging this and making matters worse with my brusqueness.

C. That I needed to ask for forgiveness.

It was not until we arrived in the school parking lot that I turned to her and apologized. In her typical cheery voice she said, “It’s okay Daddy.”

It’s not really.

It’s not.

Next time I want to examine how this tendency to ignore the evidence contributes to Fan Bias, a phenomenon I will be exploring in detail in upcoming posts.

MPAA and the Growing Christian Film Industry

Just wrote a little piece for RealLab Productions with the above title: http://reallabproductions.com/2011/01/03/the-mpaa-and-the-growing-christian-film-industry/

I’ve been tapped to do some shooting for RealLab in Georgia for the upcoming documentary Soul Winners.

 

True Grit

I watched the original True Grit recently in prep for The Coen’s remake, and while I usually have nothing good to say about the concept of remakes, I think the Coens may be on to something here.

The original is a classic, to be sure, and I don’t want to give the impression that the original didn’t succeed, but I think the Coens have plenty to add to the film, and, yes, even improve upon it.

1)      The acting – It seems to me that many, if not most, older films hold to a different standard for acting greatness. It’s not that theirs were bad actors or actresses, but the artifice that characterized older films is unfamiliar and often oft-putting to viewers from our generation. Some performances seem affected or stilted by our standards. I think that Bridges, Damon and Brolin will adapt the material in a way that will resonate with more authenticity to present day viewers.

2)      Direction – Fresh off my first viewing of Fargo, I can say with all confidence that the Coens will certainly one-up director Henry Hathaway when it comes to setting a mood and blocking the action. In True Grit’s first act we witness a murder that serves as the instigating action propelling the rest of the plot. In the original, this murder is chronicled with such matter-of-fact objectivity that the emotional gravity is totally lost on the audience. You don’t really feel anything when it happens. But most every time someone dies in a Coen film, you feel it, and it hits hard. They know how to transform something objective and sterile into an experience that is subjective and visceral. I think they will do that here.

3)      Overall Look – The film is called True Grit, and while the resilience and determination of these two characters shines through in the original film (when Wayne’s Rooster Cogburn rides head to head against against Duvall’s Ned Pepper, you just can’t help but admire him), even from the previews I think the Coens have done a better job of making this film gritty, which it should be given the title, right? The art design, lighting and Deakins’ cinematography look like they’ll make this material pop in a way that the original director and crew did not (or could not).

So I’m believing in the Coens here, and I think I will be vindicated. I do not think they win the best pic Oscar this year because the Academy has to spread the love, but I will go on record to say that this one will reside near the top, and I think it will deserve its place.

It releases tomorrow so if you get a chance to catch the film and agree or disagree let me know. I hope to write my own review once i get a chance to sneak off to the theater.

Why I Don’t Trust Wikileaks

It’s the old saying about the pot and the kettle.

I defer to former soldier A. J. Martinez who just so happened to write two  blog posts that should stand as beacons of journalistic integrity:

Analysis of Wikileaks’ Collateral Murder Video

Transparency and Ignorance

My summary of Cablegate in two tweets:

* I can’t find an entrance to Wikileaks anywhere…and I couldn’t care less. (1)

* Not a case of “The Man” against “The Whistleblower.” It’s a case of “The Man” against “The Man.” #wikileaks “Who watches the watchmen?” (2)

Concluding thought: Will Wikileaks supporters be singing the same tune when Wikileaks or some copycat group starts hacking and releasing their own private information that could be incriminating when taken out of context and interpreted by an uninformed and often ignorant populace? Oh, stop complaining-the people have  a right to know!