Break Time

I decided to take a break for a little while. I have been writing about motivation and decided to keep it light in this entry.
I have been watching a butt load of movies, mustly DVD's. I thought I would rate a few movies. I don't want to make a list from 1 to 10 are anything like that, just rate 'em likes I sees 'em.

I'll start with Babel starring Brad Pitt. This movie reminded me of Crash. There were four different story lines going on at the same time with all of them sharing a common thread. The order is not chronological but I was able to follow enough to keep up. I liked the movie because of its complexity. I would not buy the movie and probably will not watch it again, but a good way to burn up 2+ hours.


The Prestige is next up. I was really intrigued by this movie based on what Mike said at Gotthammer . It had the same feel as The Illustionist, same time period, etc. but is was a darker movie. This movie had a rich complexity also. It reminded me of a coil of wire tightly wound until the end and poof! it all comes together. This is a movie I will definitly watch again. One time is not enough I don't believe to catch all the subtleties. Excellent movie.

Castle in the Sky. What can be said about this animated movie about a floating castle and a quest by both nations and pirates to possess the power of the castle. A pretty good movie for both child and adult alike. It is pretty long for some small kids, but my 8 and 5 year olds were very captivated by it and watched from beginning to end. Good family flick.

Driving Miss Daisy. I have never seen this movie. I know I am a weird-o, but I never have. I was thinking about Morgan Freeman movies that I have never seen and this was one of the only ones. This was a feel good movie. A good movie though. The acting was great. The characters were excellent. I don't know if I will ever watch this movie again, but I will probably not forget it.

Bridges of Madison County. Here we go again, a movie that I probably should have watched long before this past week but just never have. The recommendation by Lyndon at WLS really pushed me to see it. I really liked it. Clint Eastwood in a romantic movie, odd but good. Meryl Streep played a very sensuous lady from Italy transported to Idaho through marriage to a vetern. The movie is very thought provoking. What is marital love? Dedication to a spouse both mentally and physically is difficult if you entertain certain notions. Good movie to help you answer those questions or at least start the process of discovery.

2001: A Space Odyssey. I watched bits and pieces of this through the years but have never sat down and watched stem to stern in one sitting. This movie is puzzling, at times gut-wrenchingly quite, bizarre, thought-provoking, and terrifying. I am not the sharpest tool in the shed, so it took some time and research on line to figure out what was going on. After a better understanding, it really is a movie ahead of its time. Certainly a good sci-fi, or should I say "sci-non"?

Running with Scissors. I listened to the audiobook some months back and found out later that they were making it into a movie. Augusten Burroughs is laugh out loud funny to me. He may not be that funny to everyone, but to me he really is. He did the book narration so I was able to hear his voice. Until you hear his voice, you really can't appreciate the fullness of his comedy. Running with Scissors the movie helped me to enjoy the characters better, but it was more supplemental to the book to me. The movie may be OK by itself, but I don't know.

The Departed. There is no doubt this movie won Best Movie at the Academy Awards. It has been my experience with all star casts (all star sports is the same) that there is too much ego to make the movie (sports) work. This is certainly an exception to the rule. This was a movie that was very complex, layered. There was some questions that didn't get answered till the end of the movie. I like movies like this. It keeps me interested till the end. If I can figure out the end in the first half hour, I lose interest quick. Well worth your time to watch this one. I will probably watch it again and appreciate the characters more.

I will continue later with more movies as I watch them.

Crash

I know. I know. This movie has been out for a while, but I finally watched it. I had heard that it was hard to follow, but it wasn't. I now wish that I had watched it before last night.
I won't go into great details about the movie for those that have not seen it, but it really follows my whole motivation journey. It deals with prejudices between all people groups. The good, the bad, and the ugly are represented. I will definitely watch it again because I would like to dissect it a little more, but suffice it to say, really a great movie.
I am glad that this story was told. I am glad that it is being watched by so many people (based on it being the number 1 rented DVD since it came out on DVD). Maybe we are headed in a positive direction. Maybe we will get to a point, soon where we will be able to sit at table with all "makes and models" and be able to have a conversation that doesn't end in hate and prejudice. I don't agree with all things, but I do have an open mind. I want to know what makes others "tick". What is their point of view? What is their motivations?
Maybe this motivation journey is more a journey into culture differences than anything else.
I've mentioned this before, but it needs repeating. When watching the Behind the Scenes of the Syriana DVD, George Clooney observed while on location in the Middle East that no matter how hard we want to, "we cannot bomb this (cultural religiosity) out of them!" No matter how much we think we don't agree with others, we don't possess the right perspective. We haven't walked a mile in their shoes. We haven't even had the guts to try the shoes on. Until we can see through their eyes, we have no base on which to condemn.
I don't know where this journey is going, but watching Crash really helped me see a little more clearly.