"Movie" idea--yes, its just "Movie"

An awesome comedy bit I thought of today, ("awesome" according to me):

A second grade class is putting on a photography exhibition for their school, and an adult male photographer who thinks he is THE most important critic/shooter in existence attends as if it's a professional exhibition. He walks around, (all dressed in black, preferably gaudy facial hair and black rimmed glasses,) and openly criticizes every picture, commenting on style, lighting, etc...He makes sure to do it around the child that took it, until there is a room full of crying kids and parental glares. Finally he tells the teacher something like, "How dare you advertise these amateurs as photographers, you should be ashamed!"

(Also, when the photographer sees the initial email or post informing people about the show, he makes some caddy remark to himself like, "These will probably suck.")

Shutter Island

Shutter Island was and was not what I expected. It may have been predictable, but that didn't stop it from leaving an unsettling impression. I've enjoyed Martin Scorsese/Leonardo DiCaprio pairings in the past, but something was lost in this attempt. Scorsese managed to build up the mystery and characters with intensity, but when the ending was finally revealed, it seemed to fall flat.

Visually, the movie was stunning. I could see myself buying it, if only to dive into the imagery. Bold bloody reds, stark contrasting light, a lovely excess of dreamy hallucinations. It carried such great potential, but it had a hard time living up to the conclusion it promised.

The thing that I really enjoyed about the movie was the way Scorsese portrayed the different variations of "insanity." I'm fascinated with the idea of mental hospitals. I wouldn't want to be stuck in one, and I'm utterly frightened by the idea of being admitted by force, (imagine the the feeling of helplessness!), but sometimes I feel like there's a moment in which people choose to tip the balance. Some of the patients in the movie were so convinced by their intricate personal realities that it almost seemed a shame to treat them.

On a larger level, it's easy to infer that all of us, in essence, are crazy. Isn't it human nature to judge the world based on perception, (or perceive the world based on judgment)? It can be an ongoing hostile environment, or a white picket fence fantasy, but it's not impossible--nor is it rare--that the same story can sound completely different when given from two separate perspectives. So when does a person's perspective peel away from the norm? When does the scale tip, and cause someone's world to differ so much from our own that we consider them insane? The idea that we are capable of existing solely in our mind is as exhilarating as it is frightening.

Theories aside, I would watch the movie again. The ending may have rubbed me the wrong way, but I don't necessarily blame the direction or the acting. I think Scorsese did the best he could with what he had. And considering it was based on a novel, perhaps it was the best screen translation possible.

On a side note, considering I've enjoyed DiCaprio's past performances, but never really found him romantically appealing, I was pretty surprised at how intensely attracted to him I was in this movie. It was like realizing you have a crush on a best friend...Where did that come from?

President Obama's Speech

I try not to bring many personal opinions or emotions into this blog, but I must say that I find the uproar surrounding President Obama's speech to our nation's youth pretty ridiculous. Our school districts are requiring signed parent permission slips in order to watch his speech, and if a parent is against it, that child is required to sit it out in the campus's library. One district is even pre-screening the speech, and if they approve of it's content, it will be distributed via tape.

This morning, a local radio station invited callers to voice their opinion, and I was appalled to hear what some people had to say. Do they honestly think that our President is capable of brainwashing children? Half of the kids in school these days are never even told by their parents that an education is important. Granted, not everyone will be an astronaut, not everyone will be a football star, but to hear encouragement from a person that has made something of himself does not strike me as cause for concern.

I've never really been big on politics, so whether this was George Washington or George Bush, I'd say the same thing. I just find it a waste of time to be so cautious about something so trivial...I mean, hell, my grandmother grew up in Nazi Germany, and no one ever gave them the option of sitting out Hitler's speeches. What's the big deal?