2081: Significantly terrifying future

I don’t normally write about short films. If given the choice, most of the time I would rather catch up on the latest TV episodes. But this one is important. It’s not cutesy, or witty. It’s extremely sad and kind of terrifying. Based on the short story, Harrison Bergeron, written by Kurt Vonnegut’s, 2081 is the type of movie that even though it will only take 20 minutes of your time, will impact your entire way of thinking. 

It is insane to me that people would want to be equal to the point of losing all sense of self. I have always strived to be as much as an individual as possible, and believed that achieving greatness was a top priority. But instead, imagine the world presented here. Those who are strong bear heavy weights to slow them down, those who are smart are given earpieces that let out sounds to disrupt their thinking, and those who are beautiful wear masks to hide beneath. 

If you read the comments on the Youtube page you’ll see that this is very controversial. Some think the story is stupid, but I think it’s an important literary allegory.  It is obviously a hyperbole, or exaggeration, but it begs the question, is such a future, one in which we all must be equal to the point of extinction, so far off?

If you don’t want to get into the political and social implications of this piece, then at least consider the beauty of it. The music is perfectly placed and appropriate, as are the camera angles and the additions to the script. The acting is extremely well done, I was especially impressed with the unyieldingness of the Handicapper General and the emotions of Harrisons father who truly had to go through the wringer, but in the end forget why. It is moving. Another thing to point out is the only one with a name is Harrison, another distinction that set him apart from the masses. 

No matter what you believe, I hope you watch this film and think about it. Hard. Consider what you want for your future and pray like hell that the world never looks down on those who are lucky enough to be special, as I think we all are.

TV Interlude: Mad Men

Working for an ad agency makes it essential to watch this show, though I have to say that I don’t get it because at my job I am surrounded by so many women it’s funny. But we are also small scale, so fighting for recognition is a little different. Still, it was demanded of me that I find out what this series is about and, though I am not caught up yet, I have a few thoughts…

First off, the genius of the show lies in the fact that Don Draper is a dog, I mean a truly awful person, but for some reason you root for him. Even when he is trying to hook up with girls that aren’t his wife, like the Jewish store owner in the first season, I’m secretly thinking “come on, just give him a chance.” Weird considering the fact that the reason I dislike most of the other characters is because they are consistent cheaters. 

It is this dislike of the mousey Peggy, and the slimy Pete that makes me want to skip their storyline completely. Is it just me or do they both just constantly whine? It’s the fact that I feel so bad for her and the other wives that I listen to Betty’s woes. They are silly and trivial, but the poor girl can’t help it. I am, however, intrigued by the Barbie-like Joan, who seems to have the whole feminist act down pat. She uses her sexiness the way that many girls do at bars now-a-days, so intentionally and purposefully that the male counterparts don’t realize how manipulative she is. I wonder if guys today have caught on yet. 

The acceptance of cheating and of this lavish lifestyle that the ad men led has me hooked though. I want to see if they will destroy their careers, because, despite it all, they are mildly talented. It is amazing that these lifestyles were the norm in the 1950’s, and that the wives of these men put up with it as much as they did. The tangled dishonest web is hidden by an outer image that is glamorous and wonderful and that is why, I believe, people are hooked. We want to see what will break through. 

I’m only the first season in, so I have yet to make my final decision. 

And, because I bore easily, look out for more TV interludes in the future.

Young Adult: Deep and Depressing Reality

I did not want to see this movie after watching the previews. I did after reading the reviews. Turns out the actual film is somewhere in-between the rants and the raves, in that it is not so much a dark comedy as it is just, well, dark. My friend and I were sorely disappointed that we didn’t laugh at all, just covered our faces in embarrassment for the pathetic sole that is Charlez Theron’s character, Mavin. 

It’s true that this is probably pretty true to life. Very realistic in the fact that some people move away from small towns and are miserable, and others stay and are happy. It’s also true that most of the time, in life, we don’t learn the lessons. We do stupid things, and we continue to do stupid things just because.

The costuming was brilliantly juvinille. I loved that she sported oversized glasses, ratty bun hair and a hello kitty t-shirt with plad pj bottoms most of the time. Very teenage-ish.

The big mistake that was  her age. 37? Really? No one would be that out of control at 37, I’m sorry you just blew it. I think if they had taken ten years off the character I would have been more likely to say “ya, totally.” 

I’m torn about the relationship between Mavin and the loser from high school who bonds with her over their completely selfish and pathetic lifes. It was fine, platonic but cute because they were kindred spirits, until (spoiler alert) they slept together. This ruined the one story line that I actually liked, leaving me feeling hopeless and pissed.

But I guess that was the point of the movie. Life is messy, and most of the time you do something stupid that ruins the good in it. 

Still, I would rather see a happy ending which is why this one fell flat. 

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?

First off, whoever named this movie is a genius, I love this title, and it is so appropriate for this film. A movie about people who are trapped in their own situations could not have been more perfectly portrayed. Though Johnny Depp with long auburn hair took some getting used to.

I was most impressed, however, with the young Leonardo DiCaprio, pre-titanic hype. He brilliantly executed the portrayal of Arnie, a mentally retarded 18 year-old. Having worked with many different mentally disabled children myself, I could see them in him. The way that he moved, and handled his hands was way more accurate than I have seen in previous portrayals (sorry Shia, Leo’s got you beat).

I don’t think you can watch this movie without seeing yourself in someone. Mama is trapped in her own 400 lb. body that embarrasses her so much, it drives her to eat more and trap herself inside the house.  Arnie is trapped in his damaged brain, and is unable to change his behavior no matter how often he is scolded, demonstrated by the fact that he continuously tries to climb up a water tower. The housewife is trapped in a life she didn’t envision for herself, seeking refuge from Gilbert, though I don’t think she ever cares much about that relationship or the one with her husband, seeing as she blatantly tries to sabotage both. Gilbert is simply caught in a world that he believes is impossible to escape from. The movie is gritty and real. Possibly a bit slow as it shows the average, everyday bothers, but it is necessary in creating a true view of this world. Beautifully acted and touching, this one is worth watching.

Noteworthy: Johnny and Leo pre-hype. This movie was before either of them had the pressure to be “true to their image,” so they really succeeded in channeling the characters. They weren’t “Leo as Arnie” or “Johnny as Gilbert,” they really lost themselves. Now don’t get me wrong, I am a huge fan of both actors still and go see all of their films, but watching Gilbert Grape made me wish they hadn’t gotten so famous and lost that innocence because it really showcased their talent.

The Vow: I Don't Know

When I saw previews for this movie, I am ashamed to say that I was excited that another lovey-dovey sob story was coming out. In case you haven’t noticed, underneath all the cynicism, I am a self-proclaimed hopeless romantic. The Vow promised to make me feel the way that The Notebook did, or so I thought.

The surface level plot was alright, Leo (Channing Tatum) trying to win Paige (Rachel McAdams) back because she can’t remember him is incredibly reminiscent of the Notebook. The problem was the rest of it. The parents and ex-boyfriend who wanted to give her a do-over, and her decisions to just run away to the familiar instead of trying to remember. It created a story of frustration, one in which the good guy always seemed to get the short stick. The problem was that this rising action was never resolved. There was no climax, or resolution, they just gave up. This made my chick-flick loving girlfriends and I feel incredibly cheated. Why in the world did we go through all that pain, if they weren’t going to rediscovery their love in a passionate, over-the-top reunion scene?

The sadness itself was a waste. I find that most movies have moments with great writing where tears stream down my face, and this is a sort or release. It allows all the sadness and suffering I am watching an outlet because there is a moment when things are so sad, but also so sweet that I am broken down. The Vow did not deliver such a moment, and I was simply left feeling depressed. My friends and I walked away sad and dejected and wondering why the hell we paid good money to get bummed out.

Noteworthy:

The opening scene where they got in the car accident was interesting. When the car got hit, the scene suddenly transitioned into slow motion; so you actually saw Paige fly through the glass while Channing Tatum monologued about moments of impact. It was effective and my favorite part of the movie because it was a creative way to show "impact" that essentially created all of the problems. It was terrifying and surreal watching someone fly slow motion through a windshield, and because of the choice of music and lighting it really didn’t seem serious until everything returned to real time and she crashed onto the hood of the car.