* First, the title is lame: the film is not really about prisoners.
* Next, Hugh Jackman overplays his role: he’s too macho, too out of control, too determined to beat the truth out of anyone in his way.
* Jake Gyllenhaal, on the other hand, is so down-low that his character seems catatonic at times.
* And, at 2 hours and 26 minutes, the movie is too long: I could easily edit out a full 15 minutes without losing either the tension or the need to know information.
* I also could not count the number of times the word “fuck” and its variants were used, but suffice it to say that it was over-used by all the actors throughout the film. There have to be other words available to pack a different kind of punch. Two plus hours of fuck this, fuck that gets old in a hurry.
That said, I enjoyed Prisoners. Attending an afternoon matinee, the theatre had seniors in the seats, so there was lots of loud whispering as we all guessed the directions the story took. I guessed “snakes” at one point, but was wrong; I’ll defend that there should have been snakes just to freak out the story a bit more.
Monday, September 23, 2013
Saturday, September 21, 2013
I Don’t Get It
Today’s bride wants to look sexy by making sure her “girls” are falling out of the bodice of a really low-cut strapless gown and her butt is tightly hugged by the cut of the gown. Big globules of bouncing fat on the way up the aisle and a broad beam plowing its way back down it. Not pretty.
Why does President Obama take it personally so often? Some legislators are voting for what the people want, not trying to “get” the president. Presidents are supposed to be presidential, not petty.
Why would anyone write that a person is filled with anxiousness when the correct word is so much simpler: anxiety.
If former students have money for clubbing and booze, why can’t they make payments on their student loans? Instead of spending $100/week on fun, send the money to the lender and pay down the debt by $5200/annually.
Why does my neighbor become upset with me when I live my life without consulting her about where I go, what I do, or with whom I am at any given moment?
I don't answer my house phone until/unless the machine tells me someone I know is calling. I decide which calls to answer: if you're on the other end representing a telemarketing firm, tough. It's not rude; it's my phone.
Why does President Obama take it personally so often? Some legislators are voting for what the people want, not trying to “get” the president. Presidents are supposed to be presidential, not petty.
Why would anyone write that a person is filled with anxiousness when the correct word is so much simpler: anxiety.
If former students have money for clubbing and booze, why can’t they make payments on their student loans? Instead of spending $100/week on fun, send the money to the lender and pay down the debt by $5200/annually.
Why does my neighbor become upset with me when I live my life without consulting her about where I go, what I do, or with whom I am at any given moment?
I don't answer my house phone until/unless the machine tells me someone I know is calling. I decide which calls to answer: if you're on the other end representing a telemarketing firm, tough. It's not rude; it's my phone.
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Speak Up or Shut Up
We, the people, are afraid to stand up for what we believe is right. We pass the buck to the person next to us, or to the rabble-rouser who isn’t afraid to push the boundaries of acceptable protest. We sit back and lament the loss of our liberties, but we hesitate to stand up and question those who would limit them. Politicians are elected to serve at the will of the people, not to function independently of the electorate, but it's easier to allow the politician to make the decision and then take the heat if it isn't the decision we were wanting.
This past week, in the midst of the growing alarm with atrocities in Syria, it has become clear that we, the people, do not want to become engaged in yet another war in a foreign country whose people are engaged in civil war, but our elected officials are not hearing us. The track record of US intervention is not good, so many groups of citizens are saying no to opening the door to another prolonged military intervention with no discernible favorable outcome for the US. If the United Nations were in favor of an intervention and a coalition of consensus were present, then the US could debate that intervention in Syria is for the greater good. As long as that standard is not clearly apparent, Syria should continue to fight its own battle and determine its own outcome.
There is a philosophy about people being “blindly subservient to institutional authority,” even to the extent of foregoing one’s individual rights so the institutions can determine them for the individual. We, the people, have often ceded our authority to the institutions, preferring to have someone to blame, rather than accepting responsibility for the governance of our country. When we don’t take a stand at the local level, preferring to assess blame after the fact, rather than questioning the process and the projected outcome prior to the vote being held, then we have no grounds to throw stones at those who do take a stand. President Obama’s thought process this past week illustrates his desire to have institutional authority take precedence over individual rights in his apparent aim at plowing ahead with military intervention in Syria in spite of both the electorate and elected officials nay-saying his cry to arms. If we do not want the President to make an individual decision to take action where the people do not want action taken, then we have to stand up for what we believe, rather than continue to be blindly subservient to institutional authority.
In my youth, we were encouraged to stand up and be counted, to vote so our voice is heard, to speak out when wrongs are committed, and to bear witness to wrong-doing. This strength of character is eroding in our country, with people preferring to leap to conclusions without knowing and/or understanding the issue, or for leaders to encourage action because “I said so.” There is a difference between process and event, and the process must come before the event if it is to go well, as well as end well. We are too quick to arrive at conclusions that may be based on incomplete or inaccurate information, a trait that is encouraged by our public media’s goal to be the first on-air with the news, however incomplete and/or inaccurate, because first with the “facts” makes the “facts” our truth.
It is time for all of us to become more well-educated about our lives, our liberties, and our responsibilities as citizens of a significant nation in a global community. We need to know the truth, based on all the evidence, not just the sound-bite that makes it on-air first and becomes the institutional authority for both action and inaction. The old watchwords from the 60s come to mind: Question Everything!
UPDATE: A local rep, when presented with petitions signed by constituents against any "war" in Syria, responded, "I have not yet made up my mind how to vote when the issue comes up." He, if I understand our electoral process correctly, doesn't "make up" his mind but follows the wishes of his consituency. Ask the voters who elected you to office how THEY want you to vote and then do the job to which you were elected! It's NOT about you; it's about us, the people you serve.
This past week, in the midst of the growing alarm with atrocities in Syria, it has become clear that we, the people, do not want to become engaged in yet another war in a foreign country whose people are engaged in civil war, but our elected officials are not hearing us. The track record of US intervention is not good, so many groups of citizens are saying no to opening the door to another prolonged military intervention with no discernible favorable outcome for the US. If the United Nations were in favor of an intervention and a coalition of consensus were present, then the US could debate that intervention in Syria is for the greater good. As long as that standard is not clearly apparent, Syria should continue to fight its own battle and determine its own outcome.
There is a philosophy about people being “blindly subservient to institutional authority,” even to the extent of foregoing one’s individual rights so the institutions can determine them for the individual. We, the people, have often ceded our authority to the institutions, preferring to have someone to blame, rather than accepting responsibility for the governance of our country. When we don’t take a stand at the local level, preferring to assess blame after the fact, rather than questioning the process and the projected outcome prior to the vote being held, then we have no grounds to throw stones at those who do take a stand. President Obama’s thought process this past week illustrates his desire to have institutional authority take precedence over individual rights in his apparent aim at plowing ahead with military intervention in Syria in spite of both the electorate and elected officials nay-saying his cry to arms. If we do not want the President to make an individual decision to take action where the people do not want action taken, then we have to stand up for what we believe, rather than continue to be blindly subservient to institutional authority.
In my youth, we were encouraged to stand up and be counted, to vote so our voice is heard, to speak out when wrongs are committed, and to bear witness to wrong-doing. This strength of character is eroding in our country, with people preferring to leap to conclusions without knowing and/or understanding the issue, or for leaders to encourage action because “I said so.” There is a difference between process and event, and the process must come before the event if it is to go well, as well as end well. We are too quick to arrive at conclusions that may be based on incomplete or inaccurate information, a trait that is encouraged by our public media’s goal to be the first on-air with the news, however incomplete and/or inaccurate, because first with the “facts” makes the “facts” our truth.
It is time for all of us to become more well-educated about our lives, our liberties, and our responsibilities as citizens of a significant nation in a global community. We need to know the truth, based on all the evidence, not just the sound-bite that makes it on-air first and becomes the institutional authority for both action and inaction. The old watchwords from the 60s come to mind: Question Everything!
UPDATE: A local rep, when presented with petitions signed by constituents against any "war" in Syria, responded, "I have not yet made up my mind how to vote when the issue comes up." He, if I understand our electoral process correctly, doesn't "make up" his mind but follows the wishes of his consituency. Ask the voters who elected you to office how THEY want you to vote and then do the job to which you were elected! It's NOT about you; it's about us, the people you serve.
Friday, September 6, 2013
Yucky Fizz
When I opened a carton of Chobani yogurt for breakfast this week and it had a bad odor, an "off" color, and a yucky fizz, I just assumed it had been in the fridge too long. Ditto the next 2 cartons of Chobani as I added them to the trash bin. Never entered my mind that I had purchased some greek style yogurt with an added (harmless) bacterial growth.
I threw my 3 cartons out and went to the grocery store to buy another dozen cartons, vowing to eat these in a timely manner; guess the smart people gave Chobani hell and demanded their purchase price back.
Whatever. There are some things in my life that just aren't worth the time, the energy, and the effort to mount a crusade, and yucky, fizzy Chobani is one.
I threw my 3 cartons out and went to the grocery store to buy another dozen cartons, vowing to eat these in a timely manner; guess the smart people gave Chobani hell and demanded their purchase price back.
Whatever. There are some things in my life that just aren't worth the time, the energy, and the effort to mount a crusade, and yucky, fizzy Chobani is one.
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