I took a film course many years ago that taught me about the eclectic nature of the film medium. Color, texture, movement, form, structure, language, music, so many elements to use in self-expression, to tell a story. Film leveled the playing ground and upped the ante, for it qualified all the criticisms directed at the other media that preceded it – literature, painting, photography, sculpture, even architecture. We want to know the truth about ourselves, want answers to our questions, want something so real and close to us that it perhaps takes less effort to solve our problems. I hope, whoever you are, you want to know more about your life, and aren’t too sure that you have all the answers. No one film does, just as no one person in your life does. You find the answers to your questions, with help. So it becomes how open a person is to possibilities, and this requires imagination.

The most salient (meaningful) comment I’ve ever read about acting is that the great actors are honest. Simply that. And regarding stories, not just through film, is that they are great when they touch some universal chord which all of us have in common. John Hughes told stories about kids, and he did this very well. Have an issue with kids, or the kid within yourself, you might not appreciate his work. It’s okay, your decision. Still, this is a universal experience, being a kid, whatever culture. It is whatever you want it to be. That’s our power. That is the human imagination.

We can get into sucky mud when we watch the Academy Awards. Quicksand that sucks away our imagination sometimes. It’s not where we are now, it’s how much we want to be where we want to go, and to do this we must, not recreate the past, but create our future. I might be a gum sucking Okie, or a white bread New England politician, or a wacky smoking Californian, the bottom line is still the same.

I found the Academy Awards interesting for two reasons:

The first is that Avatar did not win, yet was/is one of the highest grossing films in history.

Second, while people comment on how boring or mishandled the awards show was, film is story driven, so it’s not what happens in the story, it’s what you want to happen. Since all our stories are about us, and because they are all about where we are right now, you are asked to look once again into the mirror, to look at yourself. This is righteous, truly is. Strip away the judgement and you come up with people dealing with racial oppression that has been happening for over a century, a woman who fights racial oppression out of the kindness of her heart, a man who has been literally hurt and is trying to work through the pain, a woman who learns the importance of food, and a recreation of war.

Right now, trillions, yes, not millions of dollars are being funneled into our presence in Iraq and Afghanistan. This is a fact. And the unemployed are awaiting some decision from the government on where to find the funds to continue their support. We’ve seen this before in a different context. So look at these movies, film stories. Each and every one speaks to our current situation.

If we are to ever be different, better at being who we are than what we have been, we need reminders and pointers. This is difficult, because we each must decide “what is better” and “who are we.” We can use logic, our brains, we can use our hearts. Or we can use both.

Great stories repeat themselves. The more things change, the more they are the same. I’ve been hurt, very hurt. I have no desire to see more disabling of explosives than I’ve done myself. Avatar inspires me, and somehow takes away a bit of the pain of the war we seem to do repeatedly.

Bonzo Grape :
Hurt(in) Locker was a TERRIBLE movie. Not even CLOSE to best of anything – except maybe Best DVD to throw in the trash.
A very poor overall film.
Where was Star Trek ?????? Or can’t the Academy acknowledge pop movies. They blew off Dark Knight last year. Both of these movies are well over 100 times better than Hurt (in) Locker.

well said !!! Hurt Locker is just a piece of garbage !!!

A very poor overall film.

Where was Star Trek ?????? Or can’t the Academy acknowledge pop movies. They blew off Dark Knight last year. Both of these movies are well over 100 times better than Hurt (in) Locker.

I think the problem is the movies. The wrong ones are being nominated. The ones nominated are the best of a poor batch. The actors just aren’t as strong as they once were.

Steve Martin & Alec Baldwin made me laugh out loud! They were hilarious.