There's hope for "the schlock block"
Maybe I'm insane, but I actually feel a little optimistic about the state of our culture. Granted, being a blogger I guess I'm expected to be a doomsayer, but what if there isn't any doom I can say that someone else hasn't said already?
My family, I think, watches a lot of movies, perhaps to compensate for the fact that we have no T.V. I also think this is a good thing, because watching movies is not an apathetic thing for us. We don't just sit there and watch the movie; we'll actually have conversations over it. It rocks. Anyway...
In all these movies, I'm beginning to see some positive trends. Respect for life is becoming prominent in lots of movies; some could be considered downright pro-life, i.e. The Island.
I'm beginning to see movies combine entertainment with depth (well, I guess that's always been around, but now...I dunno, it just seems more common. More valuable). An example of a thoroughly fun--if at times disturbing--movie that is also unafraid to delve into complex moral questions is Minority Report, which, coincidentally, stars Tom Cruise, who could be considered the physical manifestation of American pop culture.
Then you've got M. Night Shyamalan, whose movies deliver thrills without the brainless violence, and sensitivity without the saccharine (mostly--no one's perfect). This reminds me, I still need to see Lady in the Water.
In comedy we've got the Farrelly Bros., whose movies Shallow Hal and The Ringer are both quite funny in parts, and quite stupid and tactless in others. But overall, they have a lot of heart and remind us of the humanity and rights of groups of people who tend to be shunted aside by society. I.E., the mentally impaired. By the way, don't call someone or something "retarded" unless you mean it's literally mentally impaired, which it usually isn't.
Let's see, what else...
Oh, we rented and watched some of the first season of "Grey's Anatomy" a while back. Like many successful T.V. shows, it had great characters you easily sympathize with, intriguing plots and enough illicit affairs to annoy us (If there's one thing Hollywood and Christianity are nowhere near agreeing on yet, it's sex). But it also had depth to it; one episode in particular seemed to take a decidedly pro-life view to the rights of people in "vegetative states."
Anyway, there's some observations of mine, and I have to stop because everyone's going to bed, the comouter is in my parents' walk-in closet so I'll have to scram shortly, and if I save this as a draft I'll never finish it. So, g'night, all.
My family, I think, watches a lot of movies, perhaps to compensate for the fact that we have no T.V. I also think this is a good thing, because watching movies is not an apathetic thing for us. We don't just sit there and watch the movie; we'll actually have conversations over it. It rocks. Anyway...
In all these movies, I'm beginning to see some positive trends. Respect for life is becoming prominent in lots of movies; some could be considered downright pro-life, i.e. The Island.
I'm beginning to see movies combine entertainment with depth (well, I guess that's always been around, but now...I dunno, it just seems more common. More valuable). An example of a thoroughly fun--if at times disturbing--movie that is also unafraid to delve into complex moral questions is Minority Report, which, coincidentally, stars Tom Cruise, who could be considered the physical manifestation of American pop culture.
Then you've got M. Night Shyamalan, whose movies deliver thrills without the brainless violence, and sensitivity without the saccharine (mostly--no one's perfect). This reminds me, I still need to see Lady in the Water.
In comedy we've got the Farrelly Bros., whose movies Shallow Hal and The Ringer are both quite funny in parts, and quite stupid and tactless in others. But overall, they have a lot of heart and remind us of the humanity and rights of groups of people who tend to be shunted aside by society. I.E., the mentally impaired. By the way, don't call someone or something "retarded" unless you mean it's literally mentally impaired, which it usually isn't.
Let's see, what else...
Oh, we rented and watched some of the first season of "Grey's Anatomy" a while back. Like many successful T.V. shows, it had great characters you easily sympathize with, intriguing plots and enough illicit affairs to annoy us (If there's one thing Hollywood and Christianity are nowhere near agreeing on yet, it's sex). But it also had depth to it; one episode in particular seemed to take a decidedly pro-life view to the rights of people in "vegetative states."
Anyway, there's some observations of mine, and I have to stop because everyone's going to bed, the comouter is in my parents' walk-in closet so I'll have to scram shortly, and if I save this as a draft I'll never finish it. So, g'night, all.
posted by James at
10:05 PM
