"I'm not nearly so think as you drunk I am"

The title for the last entry, "The land fills were full...New Jersey was full...", is as if we needed it, is again from Futurama. This is the episode where this giant ball of trash from the 20th century (the show takes place in the year 3000) was about the crash into the city of New New York. As an introduction a short clip was shown explaining how the trash ball formed. Eventually all the local landfills around New York were full, and also New Jersey was full, showing similar landfill-looking backdrops for the both of them. I don't know why there seems to be so many jokes about New Jersey. Hey why isn't New Jersey "New New Jersey" in Futurama like "New New York"?

Lets talk about movies. Right now I'm watching Training Day again on a premium cable channel. Now I have seen it before, I rented the DVD and thoroughly enjoyed it. For example the amazing coincidence involving saving the girl from an attack, saving the protagonist more towards the end of the film. And that end of the film, boy does that protagonist go through a big change in mindset. From "green" bright eyed rookie to a vengeance-filled man bent on taking down the villain. Such perfect purpose and drive in his eyes and face. I really liked that movie because for once the bad guy really got what he deserved. It gets you in the whole mind set in the beginning of a veteran cop who really "knows" how it "really works" in the "real world" teach the new green just out of the academy rookie the ropes. This real world of course means any number of money laundering, blackmail, bribery, and murdering people who aren't the right people any more. I'm sure if I watched this movie a bunch of times I would start to see all the subtle nuances and things. For instance I'm sure there's several stages through which the rookie must travel to get from the innocent rookie at the beginning to the twisted character out for blood he is by the end. The breakfast, smoking the drugs, saving the girl, the "three wise men", the special police unit, are all incremental steps. And if I were to go even deeper I'm sure there's lots of sophisticated symbolism. For instance when the villain and protagonist are both calling to this little kid to come to each of them at the same time. One is the evil side, and is the good side, the child the innocence...or something. What am I an expert?

Ok let’s look at another movie. See there's one thing about movies that really fascinate me that I am sure few other people even notice or care to think about. For instance as I was growing I would notice when I watched a movie at say age 10 it would look like and mean one thing, then I saw the same movie again at another age, like 15, and I noticed things I didn't see the first time. Then maybe I see it again at age 20 and I see and notice yet more things in this same movie. Is any of this making sense?!



That movie Platoon is a good example. Now to the largest portion of the populace this is only a classic movie about Vietnam and not much more. And after all that sells tickets and get directors awards so why not. Then there's a few people who could kind-of tell there was some symbolism there probably and could sort of tell with two groups of soldiers and good versus evil sergeants and the one guy being killed with his arms out like he was could possibly be a biblical reference. I'm probably in that second group. Then the very small sized rest-of-the-people who see all the subtle meanings and metaphors and various layers and symbols. So in essence you could say Platoon is at least three distinctively different movies in one. It's a regular Vietnam War movie made to entertain the masses, something to give people who think too much something more to think too much about and a significant communication from a writer/director trying to say something very specific to the world in an expression of art. Now that last one really doesn't have anything to do with all that violence and drug what-not, that was simply the medium chosen to express something someone wanted to say. Now I just hope any of that really made sense.

Now there are other movies I've seen and not talked about that did have an effect on me. The two that come to mind are About Schmidt and Adaptation.

Now About Schmidt is about this old guy who finally retires after who knows the number of years working for an insurance company. Not long after his wife of many years’ dies suddenly leaving him to try and fend for himself. Slowly the movie reveals the reality of the main characters life as directly compared to how the main character sees it. Actually he isn't nearly as useful as he assumes he is. But the main reason I enjoyed the movie as much as I did is how much close to reality it seemed to come. Everything in that movie I felt "that could really happen" or "I know of people who really look and act like that". And all the events seem quite plausible too. Sure there were many open possibilities to turn it into a typical movie. Like when he stays at the RV park and meets the nice couple he's staying next to. Sure they could have been people who just got some sympathy but end up robbing him or kidnapping him. But nope they're just normal every day people impressed with the model of his RV. Then of course there's the symbolism. Now it's not like you have to be real up on movie symbolism and/or anything to do with "Frued" and his psychology to take some subtle hints on the psychology. Sometimes movies like this really make me wish I never learned any of that psychology/movie symbolism stuff so I could just sit there and enjoy the movie in blissful ignorance of any of the significance of it all and not worry about it. But oh no, I had to go and take those classes didn't I. Now come on now. Characters and various what-not entering tunnels of various sizes and shapes. What could this symbolize in the mind of Frued? Oh yeah, think about that one for a real long time. Jeeze. I'm not going into it. And a topless Kathy Bates? There's something I couldn't have live without seeing for any longer. Many am I glad I saw that.

Now Adaptation I really believe I should have watched again with the commentary turned on in the DVD version. Now I definately know there was lots of stuff going on in that movie, with the symbolism. And I enjoyed for all that joy-of-writing...if nothing else. I did enjoy the various layers and levels of this movie, the way it was effectively thought provoking without explaining every little detail for you. For instance...

were they the same people...

I could think of lots of instances in the move implying for and against this. I don't want to give anything away though. Maybe this is just left to the viewer to interpret as seen fit to do so.

On a much lighter not I would mention a movie I'm sure very few people have even heard of never mind seen. The movie I'm talking about is Lake Placid. Now why do I mention this B-movie? Well it is a little funny and has a little bit of redeeming entertainment value, but mostly it's for Betty White. Now I'm not sure you "older" people (all you over 30 raise your hand ;-) ) realize this but people for example my age and younger (about 24) only know Betty White from her role on The Golden Girls as a sweet, lovable, infinitely wholesome character you can only imagine your ideal grandmother to be. Of course she has been in other lesser wholesome roles than that long before the Golden Girls but for people like this is all I ever knew her as. So when she says the things she says and does the things she does in Lake Placid well lets just say I almost fell off the couch it utmost shock and surprise that sweet, wholesome old Betty White was actually capable of such thoughts and actions. If it wasn't for her in that movie a lousy movie would have been a really lousy movie. If for no other reason I recommend that movie as a rental for a lazy afternoon (don't bother with the TV version as it's horribly butchered and censored to the point of obscurity).

Well this isn't nearly the entry I was hoping for as I didn't even cover anything I was thinking about writing about. But I hope it was fairly well written anyway.

  ¶ 12:33 AM