September 23, 2008

More Movie Recommendations

As anyone who has known me for more than an five minutes is aware, I enjoy movies a LOT! My movie collection extends from 1902 (Voyage dans la lune, Le/A Trip to the Moon) through 2007 (The Kite Runner). I'm not for quoting movies endlessly: "Badges? We ain't got no badges! We don't need no stinkin' badges!", "What we've got hee-yah is a fail-yah to comm-un-ah-cate!", and "....fuzzy end of the lollipop"are some of my favorites. I've got movies from all over the world: France, Yugoslavia, Russia, Iran, Poland, and Canada, to name a few. So, needless to say, I like to talk about movies.

In February 2006, I recommended some movies to watch. It was a good list. However, I have watched MANY more since then. So, as a true movie connosseiur, here are a few more recommendations that I have enjoyed recently.

1. The Kite Runner (2007) Directed by Marc Foster
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If you want a movie that will enchant you with happy feelings throughout the movie, then this is NOT the movie to see. It is a very dark and depressing movie; however this movie is very much a MUST SEE and the book is a MUST READ! I picked up the movie for $7.99 at Starbucks. It would have been worth the full price.
This story is about two friends, Amir and Hassan, in 1970's Afghanistan. Amir and his widowed father are wealthy Pashtuns, Hassan and his widowed father are Hazarajat servants. Within that plotline are many mosaics of stories: Amir and his father and their relationship, Amir and guilt, a thirty year history lesson of Afghanistan, and so much more.
Before you start this movie, make a commitment to watch the entire epic, regardless of how depressing it gets. It will be well worth it.

2. Tell No One (2006 - French) Directed by Guillame Canet
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This extraordinary French movie is based on the novel (of the same name) by American author Harlan Coben. The basic premise of the movie (and revealing no spoilers): A man's wife was brutally murdered eight years ago. He has never gotten over the murder. Today, he receives an Email from her.
This movie was also quite faithful to the book. This movie is still in cinemas here, but it was cheaper for me to purchase it from Amazon.co.uk (being an import, it is already on DVD in Europe and I have a region-free player). I read the book and then saw the movie. Both were wonderful. I was also amazed how they could take upstate New Jersey (book) and transplant it to Paris and various suburbs (movie).

3. Safety Last (1923)/The Kid Brother (1927)/Grandma's Boy (1922)/The Freshman (1925)...and more!
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Harold Lloyd, now, is not one of the names that immediately comes to mind when people think of "silent" (a misnomer, as movies were NEVER silent. They were made to be seen with accompanying organ music) movies. However, back in the 1920's, only Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton were more popular than Harold Lloyd. His movies have stood the test of time fairly well.
Any of these four movies are a good way to begin watching Lloyd's movies. SAFETY LAST is notably known for Lloyd hanging 12 stories above Los Angeles from a clock handle. I challenge anyone to watch these movies and not thoroughly enjoy them.

4. 11'09''01 - September 11 (2002)
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Eleven filmmakers from around the world got together and made eleven different short films: all the films were 11 minutes 9 seconds and 1 frame long. These movies give a different look than the view we have had here is in the U.S; in fact, at least one of them is strongly Anti-American.
One story has two kids in Burkina-Faso chasing Osama Bin Laden for the $25 million dollar reward. Another story shows Ernest Borgnine lamenting the loss of his wife (this one was directed by Sean Penn).
Take the time to watch this. This film is one that you will either LOVE IT or HATE IT! There is no middle ground.

Stay tuned in the future for further movie recommendations!

September 3, 2008

Introduction to Psychology 101 (Discussion 1)

I have started a Psych 101 course at the Lansdale School of Business (this is required for my Technical Support Specialist/TSS diploma). Our reading assignment brought up some serious questions in my mind that I find a need to share.

In the book Invitation to Psychology (Carole Wade, Carol Tavris. - 4th ed., Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2008), our assignment was to read pages 53 - 65, beginning with Genetic Influences on Personality. The book goes on to explain that a lot of the research has proven that heredity can play a large part in personality and personality development. One example was Gerald Levey and Mark Newman, twin brothers that were separated at birth. When they were reunited at the age of 31, they:
"discovered some astounding similarities. Both were volunteer firefighters, wore mustaches, and were unmarried. Both liked to hunt, watch old John Wayne movies, and eat Chinese food. They drank the same brand of beer, held the can with the little finger curled around it, and crushed the can when it was empty."

The book also discusses how strong cultural influences can be. Some cultures are individualist, where people do their own thing (unfortunately, the U.S. falls into this category), other cultures are collectivist, where people live as part of a group (the Japanese are an example of this culture category). All the factors are discussed, many of which I do not have space nor time to mention.

Wade & Tavris seem to place a large basis on these theories. To me, they are saying that a large part of your personality is based on environmental conditions which are beyond your control. And, while it is true (to an arguable degree), there is an inherent problem in this line of thinking. IF it is true that a lot of your development is beyond your control AND is programmed into you (hardwired, as we called it in the Navy), then where does the concept of personal responsibility go. A murderer can argue that, "Judge, I killed my victim because I was born with the propensity for murder. It's not my fault.". An alcoholic can claim that, "I only drink because of alcoholism runs in my family. It's not my fault". The homosexual says, "I am gay because I was born that way:" (Yes, I know the jury is still out on that one). I mean, how do you hold people accountable for something that they do, when it could be something that they were born with? To my view, you don't.

Now, admittedly, this was our first reading assignment, so I will be able to learn more throughout the class and might get some answers. But, for now, this is a thought that I wanted to share with the world.