Monday, January 28, 2013
So I finally watched Planet of the Apes which has been on my
must watch list for quite some time. I guess I should specify, the 1968
version, I had no interest in seeing the 2001 version. Although maybe I will
have to watch it later and then compare. Unfortunately I am a purist snob and
most of the time I am not a fan of remakes. V would be rolling her eyes at my
frustrations with putting Shakespearean plots in modern times. I am all for a re-imagining of a classic story, but one of my pet peeves is the smashing
together of conflicting time periods. I am not ok with saying “Oh happy dagger”
and pulling out a gun. Either change the line or the prop. But I’m veering away
from the assignment.
Now I’ve seen the iconic shocking
twists of Planet of the Apes on AFI’s
movie lists multiple times so I knew that the movie would have a little less
shock value when I saw it. But even if you know the spoilers of an iconic
movie, you still want to see why it is so iconic. Like watching Psycho, which is still haunting even
though I’d seen who the murderer is and the last creepy scene before I saw the
movie. Or Soylent Green, knowing what
it is from the very beginning. (See what I did there? I’m trying really hard to
not write spoilers, even though I’m not writing this for random people to read)
I think that Hitchcock is a brilliant director and that his movies stand up to
multiple viewings and are still engaging to the audience member. And while the
book Make Room! Make Room! on which Soylent
Green is based has very few plot points in common with the movie, I still
wanted to dive into a story that could be so horrifying and yet, slightly
plausible for a future of overpopulation.
It’s interesting to me to see a
“classic” movie both to enjoy the story that is being told and to remark on how
much the film industry has changed in a relatively short time span. I’ve also
been on quite a sci-fi kick lately so it was really fascinating for me to watch
this movie after having just finished reading the Foundation Series by Isaac Asimov.
He’s the guy that came up with the three laws of robotics and is the king of
science fiction writing. His Foundation Series apparently was based on the fall
of the Roman Empire and so reading the books made me question, “what makes us
human? And what can create and destroy a society?” So Beth picking this movie
for the first assignment was perfect for me. This movie also made me want to
re-watch Season 5, Episode 9 of The
Twilight Zone “Probe 7, Over and Out.” This episode is about Adam and Eve
and presents a very interesting and heretical story of man’s beginnings here on
Earth.
I actually loved the movie. Maybe
it’s because I’m in the right frame of mind for a movie like this but I found
it intriguing, comedic and tragic. The satire of the apes talking about their culture,
religion, laws and evolution was fascinating. It makes me think of high school
and how I was taught to change everything I learned and that we have to
discover our own beliefs for ourselves. Sometimes you are faced with the choice
of the red pill or the blue pill and you have to decide your own fate. Will you
fall down Alice’s rabbit hole or will you choose blissful ignorance and accept
whatever you are told? Because the truth may hurt, it may not be what you were
expecting and you may wish to change your mind after your eyes have been opened
to return to your former naivety.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
When close friends are separated by profession, time and distance but not shared interests how do they keep in touch? In the digital age we are all connected and the world is a lot smaller thanks to social media and the power of the internet. But somewhere along the lines of technological discovery we lost the power of real social connection. In How I Met Your Mother Season 7 the characters discuss this dilemma in Ted's dating life of "mystery vs. history." Because it is easy to figure out everything about a person online from their profile, you no longer need to have that first conversation where you learn a person's likes and dislikes. But they also show in a funny yet disturbingly true clip that because everyone has their smartphones, conversation dwindles to the clacking of a person's nails on the phone's screen as we are torn between various other worlds and distractions outside of the present moment we are in. But that's just me ranting about things that bother me. I work with Shakespeare every day so obviously I'm a fan of antique or "classic" things.
Even though I no longer live with Beth and V, I still consider them my roommates. Because "friends" doesn't do our relationship justice and even though they are as close to me as my own family "former roommate" is the only inadequate title I can think of that coveys this sense of closeness. One of the things I love about our phone conversations is that we never have any problems talked for hours, and that was before time got in the way and months would pass making "catching up" take a lot longer. When we lived together, we could all cuddle on the couch with blankets and a movie marathon or we could sit each other's rooms and just talk about anything and everything. That was my favorite part about college. D8
So in an effort of enacting a New Year's Resolution of doing better at catching up, we decided to start our own movie and book club that spans the country and keeps our friendships strong. Thanks to the glory of Netflix and our Kindles, we can watch movies that have always been on our "must watch sometime in my lifetime" list and read books while having someone to discuss them with. Instead of indulging in our obsessions solo, we have made this into a social experiment. And I'm the dork that misses school and loved homework so the first assignment is to watch Planet of the Apes and read Robin Hobb's Assassin's Apprentice. We gave ourselves ample time for the first round to dive into the homework just in case work and real life got into the way. We have a little over a week to watch the movie and a month to read the book.
Even though I no longer live with Beth and V, I still consider them my roommates. Because "friends" doesn't do our relationship justice and even though they are as close to me as my own family "former roommate" is the only inadequate title I can think of that coveys this sense of closeness. One of the things I love about our phone conversations is that we never have any problems talked for hours, and that was before time got in the way and months would pass making "catching up" take a lot longer. When we lived together, we could all cuddle on the couch with blankets and a movie marathon or we could sit each other's rooms and just talk about anything and everything. That was my favorite part about college. D8
So in an effort of enacting a New Year's Resolution of doing better at catching up, we decided to start our own movie and book club that spans the country and keeps our friendships strong. Thanks to the glory of Netflix and our Kindles, we can watch movies that have always been on our "must watch sometime in my lifetime" list and read books while having someone to discuss them with. Instead of indulging in our obsessions solo, we have made this into a social experiment. And I'm the dork that misses school and loved homework so the first assignment is to watch Planet of the Apes and read Robin Hobb's Assassin's Apprentice. We gave ourselves ample time for the first round to dive into the homework just in case work and real life got into the way. We have a little over a week to watch the movie and a month to read the book.
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