Alex Aloise - Outside Reading 1

This semester I'm taking an adolescent literature course. One of the books I read for the class was called The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. I really enjoyed the book. It's the story of a young English boy named Christopher Boone. He suffers from Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism. Christopher lives with his father. His mother died when he was younger. At the beginning of the book Christopher finds his neighbor's dog, dead in her front lawn. The dog has apparently been murdered. Christopher decides to investigate the murder, which leads to him leaving his home and travelling throughout England by himself. The reason I think this book relates to the class is because of the way that Christopher's father acts toward his son. The man has basically given up his life so that he could care for his child. He is completely selfless in his actions, only doing things that would be beneficial to Christopher. It's a great illustration of Agape. However it also raises the question of how much should one have to sacrifice to make another happy? Christopher's father has virtually no life outside of his son. I know it is good to be selfless at times, but can't it be harmful to remain that way constantly? Eventually, Mr. Boone's selflessness is what brings trouble between he and Christopher. He tried so hard to protect and care for his child that he actually ends up hurting him when a deep secret is revealed. It made me wonder: why is it that unconditional love often brings about unbearable pain?

Alex Aloise - The Jacket

I've seen this film a couple times. There was always something about it that really bothered me. Not that I was disturbed or offended by it in any way, rather I always felt like the film really fell short of its true potential. I never liked how Jack basically does nothing to stop his death, he just simply finds out how it will happen. But, I think I finally get it now. Being in the jacket, in the morgue, Jack sees his death and knows there is nothing he can do to stop it. It is his inevitable fate. He can, however, do something to change things for those around him. The story is about realizing your fate and learning to accept it. It challenges the viewer to ask themselves what they would do in Jack's case. Obviously, for me, I would try to change fate if I knew I was going to die. But Jack does know and yet he still doesn't fight it. He just learns how it happens. I've got a greater appreciation for the movie now that I've watched it again through this perspective. Should we tempt fate and try to change it? Or should we simply accept the hand we are dealt and try to make the most of the time we have? It's a question I still cannot completely answer.

Alex Aloise - Eternal Sunshine

This is actually one of my all-time favorite films. To me, it's the best cinematic love story since Casablanca. I think this film fits really well into this class. Last night we discussed Purgation and Illumination. These two ideas are essentially the main themes of Eternal Sunshine... Joel is determined to get rid of any and all memories of his relationship with Clementine. The pain is just too great to deal with. The first half of the film focuses on his attempted Purgation, his quest to rid himself of this painful burden, to cleanse his mind and, more importantly, his heart. The second half of the film is a result of his illumination. He comes to the realization that he doesn't actually want to forget Clementine because the time he spent with her was so great. In this respect the movie also explores the themes of Eros and Agape, which we've also discussed in class. Joel feels Eros, a romantic love, for Clementine. She is his one true love and he doesn't want to lose her. Thus he sacrifices his own safety and shows Agape, selfless love, by running through his memories trying to save her. It's not just the story that I love about this movie, but its visual style. It's such a remarkable feat of imagery. I remember watching this movie in the theaters with my jaw literally hanging open from what I was seeing on the screen. I especially loved the scene where Joel is on the street corner and he keeps running back and forth and the corners all remain the same. I have no idea how they filmed that shot, but I'm glad they did. I was just really excited that we got to watch this in class.

Alex Aloise - 300

I know I'm waaayyy behind on these blogs, so now's my time to get up to date.

300. As far as war movies go, this one is probably near the top on my list. I've never been one to really go for long, war epics. To me, if you've seen one, you've seen them all. Thus my contempt for The Patriot, a cheap rehashing of Braveheart (a far better film) set further ahead in history. Or Gladiator, in my opinion one of the single-most overrated films in history. Been there, seen that. But I think 300 showed that the war-epic-genre is far from dead or stagnant. This film breathed new life into the genre. From its straight, to the point storytelling, to its breathtaking visual style, the film proved to me that these types of movies can still be incredibly entertaining. I was not aware of this particular historical battle before seeing the film. And while I know that the film was greatly exaggerated it still does not take away from the fact that an army of 300 vs. an army of millions is an incredibly compelling story. I liked the way that the Spartan way of thinking and fighting was explained. The scene with the oracle on the top of the mountain showed exactly how spiritual these warriors actually were. The fact that they needed permission from beyond before they engaged in battle was fascinating. Also, their idea of an honorable death in battle really captured my imagination. The Spartans were such proud warriors that they actually looked forward to death if it happened during a fight! That's amazing. The film was excellent. My only complaint, again, i know the story was exaggerated, but don't you think the Spartans would have at least worn a little more armor?

Garrett Dalton-Decalogue

The Decalogue is a series of movies that portays the teachings of the Ten Commandments by way of parable. The first film the class viewed dealt with the first commandment; thou shalt no have no other gods but me. The story follows a Polish boy and his father who both place great emphasis on technology and reason to order their lives. The boy has a computer program that allows him to lock the door or turn on the lights with a command. The computer that the father and the boy used constantly makes the statement "I am ready". In essense, the characters have made themselves out to be godlike beings in their own world, where technology is subject to thier will. A key scene in the film involves the father using a computer program to determine the thickness of the ice on the local pond. The father's calculations proved insufficient which leads to the death of his son. Though the director does not portray the tragedy as an act of God, one can see that the loss of faith and overconfidence in technology had a negative effect on the lives of the characters.
The second film the class watched dealt with the 5th commandment; thou shalt not murder. The film is far more brutal than the first, depicting the murder of a taxi driver by a troubled teen. The taxi driver is not an innocent bystander and the director seems to believe that "one reaps what one sows". Much of the film dealt with the trial of the accused. Set in Soviet Poland, the prisoner is quickly executed by the state. The executioners are themselves portrayed as murderers, binding the man's hands and hanging him. Not only does the film make a political statement against capital punishment, it shows the senselessness of killing in the name of justice.

Querube Barber - A Series of Unfortunate Events

Is the love of money the root of all evil?

Can a human being be so greedy as to harm innocent children in order to become rich? Some people will go as far as they can for money. A Series of Unfortunate Events is a series of books for children written by Daniel Handler. The first three books were made into a movie with the same name.

In the movie, there is a narrator who relates the “series of unfortunate events”. In the Aesthetics of Film, the authors wrote that, “Narrating consists of relating an event, whether real or imaginary” (70). The events narrated were imaginary, and the narrator tells the story to achieve the effect he desires.

There are three children whose parents died due to a fire that destroyed their mansion. The parents were very wealthy and left a significant amount of money, but Violet, the oldest, had to be eighteen years old before she could receive it. The children go to live with different guardians. The first one is Count Olaf, supposedly a distant relative. This was, indeed, an unfortunate event because this man wanted to kill the children in order to get the money.

After being removed from Count Olaf’s house, the children go to live with a man they called “Uncle Monty”. This man does care for the children, but Count Olaf manages to find out that the children are now living with Uncle Monty. Count Olaf kills Uncle Monty. This is another unfortunate event for the children.

Next, the children go to live with a paranoid woman. Count Olaf discovers that the children are living with her, so he goes and woos her. Then, he kidnaps her. She also dies, and this turns out to be another unfortunate event for the children.

Count Olaf finds out that Violet can get the inheritance if she marries. So, he decides to marry her, but his attempt fails. Throughout the story, the children try to uncover Count Olaf, but no one will listen to them or believe them. Finally, the authorities believed the children. Count Olaf is arrested. The story does not have a “they lived happily ever after” ending, but at least the children get rid of Count Olaf.

This story shows to what extent an evil man, Count Olaf, is able to go in order to get an immense amount of money that does not belong to him.

Greg McCracken- The Reaping

Spoiler Alert! Though not on our movie list, I found it appropriate to blog on a current movie I saw, The Reaping. This movie is about a woman is asked to scientifically explain the occurance of plagues in a small Christian town. In the movie, Katherine Winter (played by Hilary Swank) has no fear when approaching "acts of God." When she cannot be taken by boat over a lake of blood to get where she's going, she jumps right in and swims to land! When she discovers blood crawling down the walls of a room, she climbs to the top of the room and finds that it is just toxic waste. Yes. The movie is kind of ridiculous. But set that aside and there is an interesting concept involved. She had no fear in these acts of God because she believed with all her being that there was always a scientific explanation. This is a difference from usual stories that show people whose faith in God gets them past impossible situations. Instead, it was her LACK of faith which allowed her to see the truth.

Later in the movie, she discovers that the acts she is investing do not have a scientific explanation. It was at this moment that she becomes completely terrified of all actions around her. Her faith in science had been broken and she was left in horror. It is with this in mind that I realize that it is a belief in something...anything which can get us past the improbable. Whether one believes in God or Science, the positive effects of this belief will only carry over when all doubt is shattered. Though this is not considered a scholarly way to think, a closed mind and a pension for certainty will lead to a secure lifestyle in which odds don't matter, and truth (or the perception of truth) can be found.