Author Archives: rm945

Who are the real heroes?

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This past Friday, I had the opportunity to watch the film, Patriots Day. The film was centered around the tragic events that took place in Boston. The movie itself is very powerful and moving and does a great job in capturing the horror of the bombing and the emotional toll it took on Boston and its citizens. However, one problem I had and many others had was the main character himself. One lone person didn’t lead to the capturing of the brothers and moreover, Mark Wahlberg’s character itself was made up. I think this was a bad move on the film’s part as it marginalizes the effort and heroics of the people who actually helped find the terrorists. Instead, the movie glorifies Mark Wahlberg and makes him out to be the hero of Boston.

When making a movie about a tragedy like this, I believe its very important to preserve characters and plot points. Directors are well entitled to impost their artistic license but by preserving such things, the story feels more authentic and true. In this case, glorifying Mark Wahlberg’s character does a disservice to the city of Boston.

All in all, I think the movie was very well made and barring some flaws, it was quite moving and something I would recommend to watch.

12 Nations, 1 language

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Last Friday, I had the opportunity to watch the film Arrival. The film centers around 12 alien spacecrafts that land on earth with no apparent motive. Soon after, we learn that the aliens have arrived to give mankind a weapon.

This weapon happens to be language and those who wield it can see the power of language and how it binds us. Only when the countries come together and reach a peaceful agreement, do the aliens bestow upon them the ultimate gift of language and it’s power.

One interesting aspect of this movie is how language gives the power of seeing into the future. The movie plays with this as it shows how the main character knows their child will die and her husband will leave him but she continues to engage in the relationship. This presents an important dilemma that leaves many viewers like me asking what we would have done in that situation. However, what’s more interesting to think about is that if the main character tried to avoid the situation, would the events in the future still have happened? A similar case is present in Oedipus and I wonder if the same thing would have repeated here.

All in all, this movie is fairly interesting and a good viewing for any Sci-if fans.

 

The Impossible Race

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Growing up, I was always exposed to the New York and Boston Marathons. Thus, when I saw the documentary last Friday about the Barkley Marathon, I was extremely surprised. This marathon was by far one of the most interesting and intriguing concepts I had came across in a while and I was shocked to learn how little is known about it by most people. The marathon itself is more grueling than your average marathon.

Although the organizers try and discourage a lot of people from applying, thousands of applications still flood in which at first might be odd. However, I believe this makes perfect sense and depicts an important aspect of the human psyche that a lot of us can relate too. The thrill and reward from possibly accomplishing such a tremendous feat is one that greatly entices us. I think this relates really well to students coming to Cornell as even though we know it will be hard and a lot of work, we still come and try and show our merit. Doing well on an exam or project at this school boosts our confidence and the motivation to hurdle a daunting task draws us in just like the competitors drawn to the marathon.

All in all, I was glad I was able to watch this documentary and learned about the marathon as otherwise, I don’t think I would have ever stumbled upon it.

12 men, 1 verdict

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12 Angry Men was something I vaguely read about in High School so I was excited when I learned of the opportunity to watch this film. The film itself is well made and the differences between modern films and this film are stark and eye opening.

One interesting thing the film did was to refer to each juror as “Juror 1” or “Juror 2” or “Juror 3” and so forth. The lack of names evokes the idea that each juror is a fair and unbiased individual that is there simply to uphold the ideals and precedents set forth by the judicial system. However, we quickly realize that this is far from the truth. Instead of being compelled by the need for the truth and a verdict based on evidence, each juror is urged by his own prejudices and preconceived notions. In the court of law, this is a recipe for disaster. If this were the case, many previous rulings would yield different verdicts which could have led to a far different future.

Though it is important for juries to be as unbiased as possible, given the human psyche, I think it is impossible for a jury to only focus on the objective truth and nothing else. The film explores an extreme of this case and makes the viewing an enjoyable and thought provoking experience.

A Diamond in the Rough

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Last Friday, I had the opportunity to watch the highly acclaimed film, Before Night Falls. This film, based on an autobiography, brought to light the life and trials of Reinaldo Arenas, a brilliant Cuban novelist. The crux of the film revolved around how Arenas explored his sexuality amidst the harsh political climate that surrounded him. What I admired most about this film was how genuine and direct it was. The movie did an excellent job at making you feel uncomfortable and presented the atrocities of the Castro regime in the damning way. The film is very passionate and provides a great insight into the mind of Arenas in such a turbulent time.

Moreover, this film gave me some flashbacks to Junot Diaz’s novel, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. Both pieces of work share similar aspects in the form of characters exploring their sexuality, and how oppressive governments limit the rights of individuals. In the case of Oscar Wilde, this happens in the form of him trying to find his true love and how Rafael Trujillo’s government was nothing short of tyrannical.

In all, I believe that this movie was a wonderful film that truly lives up to the critical acclaim and is one that I highly recommend.

A not too distant future

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As each year passes, we face more and more problems with growing severity. One such problem is the issue with population control. Eventually, there won’t be enough space for all of us and there will be battles over resources such as water, food, etc. In the film, What Happened to Monday, Tommy Wirkola explores what a future like this may entail. In this dystopian world, political leaders come together to introduce a program to limit population by restricting families to one child. This notion is not that far fetched as China has adopted a very similar policy. Past the twists and turns in the movie, Wirkola raises the question about whether something like this should be widely adopted and if it’s ethical. Personally, at the current rate, policies such as these may be more common and needed as resources are dwindling rapidly. Moreover, the population dilemma provides great incentive for companies like SpaceX to explore the cosmos and try to colonize planets like Mars.

Additionally, the movie implores how government rhetoric sways the minds of citizens. The propaganda and types of phrases the government used made it seem like the people had no chance to retaliate and had to obey the rules. This can be seen all throughout the world where oppressive governments sway their words to make sure their actions go without consequences.

All in all, this movie was fairly interesting and engaging and something that will leave you wondering how society will go forward with the population dilemma.

A Spectacle Beyond the Sports

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The Olympics is usually seen as an event in which the world puts aside its differences and comes together to admire the efforts and talents of elite athletes. The opening ceremony is a prime example of this as each country walks out after an elaborate performance while showcasing a defining part of their culture and people. However, this particular opening ceremony was an especially historic one. Four years ago, the IOC and WADA began investigating a Russia for executing a large scale systemic doping program. Such a wide spread program hasn’t been seen since the days of East Germany. Though Russia is banned from competing in the event, the IOC has allowed for athletes who tested clean to compete and represent themselves under the name, “Olympic Athletes from Russia”. To me, this seems like a very easy way out for the IOC as they try to maintain a somewhat good relationship with the Russians. Ultimately, while it would have been unfair for the athletes who were clean to not be apart of the event, every Russian athlete should have been banned. Such an act would have sent a stern message to everyone else that such behavior will not be tolerated under any circumstance. Russia continues to be at the forefront of a large number of news stories in 2018 and it will be interesting to see how the country responds going forward.

The second biggest talking point from the opening ceremony was the “unification” of the two Koreas. In a historic move, both South & North Korea walked together under one flag. While this was certainly heartwarming and hopefully a reality that will come to fruition, it is unlikely it will happen anytime soon. The actions of North Korea throughout the entire Olympics so far have been, what feels like, a giant PR stunt. From Kim Jong Un’s sister to this, North Korea is doing everything in its power to show they are a diplomatic nation that can change. Personally, I don’t believe the country’s actions are genuine and change will not occur for years. The question must also be asked as to why North Korea is allowed to compete. It is not uncommon for a country which has committed so many humanitarian crimes to be excluded from the Olympics. For example, South Africa was expelled from the IOC from 1970-1988 due to the apartheid.

This Olympics has been unlike any olympics I can remember and for once, the off field stories have been just as big of a spectacle as the events on the field.