Well, it took me 6 seasons to find something redeeming in Showtime's show Weeds, but I think I have found it. It is a bit of a stretch, and you definitely have to read this in the context of the show.
The Botwin family is very good at sticking together, through thick and thin, through legal issues and illegal issues, and in bringing a new life into the world and taking one out. In order to do this, each family member must make sacrifices for the others. Nancy hands herself over to the FBI in order to protect her early teenage son who just killed someone. Andy forfeits his chances of getting married and settling down to help Nancy take care of the family. Nancy's oldest son, Silas, leaves his real father behind so that he can help his brother through his psycho-murderous-teenage years.
I know that all of their sacrifices are usually illegal and mostly immoral, but it is nice to see them stick up for each other. Even though I hate most of their choices, I have started caring for the family and I hope that they become better people!
Monday, December 13, 2010
Saturday, November 6, 2010
The Honesty in Slumdog Millionaire
So, I saw Slumdog Millionaire tonight for the second time. It is a pretty enjoyable movie that deals with some pretty deep stuff. I definitely suggest that you see it!
During Jamal's questioning by the local police he says, "When someone asks me a question, I give him the answer." And it's true! He tells the officer everything and even admits to several crimes (even murder). When I heard him say that, it reminded me of the verse in Matthew (5:37) that reads "Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one."
We should all strive to follow this, even if it involves confessing something. Let your answer be the truth! And, hey, maybe you'll win a million dollars like Jamal did.
During Jamal's questioning by the local police he says, "When someone asks me a question, I give him the answer." And it's true! He tells the officer everything and even admits to several crimes (even murder). When I heard him say that, it reminded me of the verse in Matthew (5:37) that reads "Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one."
We should all strive to follow this, even if it involves confessing something. Let your answer be the truth! And, hey, maybe you'll win a million dollars like Jamal did.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
The Dark Passenger in Dexter
In my opinion, Dexter is a great show!! It does get pretty rough at times, and I have even had to look away for some of the more disturbing scenes. But I think there are a lot of good themes we can take from the show.
Dexter often refers to his problem (you know, killing people...) as his 'Dark Passenger.' If my memory serves me correctly his Narcotics Anonymous sponsor, Lila, was the first person to use this phrase. This is a name that we could apply to our sins.
Dexter hates his addiction to killing people, he wants to stop killing people, and he usually does not feel better after he caves in to his Dark Passenger. Struggling with sin goes the same way. We hate thinking, acting, and saying certain things; we want to not be that way; and when we do give into temptation we do not feel any better (usually worse).
I find myself being inspired by Dexter. When he fights off the temptation to kill someone, it encourages me to fight off my own temptations!
Dexter often refers to his problem (you know, killing people...) as his 'Dark Passenger.' If my memory serves me correctly his Narcotics Anonymous sponsor, Lila, was the first person to use this phrase. This is a name that we could apply to our sins.
Dexter hates his addiction to killing people, he wants to stop killing people, and he usually does not feel better after he caves in to his Dark Passenger. Struggling with sin goes the same way. We hate thinking, acting, and saying certain things; we want to not be that way; and when we do give into temptation we do not feel any better (usually worse).
I find myself being inspired by Dexter. When he fights off the temptation to kill someone, it encourages me to fight off my own temptations!
Monday, November 1, 2010
The Spinning Top in Inception
I saw Inception the other day. This was my second time to see it and, as always, I picked up something new this time. Well, to be honest, my roommate made this point and I am simply developing his idea.
At the end of the movie, Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio's character) spins his top, which is his totem. Until two days ago, I argued that the top was going to fall over. Otherwise, the movie would be pointless and Cobb would never have gotten back to reality! However, my roommate then made the valid point that if the top did quit spinning then the movie would not be a metaphor for our lives!
The reality that Cobb is in at the end of the movie (when he finally sees his kids again) represents our lives here in earth. This is just a 'dream' for the life that is to come when we die and go to heaven (which will last for eternity). In the movie the only way to wake up from a dream was to receive the kick, or die. Well, it is the same in our lives. Only when we die will we wake from this 'dream.'
At the end of the movie, Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio's character) spins his top, which is his totem. Until two days ago, I argued that the top was going to fall over. Otherwise, the movie would be pointless and Cobb would never have gotten back to reality! However, my roommate then made the valid point that if the top did quit spinning then the movie would not be a metaphor for our lives!
The reality that Cobb is in at the end of the movie (when he finally sees his kids again) represents our lives here in earth. This is just a 'dream' for the life that is to come when we die and go to heaven (which will last for eternity). In the movie the only way to wake up from a dream was to receive the kick, or die. Well, it is the same in our lives. Only when we die will we wake from this 'dream.'
The Title Explained
Hello!! If you stumbled upon this blog then you are probably wondering what the title means. Well, the following is the explanation.
At the end of Stranger Than Fiction (the 2006 film starring Emma Thompson, Will Ferrell, and Dustin Hoffman) Karen Eiffel reads out the last paragraph of her book. This is what she says:
As Harold took a bite of Bavarian sugar cookie,
he finally felt as if everything was going to be ok.
Sometimes, when we lose ourselves in fear and despair,
in routine and constancy, in hopelessness and tragedy,
we can thank God for Bavarian sugar cookies. And,
fortunately, when there aren't any cookies, we can still
find reassurance in a familiar hand on our skin, or a
kind and loving gesture, or subtle encouragement, or
a loving embrace, or an offer of comfort, not to mention
hospital gurneys and nose plugs, an uneaten Danish,
soft-spoken secrets, and Fender Stratocasters, and maybe
the occasional piece of fiction. And we must remember that
all these things, the nuances, the anomalies, the subtleties,
which we assume only accessorize our days, are effective
for a much larger and nobler cause. They are here to save
our lives. I know the idea seems strange, but I also know
that it just so happens to be true. And, so it was, a wristwatch
saved Harold Crick.
As you hopefully noticed, I put in bold the part of the quote that related to this explanation. Ms. Eiffel lists quite a lot of small, seemingly insignificant things that can, in fact, make a huge difference. In the movie, the act that really does cause Harold Crick to get hit by the bus is his watch's death earlier in the movie. What I plan to write about in this blog is the small, seemingly insignificant things I find in life that contain greater meaning.
For my first example, look at the above quote again. You can see that I also put the words 'thank God' in bold. In the quote, this is probably just meant as an expression of simple gratitude (like some might say "Oh, thank goodness"), but we can discover a greater meaning. It is, in fact, true that we can thank our God for those things that Karen Eiffel listed: Bavarian sugar cookies, kind and loving gestures, hospital gurneys, and the occasional piece of fiction. Without these small things in life, living would not be nearly as pleasurable.
Let me know what you think about this, or maybe, what greater meaning you found in this movie!!
At the end of Stranger Than Fiction (the 2006 film starring Emma Thompson, Will Ferrell, and Dustin Hoffman) Karen Eiffel reads out the last paragraph of her book. This is what she says:
As Harold took a bite of Bavarian sugar cookie,
he finally felt as if everything was going to be ok.
Sometimes, when we lose ourselves in fear and despair,
in routine and constancy, in hopelessness and tragedy,
we can thank God for Bavarian sugar cookies. And,
fortunately, when there aren't any cookies, we can still
find reassurance in a familiar hand on our skin, or a
kind and loving gesture, or subtle encouragement, or
a loving embrace, or an offer of comfort, not to mention
hospital gurneys and nose plugs, an uneaten Danish,
soft-spoken secrets, and Fender Stratocasters, and maybe
the occasional piece of fiction. And we must remember that
all these things, the nuances, the anomalies, the subtleties,
which we assume only accessorize our days, are effective
for a much larger and nobler cause. They are here to save
our lives. I know the idea seems strange, but I also know
that it just so happens to be true. And, so it was, a wristwatch
saved Harold Crick.
As you hopefully noticed, I put in bold the part of the quote that related to this explanation. Ms. Eiffel lists quite a lot of small, seemingly insignificant things that can, in fact, make a huge difference. In the movie, the act that really does cause Harold Crick to get hit by the bus is his watch's death earlier in the movie. What I plan to write about in this blog is the small, seemingly insignificant things I find in life that contain greater meaning.
For my first example, look at the above quote again. You can see that I also put the words 'thank God' in bold. In the quote, this is probably just meant as an expression of simple gratitude (like some might say "Oh, thank goodness"), but we can discover a greater meaning. It is, in fact, true that we can thank our God for those things that Karen Eiffel listed: Bavarian sugar cookies, kind and loving gestures, hospital gurneys, and the occasional piece of fiction. Without these small things in life, living would not be nearly as pleasurable.
Let me know what you think about this, or maybe, what greater meaning you found in this movie!!
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