Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Thoughts on The Song of Berrnadette (1943)

Just wanted to post my thoughts on this movie. I posted this in a message board:
First of all, I'm not Catholic; I'm a Christian, just not Catholic. Second, I don't know what she saw, but I believe that she believes she saw the lady. That is what matters, faith.

That said, I really felt that the movie was quite moving. I am SO not a Jennifer Jones fan and I fully expected not to like it nor her performance. I'm delighted to say how wrong I was about that.

It was all good, until the end. I really felt like two things were out of character for Bernadette and it's as though movie execs said, "It's too long, just tie it up and end it," so the last moments leading up to the end were a bit forced, causing mistakes.

The first is about Bernadette suddenly piping up and saying how she could make Sister Marie Therese believe by showing the Sister her leg. If she didn't suffer, as she said she didn't, she wouldn't have gloated about it. I know the intention probably wasn't gloating, but unfortunately that's how it it was played out. They would have done better by allowing the Sister to discover it on her own.

The second one was her complaint that everyone complains about pain, making it worse than the pain really is. That was insensitive and not something I believe she would have really said either. Besides, I've been a nurse for over 23 years and I'm here to say that I think pain is very often worse than they actually claim. Sure, there are many babies out there, but more often than not people really try to overcome it.

I hate to say it but those two glaring mistakes nearly ruin the movie. Especially since they come back to back.

Other than that, I thought it was really sweet. I think that if her personality was as kind and innocent as she was portrayed, that alone makes her a saint. Today's world is about selfish attitudes. It's all about ME and what the government can do for ME and how others shouldn't offend ME and how Christians are naive and prejudiced. It's very sad. We truly need a Bernadette today, don't we?
That sums up most of it, but I did want to say a few other things. First off, I think it's sad that some Christians say they believe in miracles then cruelly ridicule those who claim to have seen/experienced them. I'm not saying that they have to agree nor actually believe them. It's just that kindness is how everyone, not an enemy, should be treated.

I also want to remind non-Christians that Christians do not have to live like Jesus. That is an ignorant misconception and mistake that is inexcusable (if you're going to debate then know your subject, else you look stupid). NO ONE can live like Jesus. EVER. That's the reason Jesus came to us! We all sin and that is the fall of man. Christians are sinners and always will be. To believe for even a second that we're supposed to be like Him is like believing that the sun will never shine. It's never going to happen.

Monday, May 19, 2014

Godzilla Rocks!

Last night we went to see Godzilla. I was a little nervous after having seen the total failure of Elysium, on DVD. I mean, really! I was already hearing how so many didn't like Godzilla so I was getting very nervous.

Needless to say, my anxiety was unfounded. What a movie! This is what Hollywood needs as a template for a great film.

Elysium Sucks

What is it about Hollywood that makes them so unoriginal? One movie will become successful, then suddenly there are tons of movies out there that have similar approaches. Look at all the zombie films and TV shows. What about all the dystyopia movies? Suddenly we're also inundated with a bazillion super hero films.

Why is it that Hollywood cannot say, "Wow, that was a good idea. Let me see if I can do something different"? Rather than, "Wow, that was a good idea. Let me see if I can do the same thing by changing the story just a bit." You'll never see the former, only the latter. Despite what Hollywood thinks, they lack a great deal of creativity. All they do is repeat what the original creator did and that's NOT creativity.

I thought about this the other day when I saw the very disappointing Elysium. I don't know what they were thinking.