If you watch Whoopi Goldberg in the large variety of movies she’s been in, you come to feel a deep sense of humanity in her. I’m particularly fond of today’s Thursday Thought quote by her:
“We’re here for a reason. I believe that reason is to throw little torches out to lead people through the dark.” — Whoopi Goldberg.
I don’t go to many movies, mainly because I get tired of shallow characters and plots driven by alternating scenes of shooting, car-chases, explosions, and sex. But I just saw one I highly recommend–On the Basis of Sex. It doesn’t try to cover a whole bunch of Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s life, as the TV documentaries do. Instead, it focuses on her as a young woman, long before she became a Supreme Court Justice. It depicts her experiences at Harvard, including discrimination against her, a woman, despite the fact that she was well into the top 10% of her class. And how she used those experiences and revelations as a lawyer just starting out–much more timid than the RBG we know today. That period in her life explains this current Justice’s motivations, ideals, drive, and determination to work for justice and equality for all people.
She personifies the line that sticks with me most from the movie (paraphrased here): Talking about an issue is a support group, not a movement; doing something about it is a movement.
It’s drizzly weather, but the kids need something to do. Show them a thought-provoking classic movie. Afterwards, talk about what they saw–what went on and why–and relate it to real people in real situations today. Encourage questions and reactions. “Could some kid I know face going to prison for killing his dad?” (Twelve Angry Men). “But poor people today can get jobs and not have people disrespect them” (Grapes of Wrath). “How dumb! People can’t be accused of stuff just because of their color!” (To Kill a Mockingbird). Find these films at the public library. Scan the television guides, Netflix, Hulu, On Demand, etc. for others: Ox Bow Incident and Diary of Anne Frank show up often. Check video rental stores for The Hiding Place or Schindler’s List. Your friends who are movie buffs probably have a film they’d recommend and even lend you. Gather the kids and start the movie.
Now, where did I put that bowl of popcorn?
Californians are getting the power to protect themselves. What is your state or country doing?
Starting in 2020, Californians will have the power to control whether or not online companies can keep or sell our data. Currently, online companies collect all sorts of information about us and use it either to bombard us with advertising or profit from it by selling it to others who attack us with ads…and worse.
Although the new law isn’t as strong as the one in Europe, it’s the strongest in the U.S.
Start bombarding your lawmakers with demands that they enact similar legislation. We all deserve to avoid giving up part of our private lives every time we search or buy on the internet, go to a website, or download a movie or e-book.
Remember: Their taking our data isn’t just a bother to us; their having our information can also endanger us, especially the most vulnerable among our family and friends.
Actually, I haven’t seen Angel of Nanjing yet. But I want to. This ordinary, flawed man has dedicated his life to stopping people from committing suicide by jumping from China’s “suicide bridge.” His reward is often being attacked verbally and physically; yet, he persists. Why? Because, he says, “When my life got better, I wanted to help the others find hope.” Not a bad attitude, I’d say.
How quickly do we turn on each other? What does power bring out in us? These are two of the questions startlingly answered in the newest movie version of the book that reported the real-life Stanford Prison Experiment. The actual question the study sought to answer was what are the psychological effects on captives and their overseers. This 1971 experiment lasted only 6 of its planned 14 days, for reasons that become obvious when you see the film.
Here’s a trailer to give you a flavor of what to expect. Be prepared to be shocked and disturbed.
I’m afraid for my granddaughter. She’s 11 and loves having her picture taken. (Fine with me; I get more pictures.) Like many of her friends, she copies the movie star stance: standing a little sideways, one leg slightly crossing the other, hand on hip, elbows back to call attention to breasts, posed smile. It isn’t natural, for her or for the stars.
The women know they’re selling sex appeal. But what does it say to our young girls? That they should use their brains and talents to succeed in the world? That their personalities will help them get along with others throughout their lives? That they should work hard to achieve what they want? Of course not. It says, “Develop a Playboy figure and show it off, because that’s what will get you ahead in life.”
Call me an old-fashioned fuddy-duddy. I just don’t want my granddaughter to grow up with that attitude. I love her too much to see her go through unnecessary heartache, feelings of failure, and wasted mind and talent.
Warning: What you’re about to see is graphic and can be disturbing. We often hear this warning on TV news. Have you ever noticed, though, that what they show is nothing compared to scenes in movies and TV shows where we don’t get the warning? Mmmmm……
I was a bit surprised by this film. I’d heard the complaints from crew members that the story deviates from the truth and that Capt. Phillips wasn’t exactly the hero the film portrays. I knew it was a fairly long movie–would I be bored with endless water and evil-acting, inhuman pirates? Still, it WAS starring Tom Hanks….
It was a great film. Non-stop edge-of-seat action which didn’t depend on wrecked cars, bloody gun battles, and sex scenes that lasted longer than humanly possible. Good acting. Interesting characters. Realistic story-line in terms of the problem of piracy along the African coast and the fact (as recent events attest) that Americans are perceived as prime targets for kidnapping because we’re all rich. There was even a hint of an actual social justice concern (close to my heart): poverty-stricken men making a living, often reluctantly, by hiring on with the pirate boss, who considers them worthless and expendable because there are so many of them.
I’m sorry, Capt. Phillips crew members, but I thought this was a movie well worth seeing.
You MUST see the movie “The Butler.” It’s an historical drama based on the life of Eugene Allen, who spent 34 years as a White House butler for 8 U.S. Presidents. Forrest Whitaker plays the man who starts his life on a cotton farm and spends much of his adult life watching civil rights history being made and the Vietnam War take its toll on our country. We see how his wife (Oprah Winfrey) and two sons are affected by his job and historical events as they unfold. It’s also interesting to watch how the various presidents are played by actors like Robin Williams (Eisenhower), John Cusack (Nixon), and James Marsden (Kennedy).
I don’t recommend movies often—I think the last one was “Lincoln”—but this one really affected me. Maybe because it basically covers my lifetime and reflects my prejudices (I worked for civil rights and protested the Vietnam War). But it’s more than that. The emphasis isn’t so much on the history as it is on how people are touched by it. That appeals to me. And makes for an engaging story.
As I said, you MUST see this movie.