MEET JOE BLACK

I watched this movie (again!) the other night and I still got goose bumps all over. This is one movie that gives you the ultimate lesson in life. It’s about a wealthy businessman, Bill Parrish (played by no less than ANTHONY HOPKINS) who received a visit from a mysterious stranger, Joe Black (BRAD PITT) who later revealed himself as DEATH. In exchange for extra time, Bill agreed to serve as Joe’s earthly guide but he was soon faced with an untimely dilemma when Joe unexpectedly fell in love with his beautiful daughter Susan (Claire Forlani).
What I love most about this film is the way DEATH himself (Joe Black) succumbed to the power of LUUUUUVVE. It’s quite endearing to see him let his guard down and just hopelessly fell victim to a more powerful phenomenon that is LOVE. And in the end, he did the ultimate act of selflessness by letting go of Susan even if his heart (even I am surprised to know that he’s got one!) bled to take her with him.
On the other hand, when Bill Parrish realized that his time here on earth is nearing its end, all he cared about was spending more time with his 2 daughters. Forget about the multi-million dollar company that he spent his entire life building….or the lavished parties that are attended by a bunch of suck-up executives who couldn’t give a rat’s ass about him. In the end, what mattered most to him was his family.
Well, that’s how it is with us in the real world, isn’t it? We oftentimes lose the plot and we are constantly on a mission to obtain something shallow---like getting that promotion…or paying the mortgage off…or purchasing that new BMW…getting another diamond jewelry….or buying the latest LOUIS VUITTON purse---whatever it is, we rarely endeavor to have a more grounded lifestyle.
But there you have it! This movie says it all. At the end of the day, money still can’t provide us with unadulterated bliss. But the beautiful memories that we share with our loved ones will take us beyond life and the universe. After all, isn’t that what were here in this world for?---TO TOUCH AS MANY LIVES AS WE POSSIBLY CAN… --

Anger, Despair, and Hope in the Time of Rendition

One ordinary Friday night, I came face to face with the kind of anger and despair that I didn’t realize I had in me. It was the kind that made me cry for people I did not know, for faces I did not see, for a society I did not understand. It made me question the pillars of my existence—everything that I had based my life upon—and it made me see the pettiness of human life. What is the point of all this?, I cried out. Nothing could comfort me then; these thoughts still haunt me until now.

I was watching Rendition, the 2007 film about an Egyptian immigrant to the United States who is abducted by the CIA for being suspected of having links to an Islamic terrorist group. Reese Witherspoon, one of my favorite actresses, plays Isabella El-Ibrahimi, the distraught and very pregnant wife of Egyptian Anwar El-Ibrahimi (Omar Metwally), who seems to have disappeared from his flight home without a trace. Jake Gyllenhaal plays Douglas Freeman, a CIA analyst whose job it is to “secure information” about Anwar’s suspected terrorist links and their activities—no matter what it takes. Meryl Streep plays the cold, calculating, and unfeeling CIA boss, Corinne Whitman, who ensures that nothing about Anwar’s whereabouts or the CIA’s underground activities leak out to the public.

I shall not go into plot details here; I admit that there were times when I was too caught up in my own reflections to pay full attention to how the story unfolded. Nonetheless, I was riveted and engaged for most of the movie—to the point where everything seemed very real and close to home. And then the tears started falling.

At first, the tears were for all those men and women who have sacrificed their loved ones to the bitterness of war—to battles with neither principled death nor honorable victory, to horrors and pains without justification or absolution. Then I started wailing like I never had before, because I realized that no matter what we do, the killing will never stop. Rich and powerful countries will always find a way to wield power and force over those of us at the bottom of the food chain. Children will continue to die because of hunger and malnutrition and treatable diseases—causes that could be addressed with political will. Religious and societies and cultures will continue to exclude each other and try to justify acts that are ultimately uncalled for. All this while tiny circles of wealth go around the world in their yachts, eating the freshest, most exotic food and sipping the best wine. All this while teenaged brats prance around in their hot cars, flashing extensions of Daddy’s card and racking up luxury purchases that would already be enough to send an impoverished child (who did not choose to be born that way) to University. All this while coke fiends fill the party scene and crowd the already-overpopulated country with their meaningless, pitiful existence.

What is the meaning of all this?? I asked myself. You think your life is important—you think what you’re doing and the people you’re meeting are important—but what are you doing to stop the madness? What are you doing to feed or clothe one more person, to send one more child to school, to make sure that people don’t die meaningless deaths? What is your life really all about??

Silence.

I realized that what I’m doing now—whatever that is—still isn’t enough.

It was the most depressing thought in the world, at 3 A.M.

CINDERELLA MAN

The film, which was based on the true life story of Jim Braddock, came highly recommended by my husband. He swore it would touch my heart and make me a-booing and a-hooing. Very inspiring, he said. He was right.
The film was set during the time of the Great Depression and the soul of the film was Jim Braddock, an Irish boxer who had gone from champion to working on the shipping docks despite a broken hand and who wins the heart of a disillusioned nation by defeating the scary and huge Max Baer, reigning boxing champ of the world. Jim’s world revolved around his family… his loving wife Mae, whose quiet strength has helped sustain him, and his three kids. It’s not surprising why this movie would inspire you. It’s about love…for family, for friends, for a dream. True love. It’s about a little guy who dreamt big and never gave up.
This movie could not have come at a better time for me. The cinemas seemed to be filled with shows about men blowing up buildings, cheating spouses, pathological liars, and women baring their bodies at the drop of a hat. Tsk tsk. Then, a good friend of mine told me to watch ‘Cinderella Man’. The world sure looked better afterwards. Never discount the strength of the human spirit. Amazing.