Movies, Fantasy, and Learning

By -
Gretch and I love watching movies. If our recently posted list of movies we currently have on VHS that we want to get on DVD wasn't indication enough, we have the fact that we watch movies all the time at home. It is an inexpensive diversion that lets us do something together and it is something we love doing.

Today was an unusual day for us though. We usually watch one movie each evening. It is typically how we wrap up the day. We did watch a movie this evening. But we also watched three other movies today. And I watched a movie yesterday afternoon while Gretch was helping her friend Hannah with a photography project. So six movies within about a 36-hour period. Not too shabby, eh?

So what was being watched in our home? Well, yesterday I watched one of my many education-themed films, "Freedom Writers". In addition to being an amazingly inspirational film about the power that one teacher can have on her students, it is notable as one of two films that has ever made me cry. Yes, that's right, the man who almost never cries weeps during this movie. I told Gretchen this and she just laughed. She doesn't understand why I would shed tears during any point of "Freedom Writers". I will let you all in on the secret: I love watching the character Andre change his life and walk Miep Gies into the library and then tell her that she is his hero. (If you've never seen the movie, please go out immediately and rent a copy or borrow it from your local library.) The other part is when Eva does the right thing, rather than choosing to "protect her own" as her mother tells her to do. Again, if you haven't seen this movie, please do so now. Both of those scenes bring tears to my eyes as I contemplate the total change of heart that each character must undergo to reach that point.

This morning was the day I chose to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the theatrical release of "Back to the Future". I did this by watching all three movies in the trilogy. Gretch was originally going to not watch, but she joined me and, miracle of miracles, she upgraded her opinion of the movies from "terrible" to "okay". I was hoping for "full of golden awesomeness", but hey, I'll take what I can get. With all the great lines in these movies, I love the last scene with Doc Brown the best. His statement to Marty and Jennifer just rings so true: "Your future is what you make of it, so make it a good one!"

Finally, we watched "Secret Window" starring Johnny Depp. I admit, there's not really some awesome, powerful message in this movie. Just Johnny being good at being creepy. But hey, it is the week leading up to Halloween, and there are only so many scary/thriller movies out there that Gretch will watch.

The one thing that I love most about movies, and fantasy in general, is that there is so much we can learn from them. We can learn about the great heights of human triumph, the depths of human depravity, the joy of victory, the sorrow of defeat, and the reality that life is what we make of it. So even if I never have a flying DeLorean that can travel through time, I will still enjoy watching these movies, because they are fun and they help me frame my understanding of the world around me.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Who Am I? On Iconography, Faith, and Self-Identity

By -
Image
In one of the great classic works of French literature, the author Victor Hugo tells the story of Jean Valjean, a man who spent nineteen years in prison, growing angrier and more filled with hate toward the world with each passing day. The first five years were for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his sister’s starving family, but then he suffered for fourteen additional years for attempting to run away. The story of Les Misérables follows his journey from his release from prison on parole to a life of service, sacrifice, love, mercy, grace, and, ultimately, redemption. In the musical adaptation of this story, a pivotal moment takes place early in the story when Jean Valjean, who had been gifted a meal and safe shelter for the night from a kindly bishop, gives in to temptation, steals the bishop’s silverware and runs off, only to be captured by the local constables. Valjean claims that the silver was given as a gift from the bishop but the police, not believing the words of a cri...
Read more

Make A Joyful Noise

By -
My father-in-law recently blogged about music, and lamented that Western society does not produce music except for the purpose of providing entertaining diversions. While I am sorely tempted to link to his blog, I will refrain. Rather, I wish to simply present my own thoughts on why I consume music. And consume it I do. I love music. I devour it. It is a part of my being. Gretch and I almost always have music playing in our home, in the car, and when we are working (and can get away with it). I do not know when my love of music first emerged, but I would argue that it has always been with me. My own father is a talented musician, although I fear there are times when this talent has been hidden from the world. Yet some of my earliest recollections of my childhood include Dad breaking out his amazingly awesome Martin D35 acoustic guitar and playing songs like "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" by The Tokens, "Boogie" by John Hartford, and various songs from the world of classi...
Read more

Who Are You?

By -
A thought has been running through my mind this morning and it doesn't seem to be planning on leaving any time soon. I have things I need to get done (such as applying for more jobs for the coming school year), so I am hoping that this may help me at least share the thought well enough that I can worry about other things. The thought is really more of a question. Who am I? Who are you? How do I define myself? How do you define yourself? So often in our lives, we have opportunities to introduce ourselves to new people. I've mentioned before how I have this habit of introducing myself as Alex Valencic but, if I am writing my name, it is always Alex T. Valencic. After sharing my name, it is inevitable that someone will want to know more about me, and the first thing they ask is what I do. How we respond to this question says a lot about what we think of ourselves, I think. When someone asks me what I do, I respond by either saying I am a teacher or I am a professional educat...
Read more