Striders and Anglerfish
I used to be fascinated by water striders when I was little. How did they stay there on the surface gliding along? Why do some creatures stay on the surface and some go deep?
I went through a phase where I wanted to work for Jacques Cousteau . . . and so, yeah, those weird deep-sea creatures? What drew them to the bottom of the ocean? I wanted to study them.
Yesterday, the Monkey and I were discussing the movie Up in the Air, the one Clooney got an Oscar nod for. We both disliked the movie. In fact, the more I think about the movie, the more I dislike it. For me, the characters never became real, and for Lurker Monkey--and me--a key plot point was missing elements of authenticity. I didn't believe in the character for a moment, not as she was drawn. And it felt like "cool plot twist" but without any depth. Just a surface move. A strider.
I teach ESL class tomorrow. For me, I can't teach it and NOT get pulled down to the bottom of the ocean. The people I teach are powerless, voiceless, can't read and write. They are harassed by cops, treated poorly by many of the people they meet, they are unseen. They are spoken to condescendingly. They are abused by bosses, stolen from . . . because, at least in the one case, the boss knows his victim won't go to the police. I meet and love their children. I let them into my life and they let me into theirs. I suppose someone could go and teach the class and NOT think to ask if there is enough food in the house. You could stride your way through teaching. But I guess I'm not interested in a water-strider life. As ugly as it can be sometimes, I want the anglerfish life.
Thoughts? Were you disappointed by a movie or book that stayed a surface strider? And what was the last one that pulled you down deep?
21 comments:
tons on the surface. And probably tons that sucked me in. We saw Green Zone on Saturday and I found it quite thought-provoking, although I was puzzled/intrigued by the characterization and/or lack of it. What do we know about the main character, Roy Miller? Only what we see on the screen & nothing else. A little weird.
Books? The most recent one that really sucked me in was The Ghost by Robert Harris.
Mark:
Because of your recommendation, The Ghost is going on my Kindle!! :-) It sounds really good.
E
I saw Shutter Island a couple of weeks ago, and I thought Leonardo did a fabulous job bringing depth to that character. The Dennis Lehane novel is outstanding as well.
I've heard there's a lot of Bernie Madoff scripts circulating around Hollywood right now. It'll be interesting to see what finally gets produced about that.
Erica, ever do Spanish as a Second Language?
Frankly, most movies disappoint me.
I'm diving pretty deep lately to dig in for SCAR. It's not an easy thing.
Hey Jude,
My mom said not to see SHUTTER ISLAND as there are scenes in there that are "not necessary" (meaning, too ugly for human consumption.) I'd already pegged the film as disturbing enough I didn't know if I'd like it, but I'd love to hear your thoughts.
I thought the horrifying flashback scenes were handled well, SS. I didn't think any of it was gratuitous.
But yes, there are definitely some disturbing images. Not for the feint of heart.
It's true about Up in the AIr. My wife and I had been wanting to see that movie forever, and as we were watching it, I'm sitting there thinking, "What the hell?" But I didn't say anything. Finally, she said, "I'm just not buying this at all" and I had this wave of relief ...
The last story that really sucked me in and stuck with me was one that, as I was reading it, I didn't love, love. But after I was done, I thought about it (and still think about it) sometimes: Saturday, by Ian McEwan.
And I suppose Twilight, only because I've never loathed a main character as much as I loathed Bella Swan. I read the whole book in a state of high dudgeon.
Up in the Air never appealed to me. In fact, I had a hard time imagining it to be a real story. It just seemed totally flaky and shallow.
I think no on Shutter Island, but I imagine I'll pick up the book at some point.
Jude:
I can't see movies like Shutter Island because I end up trying to "guess" the whole "who is he" kind of thing (like I guessed Sixth Sense . . . etc.). I think too much like a writer for movies like that. But I heard the atmosphere was awesome.
Lurker:
LOL on Twilight.
And I saw Wicked on Sunday . . . never have I been so pulled into a theater story. By the end I was sobbing.
Allen:
The last fifteen minutes up my lessons are time for my students to TEACH ME Spanish. That way, they see ME get tongue-tied and struggle a bit. [I can't roll my r's very well.] It's my opportunity to show them there is no shame in learning.
E
Starbucks:
I actually love the movies, but often the quieter or quirkier flicks.
I don't go see many movies these days. Catch a few on TV here and there, but theatre seems to be limited to the next Harry Potter release.
Thinking about what book has really grabbed me, I went a few years back to Perfect Circle by Sean Stewart. It actually annoyed me in the beginning as it wandered in time which I loathe. And yet... And yet...
I got past the initial annoyance quickly enough. When I came up for air and realized a lot of time had past, I had to thumb back through the book to see if there were chapters, because I didn't remember any. I was in chapter 6.
There are cute, funny books that are fluff in their own way. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is a good example. Funny but not compelling. I didn't get very far with it. If I had tons of free time for reading, I'd probably finish it.
Gosh, the racism is relentless down here. I have a whole post on it, just haven't finished it yet. I mean, geeze, if they have to be uninformed (gosh, do they love believing falsehoods), racist assholes, can't they just get through ONE FREAKIN' DAY without opening their mouths?
No. It'd take away their joy in life. A percentage of humans just love to judge and hate. They sincerely relish it with all their hearts. In the last five months, I've lost so much faith in humanity.
Sarah:
I sometimes like a breezy read, though lately I've been into these heavy tomes.
E
Natasha:
It's not so great here, either. But I think border areas are worse.
Erica: I knew the "twist" from reading the novel, but the movie was no less entertaining. Actually, I would imagine that most people watching the film know fairly early. It was more of a major surprise in the novel.
Jude:
Yeah . . . sometimes I don't think the twist is an important if the atmosphere is awesome.
One of my fave twist movies, of course, was the Crying Game, but . . . the guy had man hands, so I wasn't shocked. And I loved Signs. Loved all those threads with the water and the wife and so on at the end!!!!
I couldn't read the first half of your post because underwater creatures like that FREAK ME OUT.
I can't think of a movie that disappointed me right now. Usually I have a good eye for spotting ones I won't like and just avoid them altogether.
Melanie:
LOL! I LOVE them. They freak me out . . . but they are amazing!
Post a Comment