Water for Elephants

So, I got to watch the movie, Water for Elephants. I will go ahead and say that this review will spoil it if you have not seen it. Overall, I'd say it ranks as about 6 out of 10. One problem I had was the attraction between Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon is not very believable. This leads to an illogical flow of events throughout the movie. Usually when I go to see a movie I want things to make sense, both emotionally and logically; this one however failed miserably.

(Spoiler) At the beginning of the movie, an old man cries over the picture of a young girl riding an elephant. He and a young circus administrator speak of the Ringling Brother's Circus as if it had an abrupt and tragic end on one fateful day. All this is fine, but it alludes to an undue sense of tragedy looming in the story. Personally, I enjoy movies by the challenge in attempting to figure things out in the story given foreshadowing and context. With this movie, you almost feel cheated out of such an experience by the ending. When it was over, I said to my fiance, "I think they forgot the tragedy...."

When one presents a story, the most basic elements are protagonist (the hero), antagonist (the villain), along with setting, plot, etc. Most modern movies take this to a deeper level and add a bit of mystery as to who is the true protagonist (as in The 12 Monkeys), where is the movie actually taking place (as in the Planet of the Apes), or even what the true motivation of the story is (as in Requiem for a Dream). Some movies add depth just with an intriguing and unique story (like The Hangover) or extremely well developed characters (such as The Dark Knight or Iron Man). This movie lacks any of the depth I mention above, reminiscent of fairy tales or children's books.

The only reason I give it a 6 of 10 instead of lower is because the character development was slightly engaging, but even that seemed lacking (which also might explain why the attraction between the main characters seems far fetched). Amother redeeming factor is the quality of acting of the protagonist, Christoph Waltz. Somehow, this guy always seems to be the bad guy (see The Green Hornet and Inglorious Basterds), but gives an excellent performance in this movie -- I always gauge the bad guys on how much I actually end up disliking the character or his actions. Well, if you have a soul, you will end up hating him.

In closing, if you want to see a movie that is a chick flick, but the only real emotional response it invokes is a little sadness, but more-so anger and emotional confusion, then go see Water for Elephants.

End of an Era

First entry: I have created this blog as an outlet for my ideas on politics, religion, education, society in general, etc... basically, everything you should not discuss at the dinner table. At first, I hope to explain my own political and religious philosophies, and later give amendments and additions to any intriguing detail I feel the need to elaborate on.

I named this post as such because I have ended my 5 year trek of higher education and I feel that I have become more astute to expressing and understanding my own beliefs and interpretations of the world around me. Feedback is necessary and encouraged. The point is to assess my ideas and logic so that I may have attention brought to any fallacy (and I know there will be) in my understanding or to strengthen my convictions through debate.