You'll notice I've made a couple minor changes around here. 10 cool points to the first person that can name two changes to the blog.
Well, I guess I should write about something. Health care? No. I'm just as lost as everyone else, so I wouldn't have much to say.
All the great happenings in my life lately? No. That's what my wife's blog is for. Ask her for an invite if you aren't already on her list.
Some of my great new ideas, like "New Deli" - the Indian food restaurant idea I had? Nope. That's pretty much the idea - there's not a whole lot else to explain.
I know! I know!
"SEVEN POUNDS" WAS THE WORST MOVIE EVER.
And thus begins my rant. I actually had the idea for this post about a year ago when I saw the worthless movie, but haven't been the bloggiest blogger lately, so I forgot.
And since it's been a year, all the crappiness isn't as fresh in my mind, so this won't really be as powerful of a rant. I'll summarize with bullets. heh heh, that kind of makes me sound like a bad-A. Maybe I'll use that line in a screenplay about a corporate lackey who's tired of giving presentations so one day he flips out and yells, "I'll summarize with bullets!" just as he begins his rampage.
Back to my rant, in bullet points:
(PS don't read it if you haven't seen the movie and you still want to. Also, if you haven't seen the movie, this won't make any sense.)
- It took WAY too long for the love story to develop. I found myself wanting the movie to end faster.
- Suicide. I'm not a big advocate of it. The next few points will illustrate why the protagonist was NOT a selfless hero, but a selfish bat-turd in doing what he did.
- He'd caused an automobile ACCIDENT (not on purpose) that took the lives of several people. He thinks he can atone for this accident? He thinks improving the lives of a few people and saving one, and then taking one more (his own) will even the score? 6-1+1=6. Or is it ok because he was so sad anyway so death was a nice way out for him? Guess what? That's the coward's way out. That is not heroic.
- The people who's lives he had "improved" had already been dealing with their disabilities and were leading good lives. It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if they lived out the rest of their lives that way, or just waited until the next natural death resulted in some organs being available.
- Are you still reading this? I probably would have stopped by now. In fact, I haven't really been reading any blogs lately. Sorry.
- Let's consider that he traded his life for the woman's at the end. Each of them had people in their lives who cared about them, although the movie didn't really focus on his loved ones. Consider, for a moment, the social lifestyle of such a charismatic individual as the protagonist was - he built up a HUGE company from nothing. That type of personality would likely also lead to many rich and enjoyable relationships with the people around him. I'm not saying his life was more valuable than hers, but if you could somehow quantify the sorrow brought about by his suicide compared with her passing of natural causes beyond her control, I think his actions caused much more suffering, not less.
- MOST IMPORTANTLY (I typed that in case you were just skimming for the important part) - consider the alternative. This man was rich, and he accidentally took several people's lives because he was texting while driving. Should he A) kill himself and donate organs to people who need them or B) set up a charitable foundation to raise awareness about the dangers of texting and driving, begin and ad campaign to reach millions and change their behavior, use his political influence to outlaw the practice in the entire country, fund research and development of a technology that prohibits phones from working (except emergencies) while inside a motor vehicle, and thereby prevent any further loss of life due to this stupid behavior. I guess A makes a better movie, but B would actually make a difference.
- Killing yourself with a jellyfish? That part was actually kind of cool. I'd never thought of that.
- I felt that I needed to write this because of so many people who, before I saw the movie, told me how amazing it was and how it made them cry. I couldn't disagree more. This movie made my think of all of the things the man could have done instead of killing himself. Heaven forbid I ever find myself responsible for the deaths of several people, hopefully my love for the people who are a part of my life would give me the strength and courage to get through it, overcome my sorrows, and go about my life with renewed resolve to make a difference in the world.
- This is the only Will Smith movie I didn't enjoy. (Note- I never saw "Wild Wild West").
Next post will be more positive.
