I’ve seen many movies recently, which range from Notorious to Bride Wars. Over the course of the week, I will enlighten you with my thoughts on all of these movies, but for now, I want to explore a different tangent.

About a week ago, a friend of mine told me that my life was like a movie. This prompted me to ask the question, “How so?” The explanation was that I live an interesting and complex life. I will assume that she meant the story of my life falls into the range of the drama genre. As I blog about movies, I somehow feel that I critique the depiction of others’ lives. However, I often find myself or the person I want to be in these characters. To me, my life is more like a television series, episodic in nature, presenting weekly dilemma which is resolved or not, but continues regardless.

I will have to admit to some extent that my life has been chaotic and crazy since I’ve graduated from college. Since my homecoming, I have been entangled in a world of excitement and “living on the edge” if you will. This is somewhat uncharacteristic of me, as I was always so focused and a self-proclaimed “nerd”. My dork-like qualities are still very apparent, as I somehow find fulfillment in spending my Sunday evenings at Starbucks perusing through my textbooks for grad school and making sense of the content in my Cognitive Psychology course.

But, I still feel that now is the time, my time, to get everything “out of my system” and engage myself in new adventures. The year is underway and it is my mission to make 2009 a better year than last, maybe even the best yet. I invite you to come on this journey with me as I blog weekly about the “going-ons” in my life which seem amusing to most. Please feel free to give me advice or share your life experiences with me as they relate to my posts. Every week, new episodes will be posted under the title: "Reely?"

Confusion enveloped the first third of Seven Pounds. This blur in the plot from the beginning was the beauty of the movie, as the viewer must patiently await needed information in order to piece together the essentials of the story. When this cohesion finally occurs, the movie is sweet and surreal in nature, leaving one jaw-dropped and amazed at the portrayal of human sacrifice.

The previews for this movie were misleading. While trying to gain a wide audience range, trailers are often contextually mainstream. As it was with this film, the trailer portrayed the love story that took place between Ben Thomas (Will Smith) and Emily Posa (Rosario Dawson) as the core of the movie. However, this film was a story of love and generosity that spanned beyond the confines of an isolated relationship.

Ben Thomas, an IRS auditor, has a hidden past which is brought to the forefront as the story unravels. He tries to find peace with his regrets by helping seven strangers. Thomas eventually gives these people gifts after he determines that they are kind-hearted. In the meantime, he falls in love with Emily Posa, one of his seven selected individuals. Their relationship amplifies the final dimension of the film. This description does not do justice to the complexity of the storyline, but any further explanation of the plot will unveil too much.

When I left the theater, I wondered to myself: “How do these screenwriters come up with this stuff?” It is almost as if someone needs to have a delusional mind in order to conjure up a story of this depth and magnitude, emotionally speaking. The plot was unusual, despite the humanizing message.

The 411 Fo’ Reel: This movie was one of the best I have seen in a long time. Go see it and please fill me in on your thoughts!

Movies that are based on historical events are typically scrutinized for accuracy. While the context of Valkyrie will be familiar to most as being that of “Hitler’s Germany,” the movie focuses on an attempt by a select group of military and political officials to take over the government. Assassinating Hitler was the focus of their pursuit to bring righteousness to Germany. The movie was based on a true story, which is enlightening because I was unaware that various acts of treason took place at the time and that high profile individuals were actively disobedient to their “Fuehrer” a.k.a. Adolf Hitler.

The main reservation I have about movies that involve historical content is that the history lesson which is usually inherent will somehow overshadow the plot. This was not the case in Valkyrie, as the movie “cut to the chase” from the get-go, focusing primarily on the storyline. This was a remarkable characteristic of the film, which I appreciated.

A recurring motif in the film was the wall portraits of Adolf Hitler which was seen hanging in government offices. The camera would often hone in on these portraits to reiterate the allegiance that the military had to Hitler as a part of their oath-

"I swear by almighty God this sacred oath:
I will render unconditional obedience
to the Fuehrer of the German Reich and people, Adolf Hitler,
Supreme Commander of the Wehrmacht,
and, as a brave soldier,
I will be ready at any time
to stake my life for this oath."

(Source: http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/oath.html)

Tom Cruise plays Claus von Stauffenberg, the leading man in the plot against Hitler. I was puzzled by the fact that Cruise did not use a German accent in the film, which minimized the effect that his character had in the overall scheme. Hitler was played by David Bamber, who bore an uncanny resemblance to the man. The horror of his mere presence was escalated by his back being faced to the camera before his face was shown in most scenes.

As the movie concludes, the tension builds and pride is personified. Doing the “right thing” may not have been the popular choice at the time, but Stauffenberg and his team of people who committed treason were honorable individuals.

The 411 Fo’ Reel: This movie was “intense”. You will leave the theater wanting to brush up on your historical knowledge of World War II!

Happy New Year Everyone!!!... Stay tuned for my reviews on Seven Pounds and Gran Torino.