Because I Believe!!!

If you're familiar Joseph Campbell, you are familiar with his well received book The Hero with 1,ooo Faces.  I myself have not read it, but I am familiar with Campbell's thorough exploration of the hero myth. In scanning the book, I have learned one or two ways in which the hero originates.  

Transformers 2, perhaps unlikely candidate to wax philosophy about heroes, showcases the hero as one reluctant to adopt his destiny.  Optimus Prime says something significant as the film's rising action starts to reach it's climax...

FATE RARELY MEETS US IN THE MOMENT OF OUR CHOOSING.

This theme is often mirrored in our tales we have seen throughout literature, later depicted on film.  Take for example Frodo of Lord of the Rings, in which Gandalf reassures Frodo that none of us wishes the fate we might be given, but what is important is what we do with the time that has been given us. Or examine Harry Potter. His life is more or less filled with more choices, though he chooses the more difficult path....which leads to struggle and sacrifice....

These elements are subtle in Transformers 2, but towards one scene, I was reeling because it made me wonder what it would be like if Michael Bay directed the last installment of Harry Potter! I mean come on!!! Battle at Hogwarts Castle!!!! Bring it on baby! Explosions and ....well, we all want to here Mrs Weasley yell, "Not my daughter, you bitch!" at Bellatrix Lestrange! That would totally rock....

But I've been digressing. Transformers 2 has great subtle lines that one might miss among the cluster&^%$ that is explosions and fighting splattering on the screen.  For instance, Tyson Beckford's character says as an aside, "They say God made us in his image; who made him?" when referring to Optimus Prime....

I always like to milk out some form of lesson from all the films I watch. I cannot say I learned much in the first 2/3rds but the last is enormously beautiful.  Sam must do something impossible and when his girlfriend asks him how he thinks it can be done, he simply says with great conviction: "Because I believe....I believe!"

I got sort of emotional, and it really was a great testament of faith in some respect.

For further comparisons of the hero myth, reanalyze The Matrix and then read The Gospel of the Matrix. I find you will be surprised how much our movies are peppered with so much references of resurrection and redemption. In the end, we are all heroes of our own destiny!

We only have to believe!

Up, up, and Away!!!!

A CLASSIC IN ITS OWN RIGHT....

There are elements to the film UP that I enjoy quite a lot.  A movie enthusiast, who has great appreciation for films such as Citizen Kane, The Little Tramp, and knowledge of the movie The Bicycle Thief, I feel some familiarity to these great classics whenever I watch Up..With these comparisons in mind, it is no surprise that I am willing to watch  Up repeatedly. There is a dynamic between the two character heroes Mr. Frederickson and Russell that reminds me of the aforementioned films. The nostalgia of childhood and realizing one's dream is fulfilled indirectly in Up, while the struggle to survive is noted in more hilarious and imaginative details compared to The Little Tramp and The Bicycle Thief.

The true lesson in this film are those of courage, and embracing life whatever the circumstances fate offers us.  When closing a door in one chapter in one's life, another chapter or book begins to unfurl. It encourages all of us to view life as an adventure. Unlike Citizen Kane, where the main protagonist's ambitions get the better of him, only to regret losing his innocence and reminisce of his little Rosebud, Mr. Frederickson embraces a whole new way of life, however reluctant and "grumpy" he initially started. Instead, he is no longer alone, but gains a life enriched with that of a young boy, a treasure that only keeps growing as he gets older. In addition, Mr. Frederickson gains a new pal in Doug, man's best friend, loyal to the end!

The house is symbolic as one might compare the bike in The Bicycle Thief.  In the latter film, the hero and his son have had their bike stolen. Their survival against poverty is dependent on getting their bike back, only to succumb to stealing another bike in the end. In contrast, unlike the need to gain something back, the  house in which one carries all their memories and hopes as does Mr. Frederickson, adding the burden to the young boy's shoulders, carries the house in the hopes of fulfilling a childhood dream. The energy of the young boy contrasts to Mr. Frederickson's in the beginning but his determination to fulfill Ellie's dream gives him the drive to keep on going...and ultimately LET GO....knowing he must move on with his life...

By letting go, ironically, he fulfills both of their wishes.  

To rate this film, I give this film more helium balloons than my hands can carry