WILL BELIEVE FOR FOOD

“… a million miles beyond what science understands.” David Gray

Sometimes flaws can be weightless.

When Dr. Sam Beckett stepped into the quantum leap accelerator, we weren’t burdened with the question of why his handsome body was encased in white spandex. We didn’t sneer in armchair-Mensa disdain at the thought of synthetic fibers not fouling up a genetics-heavy leap of technology. No. Our minds were much too giddy with the delicious wonder of where Dr. Beckett would find himself, who he would become – and how, exactly, an unwittingly wayward soul might benefit from being temporarily replaced by an immaculately directed supergenius.

… white spandex, we can look past – but Tribbles? Not a chance.

I mean, who isn’t fond of Tom Cruise’s admirable turn as an innocent forest-dweller in the mystical foray, Legend? The benevolent lad must thwart a horned, cloven monstrosity to extricate his love from the clutches of evil. Audiences have problem with that. However, cryogenics – a legitimate, though problematic, arm of science – rings as too far-fetched.

Escapism!

It would seem that’s why Harry Potter flies, but Timur Bekmambetov’s Nightwatch didn’t. People don’t have to actually choose between being an obedient boy or turning their insufferable aunt into a helium balloon – but (as the beginning of Nightwatch details), one would have to execute a Herculean amount of restraint to not contact an advertised Voodoo Mamma over a girlfriend’s infidelity (check the phone book, if you don’t believe me – but remember, whether her gurgling potions work, or not: Karma’s a bitch).

At some point in our lives, mortality is going to ring the bell of our consciousness, and we’ll have to seriously weigh the pros and cons of burial, cremation, or the deep freeze. Perhaps, in some thin way, “far-fetched” is a straitjacket-less way of saying, “something I’d rather not consider”.

I have no problem considering (of course, I trust Icy Blue wouldn’t be a bad look for me). By the same token, I have no problem with the notion of the man in the apartment down the hall being an assassin (afterall, we’ve all heard stories about the man down the street making a nasty habit of ofting people in the night), the proverbial ax murderer in the woods, or the tooth fairy being an evil incarnate who might be leering, in wait, over my slumbering body one night. A part of my mind doesn’t differentiate: these are all scenarios I may well have to someday confront – better I learn about them before they are sprung upon me.

Comments

Add New Search

Write comment

Name: Email:   Title: UBBCode:         -color-aquablackbluefuchsiagraygreenlimemaroonnavyolivepurpleredsilvertealwhiteyellow -size-tinysmallmediumlargehuge     Please input the anti-spam code that you can read in the image.

Chasing Aimee  - This was...   |76.18.197.xxx |2008-09-05 12:22:40 ...simply brilliant. Eloquent and idealistic, intellectual and clearly stated. Perhaps this is why, in general, I love most movies even when they're panned by the masses. Often, the ones that the critics hail are the ones I am bored with (read: There Will Be Blood and No Country for Old Men). Thanks for allowing me such great insight into our little way of thinking.

Angela Mac  - Late!   |198.111.220.xxx |2008-09-13 08:45:02 Thank you so much for the kind words. Every time I've began to comment back, I am reminded of the GLARING error (the Name, Email, and Title labels for the fields are swallowed up by the background color). Then, I think, "oh, I'll correct that!" But then I remember that.. uh... the damned thing just REFUSES to correct! REFUSES!! I'll get it though. Eventually. But back to the column... Awesome to see there are more dreamers afoot! Without believing the "impossible" and being swept up in the could-be's, all we have are presidential elections and hurricanes (hmm. Suppose I'm being redundant there).

Angela Mac  - Test   |198.111.220.xxx |2008-09-18 00:24:15 Don't mind me. Just testing.

Midnight Butterfly  - You are beautiful...   |198.111.220.xxx |2008-09-18 08:48:50 ...and so is your mind. The job of the filmmaker: execution and commitment. The job of the audience member: meeting the movie on its own terms. Absolutely. This basic principle is why say, Cherry 2000 works but Godzilla 2000 does not. And don't kid yourself, Aimee. The "masses" didn't love There Will Be Blood. They stayed away in droves. On the other hand they ate up Austin Powers. Sheesh. Meeting a movie on its own terms and suspending your disbelief is not the same as letting a movie insult your intelligence. One thing you never do, Red, is insult my intelligence. And you make me laugh too. Thanks.

Powered by !JoomlaComment 3.26

3.26 Copyright (C) 2008 Compojoom.com / Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."