Movie Classics And Cliches

I wanted to blog about movies only but then I don't go out to see one as often as I used to. In fact I had not been to the theatre in about three months now. I prefer to watch old movies from my collection and since classes are over, I have a lot of time to watch it now.

These old classic movies are one of the few things that make me genuinely happy. Watching classic movies such as Kurosawa's Yojimbo and Westerns like Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy. Movies like these stir feelings of excitement that movies today don't deliver as much. Why? Well I admit that I am biased for the classics but it is only because I appreciate the effort put into it more. Movies nowadays use CGI and all those fancy gimmicks. It is ironic that frequent use of these special effects don't make them special anymore. A long time ago people were amazed at how lifelike the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park were and it was groundbreaking. Now, just about anyone can make his own realistic monsters and effects theoretically since the technology is much more accessible.

And what did the old movies have? Hell, Jackie Chan had to do things the hard way before stuntmen became professional. The classic movies had to be inventive. They used cinematography, smart pacing and filming like the way the camera always panned to Clint Eastwood's squint eyes and permanent scowl before the big shootout. That trick, to zoom to the characters face dramatically and with wide angle shots across the middle of the dusty western town, became trademarks of the genre. It built tension and it was awesome. That's exactly why we call these movies classics because they pioneered the style and made it work. When modern movies try to do it, it's just cliche and its usually pointed out. The classics are remembered for their good plot and storytelling too and not just for the effects.

I love movies and a few new ones do stand out in my list. But few modern movies can capture the feeling , the "You have not seen this before" feeling. It is all so boring and formulaic. It's been done and done better. Nothing wrong with a tried and true formula but all this cliches make me want to watch something new, that's why I watch the old movies.

We Can't Have Nice Things

I originally wanted to write about movies as part of my blog but I have not seen a movie in the theatres for months now. The movies showing were pretty boring but some movies look good right now. Anyway one of the worst things about watching popular movies is that many people are going to watch it too, thus increasing your chances of having an asshole in the theatre.

I try to sit down and quietly enjoy a movie but its the same thing over and over again. People just don't shut up. Morons in front pester me with their glowing cellphones. Why bother watching a movie if you're not going to pay attention. Then I realized, anything and everything good we have or could have is ruined by assholes. The simple pleasure of sitting down and enjoying Hollywood garbage is ruined by careless assholes to lazy to be considerate to others. These degenerates are everywhere. It's damn near impossible to enjoy yourself when some idiot can just walk in and mess it up for everyone.

I take a walk to the local grocery store and there's garbage everywhere. People just toss their food wrappers out jeepney windows and leave smelly drainage ditches on the side breeding mosquito larvae. Assholes ruin everything. I ride a jeepney and some smoker cancer case comes in and blows his damn cigarette smoke everywhere. Some guy told him it's against the law and he replies, "Make me." What a prick. Why bother with laws at all? Why bother with city ordinances when people can't even restrain themselves from pissing in public? Too stupid to look for a toilet? Why bother building public works like parks when assholes just come in to vandalize and litter all over the place? Why build security railings on the sidewalk when people just cut them to sell for scrap! Why build a pedestrian overpass when running across a busy and dangerous avenue saves two minutes are you fucking kidding me people?

Why bother? Why do anything worthwhile when assholes just ruin it? Even ideas are ruined by these people. Democracy? Don't make me choke. Look what we got here in the Philippines. Congress can't even pull itself together for one second without descending into petty feuds and grandstanding. Journalism? Sensationalist bullshit! Everyday it's the same front page full of meaningless and irrelevant drivel. Forget about real issues, we got the latest high profile robberies, murders, scandals and let's not forget, showbiz gossip. Socialism? Well the extortionist rebels hiding in the mountains squeezing the poor WORKER'S money for "revolutionary tax" while their leaders live in comfort abroad pretty much fucked that up too. Everything is ruined. No wonder people are so pessimistic. It's all fine and good until somebody forgets to lock the door and the assholes come in to steal your TV.

Isn't it cruel that to build a prosperous and healthy society, everyone needs to do their part yet it can all be ruined by just that one asshole?

Book Covers

When I was riding a jeepney the other day as I do every morning a policeman came on board. He sat down and really spread his legs making himself all comfortable in our cramped little hellhole. What was peculiar about this policeman other than his haughty demeanor was that he wore gold rings, about three on each hand. He wore a gold watch too. All that was missing, I thought was a gold chain around his neck and what do you know, he had that one on his neck too.

There's an old saying, "Never judge a book by its cover." But as you get older, this adage as well as a lot of other things, start coming of as a lot of bull. While its difficult to truly know a person, how a person dresses or acts in public is but a mask, one of the many personas we create for ourselves to fill social roles. How we act in front of our parents is a lot different than how we act in front of our peers. Still, even if they are merely alternate personas, they still form a part of that persons true character. After all, we act in ways to make others perceive us as we desire. The way a person acts I think, reflects on the way he wants to be looked at.

So what of the policeman? What exactly did he want me think? He sure likes gold? And another thing, the man carried a gun and four magazines of ammo. Think about that for a second. Four magazines makes about forty bullets or more. What's with all the ammo? Is he gonna go run to the mountains to kill some rebels? As I sat in the jeepney slowly dying from carbon monoxide poisoning, I concluded selfishly that he was probably a showoff asshole. Why the hell would anybody wear that much gold? He was a damned policeman too! In that case, that would probably make him a corrupt showoff asshole now would it? Goddamned stupid fat showoff asshole with his guns and ammo, looking all tough and flash with all his jewelry. Its types like this that give a bad image for our law enforcement.

That policeman seemed to me like he wanted to be feared and respected. Too bad all that gold and ammo stirs up bad thoughts. Not so subtle. Don't judge a book by its cover. Hmm. OK. The policeman deep down might have been a nice guy. But really folks, "nice guys" don't board public transportation with a cocky swagger, take up twice as much space, display so much wealth and carry enough ammo to kill the forty thieves. I don't like books anyway.

Personal Freedom

What is freedom? Allow me to share.

In society today, as it was in the past, a lot of emphasis is placed on personal accomplishments. People would push their children to become doctors, lawyers, nurses and other professionals. You see, educational attainment is the the measure of a man from where I'm from. If you have no diploma your are less than a person and nobody respects you. People love to boast, "Look at me! I'm a fucking lawyer! I'm better than all of you!" or "My son is a doctor not like that little shit you call a son of yours." When education tragically became less important and we moved on to our consumer culture, emphasis was shifted from educational attainment to personal possessions. "Look at my car! It's a goddamn Ferrari! Envious?" or "My plasma screen TV is bigger!" Now things are getting desperate and people are finding even more creative ways to one-up each other. "I'm cooler than you! I'm better at this than you!" People always want to get ahead.

This begs the question, "To what end?" Why do we feel the need to be better than others? The easy answer is insecurity, insecurity with the self. I believe the world is full of insecure people who feel the need to boast even the most trivial of things. Insecure people who can't even customize a car right yet roar the engine screaming, "LOOK AT ME!" Insecure people who proudly talk down to their students or children about how awesome it is to be dentist. Insecure people who arrogantly insist we cannot possibly understand the plight of the noble poor because we are not as humble as them.

Society unfairly places standards on people. Even the idea of beauty is defined by skin whitening ads and fashion gurus. The rich are glamorized as they jet around from Paris to Tokyo eating in the finest restaurants in the fanciest clothes. "Be like them." Etiquette and manners are expected sometimes unduly. People should respect the politicians, nay, fear them or else. Even teenagers hold themselves to stupid standards separating themselves from "nerds" and behaving and dressing as they see in MTV going "emo" or whatever trendy bullshit is on nowadays. I hate it. I hate society and their goddamn standards.

What is freedom? Freedom for me is freedom from these meaningless standards. To live not for other people's or society's expectations but your own. Freedom is to stop labelling others, imposing standards, judging them and putting them in categories . Freedom is to stop living in fear of how others label you and living life as how others would demand you to. Freedom is to conquer the angst of thinking that you are somehow not good enough, inadequate and unworthy. Freedom is to actually believe that you believe in yourself. Freedom is to finally be at peace with yourself, to be content with what you have, to have no need to prove yourself to others and to share your peace with others. To hell with the rat race, I want to be free.