Movie Review: Leonera (Lion's Den)

This movie, in Spanish (with subtitles), is set in Argentina. A young girl is accused of murder and sent to prison. The catch, she's pregnant. She is sent to a special cell block for pregnant women and women with children. I was surprised to see that they allowed these children to stay with them until they were 4 years old. I was also surprised at how long the judicial process lasted. She was in prison almost four years for she even had her trial.

I like to watch movies that allow me to see life through someone else's eyes. This movie did that for me, allowing me to see another mother's struggle and love for her child. I have to give this movie applause for showing mothers breastfeeding, a normal part of life, yet something we don't see often enough in our culture.

Movie Review: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

This movie is set in WWII Germany. The young boy's father is a soldier. He gets a promotion and they prepare to move to the country. The boy begins to ask questions about the "farm" he can see through his window and why the people there are always wearing pajamas. He begins exploring the woods, and eventually discovers this "farm." He befriends a boy on the other side, and tries to understand the situation in his child-like mind. The dynamic changes when he decides to help his friend to find his missing father, by crossing under the fence and pretending to be a child on this "farm."

This movie made me reflect on how throughout history, looking at others as different has allowed us to separate ourselves from others, and in some instances even justify the mistreatment of others. I think it's important we remind ourselves of the similarities the exist between us all. When we hear of the sufferings of others, before we go on with our day, we need to ask ourselves: what if that was me? what if that were my child? I think the world would be a better place if we did.

Movie Review: The Visitor

This movie is about a university professor who finds himself depressed and unhappy with his life after the loss of his wife. He is unsatisfied in his job, where he admits it's been a long time since he's done any real work. He tries to look busy and go through the motions, but without any real interest. He is trying to learn piano, I guess as a way of remembering his wife, who was a pianist, only to learn he really doesn't have the talent or love for it that has wife did. When he goes to another city to present a collegue's paper, he stays as his apartment there. When he arrives, he finds an immigrant couple is staying there, presumably someone named Ivan was renting it to them. They apologize and quickly offer to leave, but really don't have anywhere to go. When the professor sees them outside later, he offers for them to stay a few days while they look for something. This begins a friendship that brings him back to life. The two men bond over drumming, something the professor finds he has a passion for. When some unjust events bring difficulty to the lives of this couple, the professor is deeply affected as he sees and experiences the world from someone else's point of view. I highly recommend this movie. It can be found on Netflix watch instantly(for those who have that).

But it has electrolytes!

I just finished watching the movie Idiocracy on TV. Stupid movie by the way. Two people are put into hibernation, and accidently forgetten until 2500. Evidently, all the smart people have been thinking before having babies(their careers, their finances, etc, until whoops they can't), while the not so smart ones don't, and end up reproducing like crazy....after generations of this, humanity ends up completely idiotic, hence the name of the movie. The only redeeming moment is when the protagonist is trying to convince the people that they should water the plants with water, not a gatorade type substance. Their response is quite ridiculous, which is what makes it funny. "But it has electrolytes!" "What are electrolytes?" he responds. "It's what plants crave."

Who the heck knows what electrolytes are anyway? Just that they are supposed to be good for you. In my opinion, just another marketing ploy to get people to think they need something because it's supposedly good for them. Has anyone else noticed all the advertising lately? It seems like you can sell any piece of crap as healthy if you just add something to it... a vitamin, probiotics, whole grain. No matter that the product is not healthy for you in the first place.

Here's one advertisement that really bugs me, to give an example. Sunny D. It has vitamins. And some other bologna about being a good mother or being with your kids all through the day. Whatever! It's sugar water with artificial colors and flavors and preservatives, and who knows what else. I don't care how many vitamins you put in it, it is NOT healthy. When I was teaching, I had students that seriously thought it was good for them. Let's just say we used that as an opportunity for learning...

Well I am not being duped! I try to stay away from foods in boxes or cans to begin with, buying things in their natural form (or close to it). Fruits, veggies, meat, grains(whole grains most of the time, and unprocessed if I'm being really good). When I do buy stuff from a box or jar (which I do buy some), you better believe I read my labels and try to stick to stuff I can pronounce (organic products do a good job of that, but there are some all natural ones that do a pretty good job too).

I have to say that I am completely astonished at what I see people buy when I go to the regular grocery store (as opposed to the health food store). Sometimes not a single vegetable. Frozen and prepared foods. Soda. Candies. It is no surprise to me that the acronym for the Standard American Diet is SAD!

"But it has electrolytes!" Media sends a lot of messages about what we should be eating. Do your own research. Make your own conclusions. In the end, it's your body and what you put into it will determine what you get out of it.

Movie Review: The Girl in the Cafe

This movie is about a man and woman who meet in a cafe by chance. They form a friendship which turns romantic. It starts a little slow, and their conversation is horribly awkward. Eventually she goes with him on a business trip (he is a politician) and there she has a chance to break the norms and be a voice for the poor.

At the end of the movie there is a quote by Nelson Mandela, "Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be the great generation."

So, I have been thinking about the status quo. What is our status quo for life? To have a job, a spouse, a house, a car, to raise kids, etc, etc. How often do we just settle into the flow? We do what everyone else is doing, never questioning if we should be doing something different. We are just living what is normal (well, if you call the experience of the minority in this world normal). But, what if normal is messed up? Ignoring poverty, ignoring our planet to achieve our goals...We are living "normal" when we could be living to transform and restore the world around us.

Tonight I am thinking about my footprint on this Earth. I am thinking about my impact on the planet - on it's environment and it's people. Some of what I am and do is "normal" and some of me is looking for a better way. I don't want to ignore poverty or the planet to meet my goals. I want to live a life that will transform and restore. What about you? Will you settle for "normal"? Or will you break the norms and look for a better way?