July 26, 2006

• My fascination with movies began early, alongside my love
  for video games. I can still remember vividly the day my mother told me about
  the new cable box we had and explained how to operate it—I can remember exactly
  where I was standing and what the sun looked like shining into the large
  windows of our living room. That was the first time I explored shows like The New Mickey Mouse Club, Tiny Toons, and Saved By the Bell.

  I also loved the original NES (and later the SNES) and
  watching movies with my friends, but it was the summer of 1993 that movies
  exploded into  my life in a way that
  would change me forever—it was the summer Jurassic Park
  came out. That summer my family went on a two or three week vacation in my
  grandma’s RV up to Oregon and Washington to visit my Dad’s family in Tacoma
  and Seattle. We
  must have seen Jurassic Park 8 times that summer. Every time we made a stop
  along the way, we watched it with someone in our extended family that had not
  yet seen it.

  It was my Uncle Lee, however, that changed the way I watched
  movies forever. I remember one of these trips to see JP, the rest of our family
  was in the restroom and Uncle Lee and I were left staring at movie posters for
  upcoming films. We were chatting about how great JP was, and he mentioned something
  about how Steven Speilberg was a great director. I inquired, and he talked a
  little about how much impact a director has on a film, and how certain
  directors team with certain producers, and how John Williams scores all of
  Speilberg’s films, and so on. It was from that point on that I looked more
  often at the bottom of the movie poster than at the headline actor or actress
  (or the pictures on the poster). It was like a great awakening happened that
  day. Many thanks to my Uncle Lee for opening my eyes to the art of filmmaking—I
  really have never been the same.

  On to the present day…we saw M. Night Shyamalan’s Lady in
  the Water again last night. I loved it the second time as well. There are so
  many wonderful theme’s in Night’s movies, he never is making a movie about the
  premise of the film, there are morals and messages in his films that really
  shine through. For instance, Signs was not about Aliens attacking earth, it was
  about a Priest finding his way back to the faith. The Village was not about an
  old-fashioned town surrounded by creatures they feared, it was about true love
  and innocence. In that same fashion, this film was not just a fairy-tale, it
  was about community, and finding your purpose (hey maybe Night goes to
  Saddleback?? Oh wait…he lives in Philadelphia…).
  It was about restoration and healing, and how the things you do now may have
  impact on things you know nothing about in the future. This film is deep and
  rich with meaning, and Night has a profound way of delivering that message to
  us in a way that is thrilling and poignant. He communicates to his audience in
  a way that makes them a part of the story.

  It is too bad the mass public are too bent on seeing action
  and special effects to pause for one of the most enjoyable stories all summer.
  I’m afraid Night’s message may get lost among a summer filled with superhero’s
  and sea-fairing pirates.

  • 11:16 am
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