Yes, hmm, Freedom and Happiness

What is happiness? What is freedom? And are they interconnected? Can you have one but not the other... Can you have happiness as a lab mouse trapped in an endless maze? Can you be free to roam the world and do anything your heart desires, but not content?

To me, the two are a team. An unbreakable bond. Impossible, I say, impossible.. to be completely self-satisfied in this world without freedom. The people that can be ruled under strict laws and obey them without a second thought, I feel numerous emotions towards them. First of all, admiration... for they are capable of living under the law oblivious to the taste of freedom and independence. Second of all, pity... for the same exact reason. And third of all, confusion... because in my short existence, I have come to realize that without the capability of being an individual, your own person... there is no point to life.

Similarly, how delicious can freedom be if it leaves a bitter aftertaste? Independence without happiness... is the same as happiness without independence. But, alas, isn't that what Manny proved to himself? To be locked up in a cell like an animal with no rights and no liberal freedoms was not worth living, thus he took the opportunity - no matter how dangerous- to runaway. To run far from the power of the warden, the "власть" of the prison and the tight grip of the government in search of this feeling... a feeling of sovereignty, of self-power, something we all secretly search for throughout life. And he finds it. On a fast moving train heading straight for collision, on a path to his inevitable death... he finds "свобода." Because, in reality, his freedom is ephemeral and he understands this... because in reality, he has tasted the sweetness of autonomy and he knows turning back and "living" would only force him into the bitterness of captivation in a tiny dark cell.

Runaway Train, an absolutely wonderful film, thank you Mr. Bennett. Jon Voight, as an actor, is phenomenal. His craft of acting is exactly what I discussed in a previous post, extremely diverse and profitiently well-played.

Reality vs. the Dream World

As we continue to watch Midnight Cowboy, the same reoccurring and somewhat disappointing thought keeps refreshing itself in my head. Here is a somewhat naive young man who runs away to the city of lights with big dreams and hopes for his life, only to be cruelly taken advantage of and reduced to poverty. And so I thought.. is this what is in store for the rest of us? The mystical fantasy of Hollywood and the lavish lifestyle celebrities lead creates a fallacious illusion from the start of an early age. We are brought up by our surrounding population to allow our dreams to grow with no limit and are constantly persuaded that the impossible is not unreachable. But what happens when we are old enough to understand that our visions of reality are far from the truth and that our longtime dreams can be as faraway as infinity? Living under such conditions during childhood brainwashes the truth of life in the eyes of an anxious child, excited to get out into the "real" world. So, when is it correct to stop supporting exaggerated hopes and goals and to start considering the logical? Now, I'm not trying to be a dream crusher or a hope eliminator, I'm just analyzing from personal experience and observations. I love getting absorbed in the conflicts of fictional characters to simply run away from my personal problems or dilemma's at the moment, but when is it pushing the envelop to run away to an overly unrealistic dreamworld and then convince yourself that maybe one day it will all come true? The greater the imagination, the more difficult it is to depart from the world created by our thoughts and the world established by powerful individuals before our time. Do movies help promote that type of thinking?

James Franco: Destined for Greatness as an Actor?

As I was watching "Pineapple Express" this weekend, I realized how much potential James Franco has as an actor. Twelve years ago, this NYU Tisch student was merely a minor background character in the movie "Never Been Kissed." Then, in 2006, he came out as the leading male role in "Tristan and Isolde," a mix between "Troy" and "Romeo and Juliette." He was no longer a naive teenager following the crowd mindlessly, but a long lost hero who blindly falls in love with his rescuer who he later on won as a wife for his non-biological father, the King. Slightly coming out of his shell, he proved to the audience that he could pull off the entire warrier role. In "Annapolis," he played the persistant soldier who came from a difficult childhood who was capable of overcoming obstacles and pushing aside all the negativity around him in order to graduate. Even as New Goblin in "Spiderman 3," Franco played the role of the villian in a not memorable performance but still maintained to convince the watching population that there was some competence. From what I saw in "Pineapple Express," Franco not only developed his character down to the core, but also took chances. Oh, if only more actors did this! I understand the complexity of sitting down with a script and creating a character out of scratch with such distinct personality traits and habits that the character grows very realistic. It's crazy. Deciding whether to make a character have an inner dilemma that ultimately destructs the characters sanity and how to portray this breaking down... nail biting, nervous glances above the shoulder, a twitch, etc. His character, Saul the drug dealer who secretly dreamed of becoming an engineer and benefiting society, had the perfect amount of humor, creativity and friendliness that by the end of the movie, not only was I laughing at his obvious stupidity, but I was also suddenly caring for his feelings. The feelings of a drug dealer. And that, in itself, is what makes a good actor. Franco reached out beyond his comfort zone and was capable of convincing the crowd of his character. If only more actors could be as diverse and take as many chances. I see a young Heath Ledger (may he rest in peace) coming out and I'm waiting to be pleasantly surprised.