Too much furor over recent movies

Recently I got the chance to watch two very controversial movies and I have to say that I?m slightly disappointed. By the way everyone was acting about these movies, I was sure that while watching one I would have the urge to change my lifestyle and while watching the other I would burst into flames. Amazingly, nothing happened. I am in one piece and my understanding of life, my little bubble as I like to call it, goes undisturbed. If you haven?t guessed, I watched ?Brokeback Mountain? and the ?DaVinci Code? recently.

I watched ?Brokeback Mountain? at my sister?s house. She actually bought the movie because she liked it so much. With that kind of endorsement, I just had to watch it. Throughout the movie, I kept thinking that this was just like any other love story in that there were two people who wanted to be together but couldn?t. Sad, right? I don?t want to ruin the ending for those of you who haven?t seen it, but this love story didn?t end in happily ever after.

I would have to say that this movie could only be enjoyed by an open minded person. A person who is secure in themselves. I was told that no self respecting southern man would ever watch that movie. In response I stated that no self respecting southern man would ever admit to watching that movie. I have changed my stance. To him, and others of that opinion, I now say that?s your loss. Not a loss of missing a pretty good movie, but the loss of an open mind. Which, by the way, is almost a necessity in an ever changing world. A closed mind has it?s limits but an open mind has no limits.

The second movie I saw at the theater with my niece. Right from the beginning, after hearing all the controversy, I did expect to burst into flames just by being there. The thought didn?t fill me with apprehension, but it did leave me a little unfulfilled once the movie was over and I was still okay. It?s the same reaction when you see really great previews of the movie and then you watch it and the only great scene was the one on the preview. At that point you wish you could get your money back. Even demand your money back, because there should be a law against advertising something as good when it?s really bad.

I didn?t want my money back from the ?DaVinci Code? though. It was a really good movie. It had a lot of suspense and action. Tom Hanks is a really great actor. Now, I want to read the book.

Me being me, I couldn?t help but keep a count of the characters in the movie who needed psychological help. I think my last count was five.

After watching the movie, I couldn?t help but wonder what all the fuss was about. If you can tell fact from fiction, you?ll be okay. If you can?t, you could come out of there thinking that Jesus was just a wonderful guy who did nice things and that woman really should rule alongside men.

Wait just a minute, women do rule! It all makes sense to me now. That?s why the church was trying to hide it so much. Women have all the power. We give life. We rule! It?s so clear to me now. Over the centuries that?s why women have been oppressed by men. They are just trying to control the inevitability that women could and should rule the world. If it?s true that women rule, maybe…?

Got ya! Download a sense of humor. I hear the Internet offers great things like that now. Ebay is wonderful.

While in college one of the many things that I learned is that anything can be interpreted in different ways by different people, and that symbolism can be seen in almost everything even if it wasn?t consciously placed there. When it comes to movies, the best ones are the ones that feed upon real life drama. The best way to handle fiction movies is for the viewer to stay in reality and let the movie slip into fantasy, not the other way around.

Lisa Hobbs is a reporter for the Standard. She can be reached at 473-2191 or by e-mail at [email protected].