I watched Charlie St. Cloud ("Charlie") last week with Akmar.
Gosh, to think that I'm writing about something which happened last week on a day which almost marks the end of this week. But it could have been worse in the sense that I could choose not to write about it at all. So count your blessings, haha.
Gosh, to think that I'm writing about something which happened last week on a day which almost marks the end of this week. But it could have been worse in the sense that I could choose not to write about it at all. So count your blessings, haha.
Honestly, I was not even contemplating to watch Charlie. In fact, I only got to know about it because there was the movie signboard advertisement that I have to pass by before I enter the Federal Highway on my way to work. However, seeing that it was a last-minute arrangement on a Friday night (thanks to my sudden crave to watch another movie barely two nights after having watched Step Up 3) and that Eat Pray Love was totally full (well, an available first row seating is not that appealing especially since my upcoming weekend will be marred by a stiff neck), Charlie was the next best thing.
Perhaps it was better for me that I entered the cinema hall with no high expectations for Charlie. I've been forewarned by others that the movie is nothing more than a bucket of tears based on them having watched the making of Charlie. And the lead actor, though others rated him as good looking, is not exactly one of my favourite leading men. With those factors in mind, all I wanted from Charlie was just enough entertainment to end a Friday night. In the end, I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised.
Before I go any further, let me just say that I've never been (and don't intend to be) a movie critic. There would be no spoilers (because I don't believe in spoiling others' share of entertainment) and there certainly will not be any 'The movie would have been better if the director did this or that' kind of comments. As it is, I am not planning on becoming a director or a script writer anytime soon. All I want to achieve from this entry is merely recording what I felt and what I think I've learned from the movie. After all, learning is not confined to the four walls of the classroom only.
Anyway, I thought the movie was profoundly moving. It had none of the 3D thingies that we have all been recently caught in. Neither did it have those complicated plots and level of thinking that makes us wonder whether the straight spoon we hold in our hands could be bent using concentration of mind power. Nope, it had none of those, thank God. There were only a few characters involved in a plot so simple one could be kicked in the head for not thinking about it earlier. There were also a lot of sea scenes which would have made Dad very happy if I could ever persuade him to watch the silver screen. It was in short, a story (albeit with a slight supernatural twist to it. Okay, I've said more than I should) about how the bond between brothers could transcend beating hearts and different spaces in time. But most importantly, it tries to convey a simple truth that life is about living. The characters in the movie were there to show us how that should have been one of the easiest concepts to grasp and that we often fail to do so.
I don't know about you but I am one of those guilty ones who fail to learn, despite my age (don't think I'm going to spill the beans on my age here) that life is about living in the present. Whether it was a conscious choice or something that is just inherently built in me, it has always been to chase the future and once I've reached the destination or objective, to lament on the past. Nothing is ever thought of about the present when that could very well be the most exciting period. Dad said that to think about the past or things (or persons) you have lost or reminiscing about memories are not good. Nostalgia is a mental shackle that keeps you back from reaching towards the future. And the very reason for having nostalgia is because one feels that the present is not appealing enough, conveniently forgetting that today's present would be tomorrow's past.
Perhaps that is why I'm trying (although I can't say I've been successful much) to be more in the present. I think I want to be more receptive towards things which I would have rejected or dismissed in the past as frivolous. It means trying out 'possibilities', considering 'chances' and taking 'opportunities' instead of settling for 'decisions'. If I was shy in the past, that would naturally mean me having to take the initiative to approach people now (I think my fistful of friends would be rolling on the floor right now, laughing their asses off). If my taste in music was previously confined to oldies, I am now trying to acclimatise my ears to what people call nowadays as music. Unfortunately, that is still a failure despite my ability to automatically hum along whenever modern songs are aired. Last but not least, I think I appreciate people more than I ever did.
However, this does not mean that I'm throwing my life away or condoning participation in events or involvement with people that would give me a future to regret. I believe in life and that life is about living. I just have to tread this tightrope of choices carefully enough so that in my effort to live life, I do not actually waste whatever I've achieved these past years away.
p/s this is so totally random. And I've just noticed that I tend to define more as in "Charlie". This could be a serious case of work influencing the personal realm *shudder*.
Anyway, I thought the movie was profoundly moving. It had none of the 3D thingies that we have all been recently caught in. Neither did it have those complicated plots and level of thinking that makes us wonder whether the straight spoon we hold in our hands could be bent using concentration of mind power. Nope, it had none of those, thank God. There were only a few characters involved in a plot so simple one could be kicked in the head for not thinking about it earlier. There were also a lot of sea scenes which would have made Dad very happy if I could ever persuade him to watch the silver screen. It was in short, a story (albeit with a slight supernatural twist to it. Okay, I've said more than I should) about how the bond between brothers could transcend beating hearts and different spaces in time. But most importantly, it tries to convey a simple truth that life is about living. The characters in the movie were there to show us how that should have been one of the easiest concepts to grasp and that we often fail to do so.
I don't know about you but I am one of those guilty ones who fail to learn, despite my age (don't think I'm going to spill the beans on my age here) that life is about living in the present. Whether it was a conscious choice or something that is just inherently built in me, it has always been to chase the future and once I've reached the destination or objective, to lament on the past. Nothing is ever thought of about the present when that could very well be the most exciting period. Dad said that to think about the past or things (or persons) you have lost or reminiscing about memories are not good. Nostalgia is a mental shackle that keeps you back from reaching towards the future. And the very reason for having nostalgia is because one feels that the present is not appealing enough, conveniently forgetting that today's present would be tomorrow's past.
Perhaps that is why I'm trying (although I can't say I've been successful much) to be more in the present. I think I want to be more receptive towards things which I would have rejected or dismissed in the past as frivolous. It means trying out 'possibilities', considering 'chances' and taking 'opportunities' instead of settling for 'decisions'. If I was shy in the past, that would naturally mean me having to take the initiative to approach people now (I think my fistful of friends would be rolling on the floor right now, laughing their asses off). If my taste in music was previously confined to oldies, I am now trying to acclimatise my ears to what people call nowadays as music. Unfortunately, that is still a failure despite my ability to automatically hum along whenever modern songs are aired. Last but not least, I think I appreciate people more than I ever did.
However, this does not mean that I'm throwing my life away or condoning participation in events or involvement with people that would give me a future to regret. I believe in life and that life is about living. I just have to tread this tightrope of choices carefully enough so that in my effort to live life, I do not actually waste whatever I've achieved these past years away.
p/s this is so totally random. And I've just noticed that I tend to define more as in "Charlie". This could be a serious case of work influencing the personal realm *shudder*.
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