Movies...woo!

We saw The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe today. Tonight we watched The Graduate. Two movies that you might think are pretty different, but I find to be quite similar.

First off, it was really nice to see a movie at the theater. This was just the third time Steph and I had been to the theater since we left Utah. It was a good feeling, and we will be out to the movies much more in the weeks to come.

Chronicles of Narnia was pretty darned good. As one of only 2 or 3 people on Earth that hasn't read The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, I realized going in that I had absolutely no idea what this movie was about. I'm still not sure I know completely. Its a kids story about excitement and adventure, complete with morals and life lessons. Its an escapist movie if there ever was one.

4 kids are trapped in London during the World War II bombings. Their father is away fighting in the war. Peter, the oldest, is charged with being the "man of the house." It is hard when war comes to your home and isn't just in a far off land. It is hard for those who have to deal with it, but have no way to do anything about it.

If people facing hardship were to find a portal to a magical land, one might think that that land would be wonderful and happy and free of conflict. That is not true. The land they discover is very dangerous and is in the midst of a massive war of its own. Only in this war, these 4 kids play a pivotal role. And Peter, in specific, is chosen to lead an entire army in a fight for freedom. There are no ambiguous poltical issues here. There is a clear and true cause against an enemy that is pure evil. The kids, of course save the day. Freedom and righteousness return to Narnia.

Tonight, we watched the Graduate. One of my favorite movies, and not as dissimilar from Narnia as one might think. Contrary to the general belief the Graduate is NOT about sex. It is not about affairs. It is not about creepy old ladies seducing young men. The Graduate is about desperation. It is about young people who do not understand or like their place in the world. It is about older people with regrets about their lost youth.

Ben is a college graduate. He was a fantastic student and athelete in college, and now he has no idea what to do with himself. He is bored out of his mind. His parents' life is not appealing to him. Adults tell him on several occasions that he will only be young once. Mrs. Robinson once went to college, she once wanted to be an artist. Instead she became a wife and then a mother and then an alcoholic and then she wants to sleep with Ben in some desperate attempt to feel young again.

There is a theme in both of these movies. It exists in movies like Fight Club, the Matrix, Lost in Translation and several others. It is a feeling that has been around for a long time. A need that exists in all humans to live a life that is satisfying. To be in control of your own destiny. To do or be something that feels important. To feel like you matter. It is an inate feeling that exists within people, and the best kinds of movies are the ones that get in touch with this feeling.

-T