The Mirror: Wonder

Great movies sometimes appear from nowhere. You never hear anything about them before they are released, when they are released or after they are released...nothing; until you notice it among the many films to chose from on Netflix. You're looking for a family friendly film for Saturday night at the movies and there it is.

Starring Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson who are both perfectly cast, Wonder is the story of a boy who has a misshapen face courtesy of countless surgeries to help him survive the consequences of a rare genetic disease. Auggie is home schooled until it's time for him to start middle school, and his parents decided he should join the 'mainstream.' It's not an original story. Mask comes to mind instantly, but there are many stories of children and adults with deformities and/or disabilities who have to overcome fear and prejudice as they attempt to live normal lives. Wonder, in my opinion, stands out from the crowd.

"You can't blend in when you were born to stand out."

(Via's words of encouragement to her brother, Auggie.)

Beautifully written and acted, Wonder was a moving and inspirational film experience for all of us. We laughed. We cried. We raged at injustice. We rejoiced with acts of bravery and kindness. When so many films celebrate darker, nasty aspects of human nature and behaviour, Wonder shone the spotlight on what is great, what is excellent and praiseworthy.

I particularly enjoyed the way characters loved with actions. In fact, for Auggie's friend Jack, and Auggie's sister's friend, they chose to demonstrate they they were sorry for what they had done, and that they loved and cared about their friends, by doing something. Beyond words they demonstrated love. It was very powerful.

They were too may great lines in the film to list them all, but here's a couple that stuck in my mind. Auggie's dad tells him that when he was wearing his mask all the time, he missed seeing his face. His says, "I missed that face. That's the face of my son. I love that face. I want to see that face." Auggie's mum tells him he's not ugly, he's beautiful. Auggie complains that she is only saying that because she is his mother. "So because I'm your mother, my opinion doesn't count? she says. "Right," says Auggie. She counters, "It's because I'm your mother, my opinion counts the most."

I highly recommend Wonder as a film which celebrates goodness, kindness and bravery. I dare you to watch it and not be moved, deeply moved.

What the movies say to me

I've watched a few movies over the last couple of days, and being the deep and meaningful kind of man, I am, I haven't simply viewed these films for their entertainment value. I'm always looking for something, because I don't believe directors or writers are neutral. Even the most superficial of movies, the 'all style and no substance' variety, is, in my opinion trying to say something to us about the human condition.

Mad Max was released in 1979, and is considered an Australian classic. The main theme of Mad Max was revenge. What I took away from it was that if you take away everything that a person has to live for, they no longer have anything to live for, and they stop being themselves. Think about it.

The Imitation Game was released this year, and is a terrific film based on the true story of an eccentric mathematician who worked on a top secret project for the British government during the second world war.What I took away from this film is that nothing is as it seems on the surface, and governments sometimes have to do things which are necessary, albeit extremely distasteful.

The Avengers: Age of Ultron is another in a long line of special effects heavy, plot light superhero movies based on comic book characters. It is a really fun, entertaining movie with stunning visual effects and funny one liners. What I took away from it was that everybody wants to believe that there is someone or something better than them (stronger, faster, smarter) who can save them when they can't save themselves. We all need heroes to believe in, and we all need a saviour.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on movies, these or any others, and the idea they speak volumes about we who devour them.

The Pretty Good Gatsby

Yesterday, I showed  The Great Gatsby to my class of English language students. We had been discussing the successive topics of fame and fortune, and rich and poor, so Luhrman's adaptation of the brilliant F. Scott Fitzgerald novel was appropriate. It was the second time I had seen it, and what struck me was how much more I enjoyed it the second time. Pondering this, I realized that the first time I watched the film was very soon after I finished reading the book. That first viewing of The Great Gatsby was tainted by constant mental comparisons between the film and the book.

Readers know that by and large, films, no matter how good they are, are not as good as the novels or short stories upon which they are based. Why? Imagination. Nothing engages the imagination more effectively than a book.

I am prepared now, following my second viewing of The Great Gatsby to elevate its status from pretty good to great. Have you ever seen a film which was better than the book upon which it was based?