Back and Forth

Today I watched The Notebook. I used to think it was the paramount love story of my generation. I can see why the girls of my age love it. Ryan Gosling is super hot. They reconnect after nearly a decade apart, even though she is engaged to another man. It gives a girl hope that true love will win out, against all odds. If that's not love, what is?

I'll you what love is. Love is when the girl is a rancorous bitch. When she is upset with you, but refuses to tell you why. Instead of walking away in frustration or yelling or blaming her you take her in your arms and tell her you love her. You refuse to leave until you are sure that she is sure you love her.

That, my friends, is love. Happy Valentine's Day.

My Love for You is Like a Truck Berserker

As I was looking for movie times today, I came across this article. This is something I've personally never encountered. Someone doesn't like Kevin Smith? Say what? I'm going to answer that obviously biased article with one that is equally biased. I love Kevin Smith. I think his movies are funny and smart and they make me think.

Ok, I think the best way to tackle this is to do it point by point.

Movie Critic: Kevin Smith is threatening that he won't let critics see his films early and for free. Boo hoo.

It must be tough to get paid to watch and review movies. Those poor critics! People read what they write and make decisions based on their articles! Oh how difficult it must be to have influence. They most definitely deserve to get movies for free and before everyone else. The stress of it all.

MC: Smith hasn't delivered us his superhero movie.

Look, I'm not going to be making excuses for Smith. He's a big boy. I enjoy his movies and if he hasn't put out a superhero movie yet, then I'll wait until he does. If this fabled movie never comes out my life will go on.

MC: His movies are rarely as good as their reputations indicate. Some are OK, but most aren't even that.

This is his opinion, and he has a right to one. I think that each of his movies touch on a different subject and he brings a light to them that I personally hadn't considered. Take Dogma for example. I've been a practicing Catholic my entire life and his movie made light of many facets of my religion. I found his take on Catholicism very interesting and hilarious. Oh! Our movie critic also mentions that he thought Clerks 2 wasn't very good and I'd like to argue that it was even better than Clerks. With Clerks, Kevin Smith introduced himself and it was great, but Clerks 2 was a more free and relaxed kind of funny. To be honest, I wouldn't take my mother to see a Kevin Smith movie. I don't want to have the mutual experience of a donkey show with her. His brand of humor isn't for everyone. Which brings me to my next point.

MC: Smith's movies don't gross more than 50 million dollars domestically.

Like I said, his movies aren't for everyone. I think that many people have at least a small part of the person that Kevin Smith's movies are meant for in them, but most people can't, won't or don't access that part of their personality. Who knows why?

MC: Kevin Smith tells people not to read reviews and just go see movies. Movies are so expensive, so people should use the advice of "trusted critics" before making such an investment in their entertainment.

I've worked at a movie theater. I see movies all time, and I only make minimum wage. They way studios are making trailers for their movies basically illustrates the entire plot and cast of the advertised film. Even if you don't trust the flashy trailers, you know what kinds of movies you like and those that you don't. You know the good actors from the bad. You don't need to read a critic's opinion to make a choice. If it really is the money that is stopping you then there are many ways to get around paying for a full price ticket. Senior discounts. Student discounts. Matinees. Those are just the legitimate routes.

MC: Smith's internet rants are discrediting him as a filmmaker. He needs to focus on improving his craft instead of his perceived injustices. I'm just a man who needs to write about movies to pay my rent.

Oh, ok. So you can write a rant against a man who dislikes the preferential treatment you get when it comes to seeing movies, but he can't complain about how airlines treat their customers poorly? You get paid to watch free movies and talk about them. Guess what? People pay for movies and write their opinions on the internet EVERYDAY. Just because you can't laugh at a guy puking after losing a debate about the sexual orientation of hobbits doesn't make you the last word on movies. Or people, for that matter.

Mad Scientists of Today and Tommorow

so yesterday in Biotechnology we are finishing the move Pandora's Box and it's all about Jim Watson and his views on genetic engineering and purification and whatnot of the future. Now if you've ever seen the man you'd immediatly notice that he is slightly creepy. I don't know if it's that he is old or that everytime he says something he finds profound he gives you this wide-eyed "hey I'm a genius and I just blew your mind" look. Either way, I find him both smart and creepy.

In my last post I quoted him, and here I shall quote him further:

"We're playing god, but that's an awefully good thing to do."

Am I the only one seeing an issue with that? Whether or not you beleive in God or gods, I think the fact that he is, in fact, aiming to be a godlike being is rediculous.

To just give some background, the whole movie was really about Eugenics, it is this idea of purifying the gene pool. Now that sounds wrong in many ways, but ideally it isn't supposed to be. The aims of eugenics are to eliminate disease, hereditary in nature. Things like sickle cell anemia and manic depression could essentially be weeded out of the world.

There have been, however, some extremely disgusting cases of botched eugenics in the past. The most widely known one being the experiments done by the Nazi party in Germany. Their goal, duh, was to create a pure Aryan race. They tried changing eye color and hair color in sick, twisted, and dangerous experiments.

Watson argues, though, that instead of just having children with cystic fibrosis or hemophelia, parents could choose to not let these genes be reproduced. (here is the biggie) His solution to what parents would see as a problem in a child would be to terminate pregnancies. He argues parents should have the option to test for genetic "issues" and opt to end the pregnancy before it comes to term so the children dont have to "suffer" with any disease during their lives.

He isnt saying they should, he is saying they should be able to. The producers of the movie did interview an author on the genetic nature of Manic Depression about what she thought about this new eugenics. The woman suffers from manic depression and has made a suicide attempt in her past. She can make the pedigree of her family and show who has had manic depression and who has made attempts at suicide. She tells about how when she was diagnosed her doctor told her not to have kids because it was hereditary. Apalling of him, I know. She then argues that people shouldnt use eugenics to rid the population of her disease. The thing is, people with Manic Depression have a higher tendency to be extremely creative. She counters Watson with the fact that by ridding society of people like her, you would be eliminating a large portion of the creativity of the world.

He counters with by letting people be born with this terrible disease, you would be letting them suffer.

I sat through this movie for two days and at every turn I changed my mind. At first I was totally turned off to Watson's ideals, but once you see past the crazy you can see some truth and some respect for human life, sorta. Then I'm totally disgusted again. This movie made me so sdlhighodiag hdgndlghidogh. oh yeah.

So that was the past part, now on to the future.

My plan is to be a doctor, so lots of science. The only severly interesting part of it all to me is genetics. This is so vital to me that I have a stand on it, and all I'm getting is more confused. I dont want to be some crazed Hitleresque genetecist who let's you design your baby. I also dont want to be responsible for the suffering of a helpless being. I mean, sure, I have ten years to figure it out, but still....haha.