The Boxer: What Are Ya Talkin' About?

Of Daniel Day-Lewis's Irish films, In the Name of My Father wins, The Boxer finishes last. It was frustrating to watch because I kept thinking, "With these great actors and such a passionate setting, how is this movie so bland?"The Boxer has a weak script and average direction. Irish history is so full of emotion and yet the story of The Boxer is a sensational love story. Do we really believe that after fourteen years, these full grown adults are ready to die for each other and put their loved ones at risk? The final boxing scene is well directed/edited - it connects the audience emotionally to the characters for the first time, showing Danny's courage and loyalty and Harry's evilness and dissent.

However, this movie Does win for Day-Lewis's best looking film- God bless him!

Shutter Island: Order Vs. Chaos

There is a lot I could speculate on about this movie. But I think the running theme is order vs. chaos. Is prison and the act of keeping prisoners any different than keeping patients at a hostpital? Is either one more moral because it attempts to control chaos? Are the prisoners any different from a patient? Similarly, just because our brain is seemingly in chaos, does that mean it is in need of being controlled? Who determines mental chaos vs. mental order? And how has our society dealt with human beings that behave or think in a more chaotic manner than most? How much of the chaotic thought and behavior is natural instinct, of which we are now, as a society, trying to eliminate?

While there are some boring moments and it is somewhat predictable, the movie is entertaining and thought-provoking. There are other realms of thought that our brains can wander into. Extreme stress or depression can bring this about and the final scene depicts this well. Leo struggles to view his two realities side by side, when both are equally real to him. It is hard for most people to imagine but I believe the brain is very capable of creating its own reality. From the brain of a great thinker, "Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth would that mean that it is not real?". Dumbledore gets it.