The soul has greater need of the ideal than the real for it is by the real that we exist, it is by the ideal that we live

Monday, April 20, 2009

Ben, we hardly know ye

I saw State of Play this weekend. The cast was incredible. Russell Crowe, Jeff Daniels, Helen Mirren, Jason Bateman, Ben Affleck, Robin Wright-Penn. The story was character driven, which is just my cup of tea. There was plenty of suspense and maneuvering by the characters so you were always trying to figure out what they were up to.

However, there were a few misses. The primary villain that we're directed to hate (willingly) is a corporation named Pointcorp who is really Halliburton in a thinly veiled disguise. They're making billions off of our most recent war by hiring mercenaries to send off to kill people, and though their actions are made pretty obvious there is no real discussion of the true villainy that is exemplified by the very existence of such corporations.

Another thing that I felt needed development was the mentor relationship Crowe had with Rachel McAdams character Della. She is a blogger, barely worthy of his reportorial disdain, and he takes her under his wing and she learn how to be a real reporter. He unfortunately doesn't see the handing down the mantle connection that is obvious to anyone over 40. Apparently he already knows enough and needs to learn nothing from younger people.

It was a non-movie star movie full of movie stars. It was actually pretty cool in that regard. I knew Afleck and Crowe and Mirren and all the rest were handing in their usual solid stuff, but there was no celebration of their presence.

On a more shallow note though I have to ask, "WHY DID BEN AFFLECK HAVE HIS FACE WORKED ON?" He looks like a corpse. It was embarrassing to see a man that handsome obviously succumb to ego and I would hope the bad advice of an agent or someone else who is a complete fool, because I'd hate to think he did that of his own accord.

Whatever he had done ruined his eyes. There was only one moment in which he looked like Ben Affleck. Early on he goes to Crowe's apartment and as he is taking his coat off he turns around and says something about the look of the apartment and we see this glimpse of the real Ben Affleck. Other than that he looks like a mannequin. Said to see someone fall from grace in such a clumsy way.

But the movie...Go see it. These are the kinds of projects almost no one does anymore and exactly the kind we need more of.

On a very different note we have another suicide of an 11 year old boy to report. This one was bullyed to death as well.



His 10 year old sister found him hanging in his room where he'd been sent to calm down after coming home in a bad mood from school. When asked what was wrong he refused to answer his mother and she sent him there. Only to find him a while later with his sister holding him up to release the pressure on his neck and screaming "Get Him Down!"

When do you suppose we're going to confront the issue of bullying? Those of us who carry those scars are reminded how bad and how isolating it can be. There has to be someone to help, it's imperative.