Day 2 of Movie Review: The Movie that Changed My Opinion on Something

Been a long while but finally get to sit down and do reviews again, and here is day 2 out of the 30 days of reviews.  The movie that changed my opinion on something, based on the topic itself, there are a handful of films that changed some of my point of views, namely films by Wong Kar Wai, Stanley Kubrick and bunch of other visionary film-making geniuses whom are masters at telling three-dimension stories on a giant flat screen (no pun intended).  I'm always found with films that are more visually driven, it's like the silence I enjoy between the music notes.  The silence of 2001: A Space Odyssey, beauty in pure form, not only because it is visually daunting, it also has a lot to do with the illusion its pace creates (or builds up to), and I can just let go of my mind and enjoy this piece of art work frame by frame.  I never knew what hit me when I first watched it, the waves just blew me away as I realized my mind was changed forever, what Science Fiction is all about.  Purity, purity goes a long way in beauty.

From "American Beauty" On

Before discussing what American Beauty means to me now, I would like to date back on a post I blogged about this film and how it relates to me back then.

January 31, 2008  
The different layers of the character's personality, their different faces, point of views. Things that they hide, and things that they try to escape. It improves my way of thinking, and a new vision of my life, what I'm dealing with, my personal problems. It tells the simple beauty of life, and the joy it can possibly carries. Many people are blinded these days and try hide their feelings, they lost their true character somewhere. Money becomes the most important needs in their life. Their love has gone. The commentary within Lester himself is inspiring and also creates a strong image throughout the movie. Ricky Fitts carries his camera and record everything that is beautiful. The recording part shows me the simple beauty of the nature, and people. At the end, Lester says his whole life flashes in front of him when he dies. This is the part that makes me think American Beauty is a master piece. And finally, let's don't forget about his quote "It's hard to stay mad when there's so much beauty in the world."

American Beauty is a master piece that doesn come along very often.   

I praised this movie for I've discovered an efficient and comfortable way to express myself.  I knew nothing about film and American Beauty was like a person looking through me, and when I looked back, I saw a much completed being than the face and eyes i saw everyday in the mirror.  From American Beauty on, I've started to look for the pieces I didn't see and things I hadn't realized through films.  Value of love, beauty, everything that has to do with living.  More and more I found God uses films to speak to me, then I began to look into the Bible.  Till now, though far from the perfect being on earth, I'm capable to look back at my true self and meditate my thoughts, embrace imperfections and negativeness.  Like Lester (Kevin Spacey) in the film, coming to life again, able to see the madness of the society but laugh with it.  He didn't lose anything, just that an important part of his mind and emotion are asleep, waiting to be waken.

Look Closer

I still do take in information as the way I see it, but from time to time I would look closer, things can get frustrating and discouraging since many fantasies would be torn into pieces once they're examined.  It's about putting them back together, and through this recovering stage, I understand not to hold on to things with my own heart, for what life really is, when I am the only person living and fantasizing.  Through looking closer, I've learned we can never forget things, but we can let go of what happened. Very so often I'm overwhelmed to fulfill my desire, but neglect what I really need; self obsessed and impulsive.

American Beauty is a great film for it deals with all the core matters that make us human.  The scary part we always too shameful to face yet too weak to contain.  However, the film doesn't pin points these out and tells us how bad we suck and how ugly we really are; American Beauty laughs with us when we laugh at the tragedies the characters are going through.  We laugh because we understand Lester, a simple yet pitiful man; American Beauty laughs because it understands us, pitiful yet simple beings.  Its sophistication not only changes my point of view on something, it changes my opinion on everything.