The headline read: "Relax, guys, it's movie shots" (Winnipeg Free Press, October 19, 2009). The story went on to describe a scene from a movie that was interpreted by a concerned citizen as "not normal, law-abiding behaviour". The witness reported "two bloodied men with guns in a vehicle in the Exchange District".
It didn't help that just a few kilometres away, "officers were investigating a bank robbery and possible bomb ... when the call came in". Yikes! All on a Saturday night!
The problem, as it turned out, was that no one involved in the shoot had permission "for a gun shot". Oops! Oh well. The police came, the incident was sorted out, no one was hurt or arrested, and "they all had a good laugh about it".
Lovely.
While reading the article, I couldn't help but wonder, "Why do we keep making movies like this?" The one in question is about "sadistic members of a villainous family who return to their childhood home to terrorize the new homeowners and their guests". The obvious answer is that these films are very popular and profitable. To which I asked the real question - aren't there enough bloody movies out there?
Apparently not. And thanks to incredible (or icky) special effects, filmmakers have a growing number of tools at their disposal to significantly ramp up the gory quotient. Consider the current array of gruesome on screen. Saw VI - more grisly than ever. Final Destination in 3D - a little too up close and personal. Law Abiding Citizen - not so much, and sadistic to boot.
None of it my cup of tea, but not because I have anything against that specific genre. It's just that I wonder how much further it will go before we simply can't take any more of that kind of entertainment. A thought that really hit home the other night while watching an episode of Criminal Minds.
As much as I enjoy that show, the episode was so vicious and disturbing, even I had trouble getting to sleep afterward. The interesting part was that it screened at eight o'clock at night - a time that used to be reserved for family viewing. Not these days.
So, what's the big deal, you ask? It's only make believe, you say. If you don't want to watch, don't, you add. All wise counsel in drawing the proverbial line between enough and too much.
But given that there is invariably someone out there willing to push the envelope that little bit further, be it on the big screen, the small screen, or in real life, there is always the chance that the line will blur, opening the door to the very real possibility that the next time a concerned citizen witnesses something that actually is "not normal, law-abiding behaviour", they will misinterpret what they see and write it off as yet another "movie shot".
Lovely.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Well, duh!
And the headline reads: "'Balloon Boy' saga a hoax" (Sydney Morning Herald, October 19, 2009 - 6:30AM). The first line of the article confirms it: "US authorities say the runaway balloon saga that gripped the United States was a hoax concocted by the entire family to drum up publicity for a future reality television show."
Maybe it's the cynical vein that runs through my body, but I never bought it from the first report that flashed across the screen. (See 'Oh, come on!' previously in this blog.) As the 'story' unfolded, it became even less believable - or at least that's what I thought. But the subsequent hysteria by the media, the authorities, and the gullible many, not just in the United States, but around the world, proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that people love this stuff. They love to watch it, report it, believe it, be part of it. And they continue to do so for days on end, until the story eventually runs out of steam, or it's revealed as a hoax, or something else takes its place on our radars.
As for the family, don't they have anything better to do? No? Well, apparently neither do we.
It's happened before; it will happen again. No wonder our world is in such a mess.
Maybe it's the cynical vein that runs through my body, but I never bought it from the first report that flashed across the screen. (See 'Oh, come on!' previously in this blog.) As the 'story' unfolded, it became even less believable - or at least that's what I thought. But the subsequent hysteria by the media, the authorities, and the gullible many, not just in the United States, but around the world, proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that people love this stuff. They love to watch it, report it, believe it, be part of it. And they continue to do so for days on end, until the story eventually runs out of steam, or it's revealed as a hoax, or something else takes its place on our radars.
As for the family, don't they have anything better to do? No? Well, apparently neither do we.
It's happened before; it will happen again. No wonder our world is in such a mess.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Oh, come on!
Balloon boy? Really? Are you kidding me?
"Mad scientist" parents, big helium balloon, reports that a 6-year-old boy had fallen off, or was possibly trapped inside. "The structure at the bottom of the balloon that the boy is in is made of extremely thin plywood and won't withstand any kind of a crash at all."
Media jump all over it, authorities go nuts, videos, live tracking, coverage on every channel, web alerts, breaking news, even as far away as Australia. Reporters trip over themselves in the rush to report, to run the exclusive, to give the full story, to capitalise on this potentially dreadful catastrophe - and big news story. And why wouldn't they? It had all the makings of an incredible story. Besides, one of his brothers "saw" the boy climb into the craft and undo the anchor rope. That fact alone was enough to swing the investigative wheel into top gear.
Eventually, the balloon comes down, gentle landing, but gasp! The boy is NOT inside!
Egads! Big search. Where could he be? Time ticks by. What to do, what to do!
Well, while the drama unfolded and histrionics reigned supreme, the so-called "balloon boy" was safe and sound - in a cardboard box in the attic above the garage, for heaven's sake.
Now I understand that this could have had a different ending. And I get that some people think we have to know everything every time something happens. And I applaud the media for sticking to their mandate - the public has a right to know - but seriously, can you say, "Whoa, Nellie!"
So, what was all that? A temporary distraction, perhaps? A welcome diversion? An otherwise slow news day? And then it hit me ... of course ... yes ... the perfect publicity stunt. That had to be it! Finally, something that makes sense about the entire show.
Tsk, tsk everyone. Now, back to work!
"Mad scientist" parents, big helium balloon, reports that a 6-year-old boy had fallen off, or was possibly trapped inside. "The structure at the bottom of the balloon that the boy is in is made of extremely thin plywood and won't withstand any kind of a crash at all."
Media jump all over it, authorities go nuts, videos, live tracking, coverage on every channel, web alerts, breaking news, even as far away as Australia. Reporters trip over themselves in the rush to report, to run the exclusive, to give the full story, to capitalise on this potentially dreadful catastrophe - and big news story. And why wouldn't they? It had all the makings of an incredible story. Besides, one of his brothers "saw" the boy climb into the craft and undo the anchor rope. That fact alone was enough to swing the investigative wheel into top gear.
Eventually, the balloon comes down, gentle landing, but gasp! The boy is NOT inside!
Egads! Big search. Where could he be? Time ticks by. What to do, what to do!
Well, while the drama unfolded and histrionics reigned supreme, the so-called "balloon boy" was safe and sound - in a cardboard box in the attic above the garage, for heaven's sake.
Now I understand that this could have had a different ending. And I get that some people think we have to know everything every time something happens. And I applaud the media for sticking to their mandate - the public has a right to know - but seriously, can you say, "Whoa, Nellie!"
So, what was all that? A temporary distraction, perhaps? A welcome diversion? An otherwise slow news day? And then it hit me ... of course ... yes ... the perfect publicity stunt. That had to be it! Finally, something that makes sense about the entire show.
Tsk, tsk everyone. Now, back to work!
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Where has the time gone?
Yikes! Awoke this morning with the full realisation that it is already October. Six days on, in fact. Where has the time gone?!
A quick review of the past little while reveals lots of stuff happening, a few distractions, some relaxation, and a great deal of pondering about where the time goes.
Renovations are always a time consumer, and we are right in the throes of those. But they have been going on and on and on for years. You'd think we'd have figured out a way to incorporate them more efficiently and effectively into our lives. Or at least a way to finish them more quickly and save ourselves further angst. Ah, the thought of all that time being directed elsewhere.
Then there are the commitments we can't ignore - the things we promised to attend, want to attend, should attend. The time we spend dealing with people - on the phone, in the street, over breakfast, entrenched in meetings. The accidental things - "It'll only take me a minute", "I suppose I could do that now", "I didn't see that coming!" The pointless things - worrying, being angry, judging. All time munchers.
Jobs are a big sponge. We all have them, in one form or another, and we can easily lose time and ourselves in those. Most of us love our jobs, some hate them, and others do them on the understanding that they are merely a means to an end - something we do so we can get on with the rest of our lives. Whatever your perspective, a great deal of our life time is spent working.
Add into the mix three meals a day, regular cleaning, weekly shopping, getting to and from, sleeping and snooze buttons, pets, kids, schooling, various activities, downtime (movies, TV, reading, conversations), and it's easy to see where the time goes.
And that's not even an exhaustive list!
Taking my own situation into consideration, it all comes down to how I not only allocate my time, but value my time. I'm getting better at the allocation part, but it's the valuing bit that is the real challenge. Especially when it comes to my projects, my needs. Not always easy to make them a priority.
But I can, as long I remember that my stuff is just as important as everyone else's. That I have a choice about what I do when and how I do it. That time will get away from me, no matter how I try to contain it. And that life happens, even if I schedule it out.
So, at the end of the day, it doesn't really matter where the time goes. What does matter is that we have time, and it's completely up to us how we spend it.
A quick review of the past little while reveals lots of stuff happening, a few distractions, some relaxation, and a great deal of pondering about where the time goes.
Renovations are always a time consumer, and we are right in the throes of those. But they have been going on and on and on for years. You'd think we'd have figured out a way to incorporate them more efficiently and effectively into our lives. Or at least a way to finish them more quickly and save ourselves further angst. Ah, the thought of all that time being directed elsewhere.
Then there are the commitments we can't ignore - the things we promised to attend, want to attend, should attend. The time we spend dealing with people - on the phone, in the street, over breakfast, entrenched in meetings. The accidental things - "It'll only take me a minute", "I suppose I could do that now", "I didn't see that coming!" The pointless things - worrying, being angry, judging. All time munchers.
Jobs are a big sponge. We all have them, in one form or another, and we can easily lose time and ourselves in those. Most of us love our jobs, some hate them, and others do them on the understanding that they are merely a means to an end - something we do so we can get on with the rest of our lives. Whatever your perspective, a great deal of our life time is spent working.
Add into the mix three meals a day, regular cleaning, weekly shopping, getting to and from, sleeping and snooze buttons, pets, kids, schooling, various activities, downtime (movies, TV, reading, conversations), and it's easy to see where the time goes.
And that's not even an exhaustive list!
Taking my own situation into consideration, it all comes down to how I not only allocate my time, but value my time. I'm getting better at the allocation part, but it's the valuing bit that is the real challenge. Especially when it comes to my projects, my needs. Not always easy to make them a priority.
But I can, as long I remember that my stuff is just as important as everyone else's. That I have a choice about what I do when and how I do it. That time will get away from me, no matter how I try to contain it. And that life happens, even if I schedule it out.
So, at the end of the day, it doesn't really matter where the time goes. What does matter is that we have time, and it's completely up to us how we spend it.