So, the Hurt Locker. This is a good movie, but don't be fooled.
This man is very attractive. But he has a lot of issues. Issues that don't even include problems like this.
Or even this.
I guess this is kind of spoiler-ish, so you're forewarned. I had gotten the impression from some of the reviews that this was one of those 'man put in difficult position, survives, puts himself back in harm's way for the good of his men' kind of movies. Those are good films. Also good, Star Trek.
Unfortunately, this movie is not either of those. It's a little like The Kingdom, where it's intense and crazy (and on the HD pretty sweet) and you leave feeling like the world is a pretty dark and cold place. But mostly I just ended up feeling ambiguous towards the main character.
I was all set to really like him. He was hot and had a swagger. He was kind of cavalier about his job, but formula generally states that shit will happen, the team will come together, and the end will be some variation of puppies and rainbows. But, as it turns out, our hero has a major case of disassociation. I kind of wished he was the one talking to the shrink instead of the cute Specialist who we last saw as the guy that almost got shot by Jake Gylenhaal in Jarhead.
Which is kind of ironic considering that he actually gets shot by the main character in Hurt Locker.
But there is no talking to the shrink or working out issues or even enjoying the family. Our main character goes back to war, but he's not doing it out of a sense of duty or brotherhood or even because it's a job. Before he ships out again, our hero has a conversation with his infant son about how, as you get older, the circle of things you love will shrink until there is maybe only one or two things left. And that's the case for him, our hero only loves the bomb. Which is just amazingly sad.
It was a good movie, but I came away sad and upset with our main guy because you get the feeling that his issues are going to get someone killed someday. I think I need to watch some Star Trek and find my happy place again.
Something pretty amazing happened the other day and I feel the need to share. To set the story, I have to give some background info....
Almost four years ago I graduated from college...holy hell, I graduated from college almost four years ago, ugh...anyway...so four years ago on my graduation I was given an iPod (wonderful). Using some grad money, I bought one of those fm transmitters that plugs into the bottom of the iPod so that my music would play through my car stereo. Necessary because my little Alero didn't have an auxiliary input.
The Griffin iTrip I bought (for 70 freking dollars), worked ok. I could listen to music, but it was often really static-y and had a hard time finding a signal. I became jealous of my friends' cars who had tape decks and could use the tape converter. So simple and easy. Why couldn't my car have a tape deck? (Actually it did, but then I switched it out for a CD player with no aux. input before graduation. Damn my lack of foresight!)
Fast forward to about two weeks ago when the piedmont of North Carolina suddenly decided it wanted to be like New York. Seven inches of snow fell. I realized I don't have the kind of cold weather clothing I really need, especially now that I'm trying to actually move to NY (or somewhere I can get a phd).
Well, while there was still snow and ice all around and my brother was out of school for most of the week, my college told me to suck it up and get to class. And there I was making my cold, but merry way to my car two Tuesday's ago, scratching the ice off my windows with a credit card (the thinking woman's ice scraper). As I'm getting my iPod ready for the drive, I realize I can't find the iTrip. I had just had it, literally, in my hand and remembered putting it in my backpack. But I can't find it. And for the next week it is nowhere to be seen.
Then comes Superbowl Sunday and I decide at 9 pm, when its dark and cold outside, that I MUST find this thing. And there I am outside with the flashlight, prepared to tear my car apart, thinking it must have fallen between the seats. As I tromping across the leftover ice, I see something just ahead of my car, in the place where I usually park. I'm thinking to myself that's weird, what is it? It's small. And black. And looks suspiciously, oh holy crap, its the iTrip.
It had apparently, fallen out of the backpack that previous Tuesday and sat outside in the cold and the snow and the rain for a full week. I googled my problem that evening to see if there was a way to fix it, but apparently I am the only person on the internet who has left their iTrip out in the snow for a week. I still feel that this is somewhat unlikely.
The next morning I have to drive to school again and I figure I might as well try and see if it will work. After plugging it in, Dave Matthews started playing through my speakers. ! ! ! Unbelievable.
So, the moral of this story is that I don't complain about my iTrip anymore, it's an amazing piece of technology. And if anyone is thinking of getting one I highly recommend Griffen...or an auxiliary input.
