mjtaylor_communications Reviews

The Majestic (2001)

I liked it too although I'm not usually a Jim Carey fan

[21 November 2004]

This DVD came in my last batch from Netflix, and I wondered why I had ever chosen it. Finally on a rainy Saturday, I put it on and was enchanted and moved. Jim Carey was great as were all the cast. The story seemed so very timely in light of recent national events. A land where dissenting voices are labeled unpatriotic and people of intellect and wide-ranging analysis are dismissed as elitist is positively frightening. "The Majestic" shows how we can get back to being our best selves and fulfill our promise as a nation that now seems so bleak to some of us. Caring about each other, our community, that is how we really come alive and make a difference. Building and striving for what is possible and making it safe to express and fulfill dreams gives me hope that we really can get back to where we belong if we'd only stop being so self-righteous, rude, and intolerant. I grew up in the party of Eisenhower but never felt that opposing ideas were unpatriotic. We need to be kinder to each other, recapture the courtesy of a lost era, be thoughtful and intellectually curious to be sure that we come up with the very best ideas and solutions we can in today's world. "The Majestic" is a wonderful reminder of what ordinary people can do when we come together and work to achieve something that uplifts a whole community. I heartily recommend it.

Two Brothers (2004)

Evokes soul searching and uncomfortable truths

[26 June 2004]

My son and I saw this film today. The film is amazing in how it can show the tigers and cubs so fully and realistically. What made me sad was how unnecessarily mankind ruthless raids Nature's realm as well as that of less sophisticated civilizations. It made me ashamed for the arrogant plunder we Westerners have undertaken throughout so much of our history. How shabby the locals looked trying to imitate the invading society instead of being true to their own culture and truths.

I hate what civilization East and West has done to the habitats of so many magnificent creatures. I personally would prefer a wilder world with more "jungle" and wild species than a homogenous blob of concrete, strip centers, and "civilized" society. In this film one or two humans counted as noble and "civilized". The tigers' society was certainly strikingly noble and deserved protection.

This is not a typical children's movie, but it is one that teaches several valuable lessons and one that is a marvel of film magic. It really makes you take a close look at the destructive force of imperialism as well as the tawdry lowlifes found in any culture.

I wanted to contribute to the Nature Conservancy or World Wildlife Fund. Maybe I just will.