Daniel Dessinger

Category: Film

  • Proof

    I just finished watching Proof, starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Anthony Hopkins. This film portrayed the beauty, the excitement, and the madness of wildly inspirational genius. The irony of it all is that some of the greatest contributions to logical thought were the products of illogical experience – a.k.a. inspiration.

    Western thought is based upon the Cartesian deconstruction of both knowledge and experience. I cannot prove that I am writing these words, but if I reduce myself down to thoughts and self-awareness, I can prove that I exist.

    Logic = If ________, then ___________.

    There’s a way around it; I know there is. I was told by my philosophy professor in college that I would have to excuse myself from all debate if I refused to prescribe to the Cartesian method. That’s mostly because to follow another way and yet attempt to debate is to compare apples and oranges.

    Descartes wanted to start with something beyond question or reproach. So he took his normal daily existence, considered any potential argument disproving his existence, and ended up with the one statement that no one could take away from him: I think, therefore I am. According to Descartes, I may not be able to prove that I’m writing, or breathing, or speaking, or hearing, or tasting, or touching, or singing, or walking, etc, etc; but I know that I think. I know that I am asking questions in my thoughts. Therefore I exist.

    It’s not that I disapprove of this conclusion, really. It’s the resulting massively improper errors of duplicity which I cannot abide by. Descartes’ logic is responsible for all the people who cannot stop dissecting everything. He is singlehandedly responsible for the over-classification of all physical or measurable things. Mind and body, for example. Because of Descartes, I can prove that I think (mind), but I still fail to prove that I have a body and that it does what I think it does.

    He may have worked back towards establishing what he saw and experienced in the real world, but he couldn’t really prove it. All he did was to establish a sense of primacy for thought. Thought is first. Everything else is illusion, and even thought can mislead. Thought’s existence, however, is irrefutable.

    That leads to disengaged, disembodied, acid-tripping hippies and punks claiming to have had their minds opened. It leads to hallucination and self-doubt and fear. It leads to nonsensical paranoia. I cannot excuse it.

    The only people involved in The Great Conversation that I know of who have refused to talk on these terms are the few who place faith above science. Not because faith and science are at odds with one another, but because one must be primary and the other secondary.

    More on this later. My eyelids are drooping.

  • Actresses in Television vs Film

    Is it true that women have a better chance at quality female roles in television than in film? Katherine Heigl seems to think so. Grey’s Anatomy Insider reported at the end of a segment on Heigl that she deeply appreciates the opportunity to play a role on a quality television show. She expressed her opinion that “the roles are really great on television and they don’t really have that in film.” That comment struck me as odd, and I decided to think on it for awhile.

    Could it be true? After all the Academy Award winning actresses that have gone before? I thought, and I thought. And it turns out that there are still only a small handful of actresses whose talent I respect compared to several dozen actors. Why is that? Could it be the roles? Could it be that men really do have center stage some 90% of the time?

    Most movies do revolve around men. That’s why a list of quality current actors is so long. The overall plot may not always be the best, but the individuals come to the dance prepared. A very short list of quality Hollywood film actors includes Denzel Washington, Brad Pitt, Kevin Spacey, Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro, Anthony Hopkins, Tom Hanks, Morgan Freeman, Tim Robbins, Johnny Depp, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tommy Lee Jones, Jude Law, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Edward Norton, Will Smith, Bruce Willis, Ethan Hawke, Ed Harris, Tom Cruise, Matthew McConaughey, Dennis Quaid, Harrison Ford, Antonio Banderas, Kiefer Sutherland, Colin Farrell, Hugh Jackman, Hugh Grant, Mel Gibson, Jack Nicholson, John Cusak, Robert Downey Jr., Dustin Hoffman, and so on and so forth.

    I could keep on going until the cows come home. I literally added ten names to this list after I had moved on to the next paragraph. My “A” list of film actresses is rather short (we are talking acting talent, not appearance): Susan Sarandon, Julia Roberts, Meg Ryan, Nicole Kidman, Rachel Weisz, Jodie Foster, Keira Knightley, Kristin Scott Thomas, Kate Hudson, Drew Barrymore (who I can’t stand), Natalie Portman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Diane Lane, Halle Berry. Cameron Diaz, Charlize Theron, Renee Zellweger, Cate Blanchett, Kate Winslet, Emma Thompson, Sharon Stone, Angelina Jolie, and Julianne Moore pretty much wrap up the list of actresses.

    Sure, a few are missing from the list, but even most of those in the list are questionable at best. But let’s not blame it on the men completely. True, too many starring female roles are given to beautiful, talentless women. True, they are chosen for the physical beauty, regardless of their actual acting talent. Some of these women have enough talent to play one type of role, but they don’t have the versatility to play multiple roles.

    Granted, there is a lot of type casting going on with male actors as well. Who ever thinks of Morgan Freeman except as a detective pursuing some psycho killer? Denzel Washington is the tough, independent speech maker who rallies the troops. Al Pacino is the master of grandstanding and dramatic speech. Anthony Hopkins is the eloquent, intelligent older man who always knows more than he tells. There are roles which seem formed and fashioned for the best of the best, and it’s easy to understand why they choose to play similar parts over and over again. Why mess with a good thing? Then again, you have the Nicole Kidmans who so stretch themselves to succeed in vastly different roles that you can’t help but respect her.

    Dressing up as an ugly woman is the kiss of death to an actress unless her acting skill is so far superior to her peers that she can walk away from the role still capturing the people’s respect and admiration. I had high hopes for Julia Ormond after Legends of the Fall, Sabrina, First Knight, and Smilla’s Sense of Snow. I thought we had a new leading lady for the big screen. It was not meant to be, apparently. Sure, she has starred opposite Bill Paxton and Benicio del Toro recently, but she’s managed to stay off the radar. I can’t blame her for avoiding the paparazzi, but I’m disappointed with the path her career has taken these past nine years.

    Inevitably, there are other one or two hit wonders out there who could have become better than good actresses, but it’s a cutthroat business. Katherine Heigl probably doesn’t stand a chance at a Julia Roberts-esque career, simply because she gives off this ditzy blonde image without even trying. I’m willing to give anyone a chance. And truly, if Drew Barrymore can make it in the business purely on the strength of her acting talent (and family history in the biz) then there is hope for other non-supermodel types with personality lurking in the shadows out there. All it takes is one good hit (and a stellar agent). And while we wait to see which leading lady, if any, will capture the silver screen, we have television shows like Grey’s Anatomy, LOST, House MD, Crossing Jordan, and Six Degrees to make up the difference.

  • I’d Rather Beat the Fockers

    That’s right. I’d beat them with a stick! Why I even tried to watch the sequel is beyond me. They can’t stop from irritating me! I’ve never wanted to hurt Robert DeNiro in my life… until now. This poor, moronic Gaylord Focker is the victim. The victim of unfair judgment, of bad decisions, insecurity, and genetic flaws. I simply can’t stand it! I haven’t even made to the introduction of Focker’s parents.

    I need a punching bag so I can beat the crap out of something before continuing the movie. Am I alone here? The rest of my family watched the first movie and laughed all the way through. I cringed. I felt for the guy. He was stupid, but he was treated like a bastard womanizing drug-dealing terrorist. I actually remember my surroundings when I watched that movie. I was at my parents’ house with my wife. I hadn’t quit smoking at that point, and I had to go outside in the middle of the movie just to survive.

    Isn’t entertainment supposed to entertain? Seriously. I got more stress from that movie than from my job. I had to stop watching television just to calm down. Unbelievable. How can so many things go so wrong for one guy? I mean, really? I know it’s only a movie, but still…. it just wasn’t fun like it was supposed to be. And now I am watching the sequel in segments, only to find that my stress and anxiety are back. Who thought that making these films was a good idea?

  • United 93 and Thoughts on 9/11

    Recently, I saw United 93 for the first time. What a day that was… My memories of September 11th are much different than most Americans. I was overseas at the time, studying literature, writing, and philosophy in Copenhagen, Denmark. I heard from a Danish student in my kollegium that terrorists had attacked the U.S. Quickly, I went to the television and turned on my only available source of American news: CNN.

    United 93 reminded me of some feelings I had since forgotten. For the past five years, it has been easy to look back at the seizure of four hijacked planes and criticize the government and military for ineffective response. It has been easy to criticize because the surprise of that day wore off all too quickly, and because we eventually returned to our hard-hearted belief that we wouldn’t be attacked again (at least for awhile). But United 93 reminded me of the experience of that day… of the shock and uncertainty involved. While it was still happening, we didn’t know what to expect. We didn’t know if there were two hijacked planes or twenty. Seriously.

    Every major U.S. city could have been targeted at the same time if the terrorists had so chosen. After several years, it is easier to look back at 9/11 and not feel as much. Four planes were hijacked, the passengers onboard were killed, and many people in the World Trade Center were killed. Still, it’s easy to look back and say to myself, “Okay, so a couple planes flew into a couple buildings…” Plane crashes don’t have the same sense of terror as massive bombs. I mean, how would we feel if 40,000 people died from a bomb at a football game? We’d probably destroy several small countries in pursuite of vengeance/justice. Please do not misinterpret. I support our government and I respect our leaders. I believe that hunting Bin Laden and the gang is important. I still don’t understand why we invaded Iraq. Should Hussein have been removed? Absolutely yes. He committed murder thousands of times. But why so soon after 9/11?

    Why didn’t we spend those resources capturing Bin Laden and the terrorists responsible? Why did we invest so much in Iraq so shortly after a national crisis? This is not a political blog. United 93 was surprisingly faithful to the actual events of September 11th (as far as I know). It was difficult to watch with my wife because that day reminds us that we were apart – she here in Texas and I in Denmark. That day we could not comfort one another. Our experiences were very different. In that day of confusion, shock, and unbelief, I remember fearing attacks on Dallas/Fort Worth. I remember fearing that Heather and my friends were in danger. I remember not having a clue if anyone I loved was safe. I remember not being able to find comfort. It was a terrible day for many people, and for many reasons.

    For some, it was the day their father, mother, son, daughter, brother, or sister died. For others, it was the day they lost their jobs. For some, it was the day they were so traumatized from the experience that they tremble with fear to this day. For others, it was the day they feared the worst was going to happen everywhere. I was a part of that last group. I did not lose any friends on that day, but I suffered from the fear of not knowing how many attacks were being executed. I didn’t know if my loved ones were safe. I didn’t know what to do.

    For some, that feeling fades over time, and all we are left with is the memory of facts and figures. “X” number of people died from “x” number of terrorists. We forget that we were afraid of the unknown because the past is no longer unknown.

  • Hotel Rwanda

    adrenaline screamed in my ears as i wanted to defend those people. anger, hatred, fear, denial, guilt, shame – each raced through my veins one after another, at the same time, in no particular order.

    how do i watch even a dramatic representation of these slayings and do nothing? i want to leave all my earthly possessions behind, buy a plane ticket, and go to a place where people suffer and have no hope. i want to stay in bed, pull the cover over my head, plug my ears, and will it all away. will away all knowledge of such evil. i want to face it. i want to fight it. i want to destroy it. i don’t think i can make a difference. i want to flee it. i want to hide from it. i want it to not be there. i don’t want to see it. i would live a coward’s life to not have see people’s slaughtered faces dancing in my mind.

    i cannot control the thoughts, the unbridled emotions that pour out like a torrent. it is true that i have never served in the military. my friend John Mark would not understand my grief and confusion from a simple movie. he would know firsthand the horrors of death, the smell of rotting flesh, the humming vibrations of the sound of unimaginable disaster penetrating rock and cracked earth.

    every single one is precious. every person. even the ones pulling the trigger. that is the difficult part. my instinct is to kill the killer. in doing so i condemn him to death. i am glad i am not a soldier – not a Marine. if i were, i would choose death for so many.

    what my eyes have seen overwhelms me. and it is only a play… a make-believe representation. i have not seen or felt or helped in the flesh. and for this i am ashamed. i am ashamed that i am moved by a movie, yet i do no harm nor benefit to anyone. i am what i am in my selfish little corner of the world. but i will not cover myself in the comfortable and despicable blanket of self-deprecation. i will not feel sorry for myself. too many others suffer too much more.

    Hotel Rwanda touched me; reminded me who i am, and who i endeavor to become. i want to become like Paul. i want to stand up for humanity – for the little children and the women and older men and my brothers and my sisters and my wife and my mother. i want to be a man people respect because i cannot leave my people behind.

  • Increasing Numbers of Advertisements in Films

    There is a disturbing trend growing in Hollywood. No, not the usual suspects. I’m referring to the proliferation of advertisements in films. I remember, not too long ago, when it was considered a tacky for a film to show too many Starbucks cups or various other brands.

    It was only last summer that I heard about The Island. This futuristic film was packed full of mini-commercials. It was little more than an advertisement for bottled water, video games, and other products.

    I don’t have a problem with natural product placement. After all, it lends some realism to a film to include car brands we drive, food we eat, and clothes we wear, etc.

    Hollywood just sank to an all new low. Harrison Ford stars in a new film called Firewall. The trailer of the film tells the audience to “catch the new Chrysler 300 in Firewall…”

    Excuse me? I’m supposed to watch a movie to see a stupid car??? I normally go to the theater to watch a movie, not shop for cars. I’m hoping that Harrison Ford had nothing to do with the marketing of the film. Last I heard, he was voted America’s favorite actor. He obviously doesn’t need marketing ploys to draw a crowd.

    I was actually okay with the overblown display of Sears’ products on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Though everyone on that show is filthy rich, I have no problem with it because regular people are getting new homes out of it. It’s a fair trade off for me.