Tonight I watched a film that I had never seen before today oddly enough considering the subject matter. Saving Private Ryan was I doubt I have to say it, a great success and feat for Steven Spielberg as filmmaker. Well written, well shot, well cast, and well produced it was quite something; I don't know if I've seen quite another war film like it. Tom Hanks proved once again that he is one of the finest actors of the current age, and only the best can be said of the supporting cast as well which was peppered with great talent. D-day in Europe, what happened at Normandy was an incredible gamble by Eisenhower and God only knows how it worked due to so many things going wrong that day, and the many thousands that perished like cannon fodder. If Hitler hadn't been stopped though, many more thousands would have died in Europe, Africa and perhaps farther westward and eastward. Was war with Hitler avoidable; no. The man had war on his mind from the very moment he became a political figure and nothing would have changed it; the man was still in denial that he was going to lose up until the moment he blew his brains out. Some men can never be reasoned with no matter how much one tries. Considering the difficulties that people are experiencing in Ukraine, Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq I honestly don't grasp quite why nothing is being done since we've seen in our past what happens when evil goes unchecked and liberties are crushed. There always is a price to pay, but it doesn't amount to the price that willful ignorance costs....ask the German people about how that feels. To me it seems as if evil men and women have strong footholds around the globe like never before and the people who are free are doing nothing but remaining behind their safe havens and comfort. What to do about it? That I am uncertain, but something certainly needs to be done. The greatest measure of a person I think is what he or she is willing give up to help another person without any reward or benefit. I often think about that in my line of work in the mental health business, specifically in the realm of psychiatric crises. After watching this film, I also thought about what I would have been like if I had been on that beach. Bullets flying everywhere, dead bodies wrangling in the ebbing tides of the ocean with blood and body parts everywhere. Would I have made it? Would I have gotten shot in the head, lost a limb, or sat hidden cowering somewhere? I suppose every man would like to think that he has the guts to act like an action hero, but in reality where people die left and right in war, it's a whole different matter. I salute all of those brave men who pushed to take Normandy, and since then all of the men and women who have died in the pursuit of liberty and making a better world for those left behind.Well, I have been writing nothing whatsoever which is quickly becoming the story of my life; the writer who doesn't write. Between grad school and working 50 hours a week, I'm finding it difficult to remain sane, so I end up doing a lot of nothing when I am not doing the aforementioned tasks. The good news is I have been doing grad school for over a year now, and I essentially have half a year remaining! I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. In three months it will be December! Wow. Time flies, and apparently the more stuff one does, the faster it goes by. Well, I hope that everyone is doing well enough. Please do remember the people in Syria, Ukraine, Iraq and Afghanistan who are suffering due to the conflict taking place in their home along with the countless others around the world who are suffering cruelly because of tyrannical rule (China, North Korea, Russia, etc.)
Saving Private Ryan trailer
Beach Landing scene from Saving Private Ryan
Dracula: Untold trailer (looks good, but not at the same time. Depends how they play everything out.)
