Flu Season: Dune, The Godfather 2, Sicario, Annihilation, Super Pumped
I've been watching movies and TV shows in bed. I made this ultra comfortable position with my pillow tucked snugly into the opening of my Husband pillow. My LED lights remote and phone are in the holder on the right hand side and my computer is connected to my monitor in front of me. The shades are down and the LED lights are either fading through colors every 7 seconds or on red or white. I've watched Super Pumped, Dune, The Godfather 2, Sicario, Annihilation, a 45 minute animated YouTube on The Prince by Machiavelli, and started reading the Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler.
That's a lot of different content. Realization: I hate consuming content (my life included) without reflecting at least a little (at least a text messages worth). Because a lot of times in the retrospect, I create different takeaways of the experience I had that create new impressions about it for me. Here's a brief reflection on the movies.
Dune:
Although the storyline was cryptic, the cinematography (the nature, the CG, the music) was breathtakingly beautiful and well done. Many things about the lore of Dune were unclear, but it forced me as a first time viewer of this world to focus on the way the movie was made rather than what it's about. I'm convinced I will read the series though.
The Godfather 2:
After watching the video on The Prince, I was forced to watch the movie through the lens of how the power dynamics in this mafioso world. It is better to be feared than to be loved, but when possible, be both feared and loved. When you have to enact punishment, do it one cruel blow -- the end of the movie where Michael has his brother and all of his enemies killed reminded me of how he also killed all the 5 families in one blow in Godfather 1 too.
Sicario:
"You're not a wolf." This movie made me question a lot of things. Sometimes, having principles in war can make it become worse. Sometimes the ends justify the means... maybe? Would controlling the CIA controlling the drug trade by consolidating the power into one group be better than the alternative. The movie itself was really well made -- it had just the right amount of suspense and action to complement it's more philosophical side. Josh Brolin is also a badass.
Annihilation:
This movie weirded me out so much. I thought I'd like it much more than I did. At the end, I was left pretty unsure of what was going on without much of a way to interpret it, even philosophically. After watching a "explained" video, the movie has a lot of subtle clues that put pieces together. Overall, not the biggest fan.
Super Pumped:
Following the plot of Uber as it took over the world is riveting -- Showtime has outdone itself in hooking the audience. It makes me want to commit my life to one idea and one passion and build something huge as well. It also reveals the egotism of a lot of entrepreneurs. Uber needed assholes to disrupt the way they did. But you don't always need to be an asshole.