Matthew Winant - Apocalypse Now (2/28/2009)

I find that whenever I view Apocalypse Now the only image that sticks is Charlie Sheen's eyes. Throughout the entirety of the film, these are the focal point of the shot. I don't find it appropriate to call Kilgore insane, besides his “R & R” antics, his warfare strategy is a necessary response to the tactics of the Vietcong. Kilgore called in an air strike on people that were freely laying mortar free along the beach, and in the scene before Kilgore watched from a helicopter a woman throwing a grenade into a helicopter filled with wounded. Yes he wanted to surf, but this is his way to defuse a situation, and it was not the two men who went to surf before Kilgore were fine. The term 'insane' also cannot be used on Colonel Kurtz, he was a man who disagreed with the workings of the U.S. Military and decided to work rogue and be appreciated by Cambodians who respect his ability to restore order. While Captain Willard travels up the river to Cambodia, he sees the demoralization of the army through drugs, alcohol, or people working without constraints. I find that the reason that Willard decided to kill Kurtz was not because it was his mission, rather it was because he finally saw what Vietnam really was and was able to go home afterwards. The promotion promised to Willard soon becomes superficial when he sees what he is getting into. What I also notice is that even though in Kurtz writes in red on his book “Call in the bomb, kill them all”, what we can infer is that Willard ignores this message and just leaves with Lance.

David Godwin - Apocalypse Now

The aspect of horror in the film Apocalypse Now is an affective representation of mysterium tremendum. Everything about Kurtz and his perverted community of followers contains the awe-fullness of mystery. Kurtz himself is a character who evokes awe in his mysteriousness. He is intelligent, spiritual, powerful, and in fact rational. In class we discussed the “insanity” of both Kilgore and Kurtz, but I would argue that the reason why Kurtz is so frightening is because he is not insane at all. His tactics and methods are a well-reasoned, rational, and logical subversion of militaristic disorder. Kilgore, on the other hand, contributes to the decay of order in the jungle and makes judgments that are “unsound” and dangerous.
As our protagonist, Willard, continues up the river throughout the movie, we see more and more of this same decay of order. It isn’t until we meet Kurtz and his community that things become ordered again. But, the order here is frightening. Violence is mercilessly used to defend Kurtz’s vision of justice and fear of Kurtz’s power is the inspiration for obedience. This kind of power that Kurtz holds over the people elevates him to the level of a god. The people are so willing to surrender to him because he is the only source of order throughout the jungle. Up until this point, generals are themselves disordered (like Kilgore) or are not even present to maintain order (as we see when Willard gets to the bridge). But, Kurtz offers Cosmos in the surrounding Chaos.
This film lays bare the core foundation of religion in general. First, it shows us how chaos leads us to cosmos, just as chaos led Willard (and other soldiers) to Kurtz. Kurtz’s state of mind becomes like a religion to soldiers in the chaotic jungle because they have no other solid ground on which to stand. Second, the film shows how gods rely on fear to motivate obedience. Even in the Holy Bible’s book of Proverbs the author writes that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” Apocalypse Now responds to this truth by asking, what if your God were evil? Most religions believe that their god is good or holistically balanced, but what if we didn’t have the luxury of serving a good god? Would we serve him anyway out of our fear and need for order in a world of chaos? The film asks these important questions and gives us its frightening answer.

The Jacket: Wilbert J Hill Jr.

This film was very interesting, I liked it a lot. I really like when he goes into the future and finds the family that he helped out in 1991. The mother and daughter were in stranded on the side of the road, there pickup truck had broken down. Jack helped them to start their truck again and the mother was ungrateful. As jack was taking his journey on the road he was reminded of the time he was shot dead in the war, and then came back to life. Jack narrates the movie and talks about the first time he died. Then he takes a ride from a criminal who sets him up. The criminal shoots the officer who stops him for a routine traffic stop, and jack gets hit by a bullet that the officer shot at the criminal. Then the criminal wipes the gun off and throws the gun on top of Jacks chest. From then on Jacks life spirrowed downward very fast. He was put in an insane assylum. In this insane assylum, Jack was put in a booth with a stray jacket on and was injected with a syrum to make him remenisnce about the horrible things he has gone through in his life. Through this process he realizes that the booth is a way to deliver and free him from the hell and disparity that he is going through. This is a great movie that metaphorically shows that no matter what you are going through in life you can still find hope and peace within the storm.

Nick Lynch - Apocolypse Now

I very much saw war and violence as being a religion for the majority of the characters in the film. It seemed to give much of them meaning and vigor in life much as Kilgour was languishing without a purpose in his hotel room. Until the M.P.s came to deliver his mission, he seemed ready to die, as if his life had lost all meaning without something to kill.
This theme was certainly apparent in the commander of the helicopter squadron, he ordered the execution of a good number of civilians so that he would be able to surf. Killing for him was a natural part of his job in which each death was an offering meant for the glory of his god which could arguably be death, America, or the military.
The ending involving Kilgour and Kurtz was obviously significant but I feel that we missed a good chunk of the information that was presented before their "showdown" to be able to comment accurately on it as it seemed the movie was constantly adding information involving Kurtz, his background, and so forth. Of what we did see it appeared that Kurtz had ascended into a godhood of death and Kilgour took that divinity into himself by killing Kurtz.

apocalypse now

I'll be blunt, I think I would have gotten more out of the movie if I had been able to watch it straight through. What I did get out of it was enjoyable. The most interesting part for me was colonel Kilgore and his helicopter team. That entire section of the film had a very surreal feel to it. I suppose Kilgore deals with war as well as anyone. Ignoring reality and trying to surf in a war zone is an amusing way to deal with the situation. I can't find anything wrong with it. If people spend too much time in that reality they really will go insane, so why not deny the reality?

Did anyone else pick up on the cow getting airlifted out and suspect it was somehow connected with the cow at the end of the film? I don't know what it means but I'm convinced that it's important.

-Patrick Ballard

Leandra- a soldier life in The Jacket

Leandra Jacobson
2/23/09

I find the toils of a soldier to be of importance in the film The Jacket. Soldiers can live an unappreciated day to day life, not thanked for the service they provide for the country. The returns in this lifestyle are not greater than what could potentially be given, a large sacrifice for a human. Jack almost gave his life for his country while away at war, injured and suffering from various mental problems. In his return from deployment, he crossed paths with citizens in need. As a good soldier would, he stopped to help the little girl Jackie and her mother fix their car. He was turned away angrily by the mother, receiving no appreciation for his work as soldiers can be ungraciously received. Not only does he risk his life and eventually his freedom, he has to walk away from the situation completely removed of his concern for the girl’s safety. In this, a soldier has to exist in a detached state in order to transcend above the horrors they have to experience.
His Good Samaritan act is returned by future-Jackie, a historical throwback to a soldiering life. In revolutionary America, homes would be made housing quarters for soldiers. This hospitality, although sometimes unwarranted, is part of American history. When soldiers returned home from Vietnam, they were not held as heroes. This is similarly seen with the soldiers returning at this present time from the War on Iraq. What has changed in America? Do you believe that there was also a message in this film concerning the role of a soldier, since it was the foundation of his character and the reason for the suspicion blackouts?

Kenneth Tappan - Koyaanisqatsi

Koyaanisqatsi was a very powerful film that used many powerful images that truly made the viewer think. During the movie again and again I was trying to make connections, I was trying to see the significance. While watching these series of images the music throughout the movie was very powerful. In the beginning it was solemn and kind of scary and at other times it was upbeat and seemed to very busy. The music combined with the images truly portrayed something powerful. I believe every individual who watched this film got something different from it. In my mind this film said to me that people and what we do are meaningless. During the film we are equated to hot dogs being packaged. This in my mind says how we have become something that we are not supposed to be. The other powerful scene was the beginning and the end. Koyaanisqatsi starts out showing the launching of a rocket. The beginning seems alien at first and it is a little scary, but when you realize what it is it becomes a very awe inspiring image combined with the music. At the very end we see the same rocket being destroyed in a fiery explosion. I took this scene as being so depressing. The rocket is at the forefront of modern day technology. Space is something that humans have not conquered and have not completely learned fully about, and to see something that is considered to be so great and so awe inspiring blown up in seconds says to me that what we do is meaningless. Here is something that is considered to be at the pinnacle of human technology and it could not defeat the laws of nature. Overall, this movie told me that people are corrupting the world but the world will have the last laugh.

Paul Crowley- The Jacket

I found this movie to be very powerful and moving. However more than any ohterm movie, this movie is very debatable and leaves the viewer with many questions. I agree with previous blogs that comparing Jack to Jesus Christ was unfair and wrong. Granted there are some similarities between the two. However its not fair to compare any man to Jesus. Jack did sacrfice hiimself in order to help other people. However some of his actions were done only for hiimself. For example he wanted to know how he died, and he wanted to be with Jackie. Christ on the other hands had no motives other than to help mankind.
The movie was very ambigious and left the viewer with many questions. My biggest question is whether or not Jack was still alive at the end of the movie. He was in the jacket and tomb, and then he was in 2007 again. However in 1993 he was going to die in the jacket. So was he in turn going to die in 2007? This is debatable, but i believe so. I think the light was coming to take him into the next life. However he could do so because he had finally done what he needed to, which was saving Jackie's mom, and in turn making Jackie happy. (interestingly enough, in the begining of the movie, Jack is trying to save an Iraqi child, and in the end he does save a child). So my question is, does Jack die at the end of the movie?

Koyaanisqatsi & the personal images recalled -Leandra Jacobson

Leandra Jacobson
2/23/09


In the film Koyaanisqatsi, the images are used to form a narrative. The power of this style of film making is stimulating in that the message, with no verbal communication, extracts the message from a personal interpretation. The images recalled by the scenes are connected to memory, a completely unique experience with the film for each individual. I thought it would be an interesting “psychological pry” to delve into some else’s memory, and compare a select few scenes and what was triggered by the images. I want to focus on the personal reflections in the images, what they brought to consciousness from your own experience.


Opening scene: The flame and destruction pan out to a shuttle launch.

Jake Hamm is a photographer at Rochester Institute of Technology. While watching this scene, I immediately began to think of his style of photography. Jake and I were classmates in high school, and I remember how he once explained his style of work. He would focus on the close up image, a small puzzle piece of the whole. This is a photograph he took of me from about 20 feet away, zoomed in extremely close: It may not show if you are not my Facebook friend.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30449020&op=3&o=global&view=global&subj=31806123&id=1572900008


The steam: Close up shot of steam, pans out far away. Steam is being released from the earth.

I have been to several orthodox Catholic services with my friend David and his family. The steam and when the chanting chimed in recalled the experiences of these services. There are chants and rituals surrounding incense in a traditional Catholic Church service, which I associate with David and his family. This personal experience with Catholicism is connected with this family, and the images recalled by the similar process in the film.


Hot dogs: The people and the food being processed and funneled through streets, factories, and escalators.

When I saw the hot dogs being wrapped in who knows what material, I was once again reminded why I am a vegetarian. The food industry and mass production of meat is so unappetizing, reinforced by these images. When the film creates parallel images to humans, it reminds me of how that is not my life’s directional cause. Those images of people being processed like meat in a factory are equally distasteful as the meat itself. My goal in life is to avoid being part of the masses and the path predetermined for a “Suburban girl.” There is a plan for us all; a high school, college degree, work, marriage, and babies process expected out of Suburban females that I wish to stray from. This path is the general idea of what is expected from me that I do not wish to follow.


What images were recalled to you from these scenes from personal experience?

What I want to teach from this exercise was the power of images connected to language. I find it fascinating that this film contains so many messages across so many plains and how each individual has a unique experience with this film. This can be seen with other films of course, but this one in particular makes the effort to do so. Where in other films a direction of thought is given in the language, this one gives the power to develop an inner narrative on your own.

The Jacket - Catelyn Mascia

I found it really interesting that after we watched The Jacket, the class discussion focused a lot on Jack's self sacrifice and his similarity to Jesus Christ. After reflecting on the movie outside of class, I have to disagree with this comparison. In Christianity, Jesus is believed to sacrifice his life for the sins of his people. When Jesus gave up his life to help everyone else, the only thing he had was basically his faith in God and a life after death in heaven. Jack on the other, was living a horrible life in an insane asylum. He was unhappy there and couldn’t remember anything from his past. It was only after Jack knew that going into the drawer was the only way he could find out how he ended up where he was, that he met Jackie. After going back a couple of times, and realizing he could help her, it’s not obvious that he would have done everything he did if all he had was faith in God and a life after death in heaven. Jack was basically given a second chance to live a better life the future, not necessarily actual death depending on an individual’s interpretation of the film. I mean, if I knew I could live a better life AND help someone else at the same time, then sure, why not? If Jack didn’t have the option of living in the future, and the crack to the head was truly his last action on earth, he may still have given his life for Jackie, but only because he knew he was trapped living this horrible life and by ending it he could help her to live a better one. I do not think that if Jack was living a good life to begin with, and had the same opportunity to change the future, but no promise of continuing his life on earth, that he would still have sacrificed his life for hers. So in my opinion, maybe they might be similar in a big picture, but examined closer, Jack might have actually been acting in his best interest more so than the people around him. He did help the little boy and the doctors also, but the fact that by changing the future he could live a better life in the future and change Jackie’s life enough to make her live a happy life and not be so dreadful like she was in the beginning, just seems like two better things for him in the end after all.

-C. Mascia

The Jacket - Robbie Heath

This was very moving film, however at its conclusion I found myself disappointed and sad. Through his selfless actions Jack managed to greatly improve the life of Jackie. This was extremely commendable and managed to give Jack meaning for his life and bring him some peace. But I would agree with a comment made earlier that it does seem off that this all came from some kind of mind altering drug administered by a doctor performing a very illegal treatment. Granted good things are can come out of bad. But for me it just seemed to send a negative message of how dark the world is and how easy it is for people to fall into very bad life situations (ex. Jackie in 2007). The only reason that she was able to come out of this situation was because Jack somehow managed to go into the future. He had to have special knowledge in order to change things. Obviously I would suppose that this was meant to be. Perhaps this was the work of God to change peoples lives. If that is the case I can understand the beauty in Jack saving Jackie as a Christ figure. But if it was just the drugs, this story feels much more empty.

Koyaanisqatsi - Robbie Heath

When I heard that this was an art film without any dialogue my first and wrong judgment was that it would be a boring film. Granted it was not the most exciting but it a strong message and value. Not only were many of the visuals mesmerizing but the tone of the music really did a great job of conveying the feelings that the creator wanted to get across. I agree with what Matt said earlier in the blog that the film really outlines him man is destroying the earth. We first see the beginning and creation with no man made objects and then the portrayal of evil with the truck and mam made forms of using earth's resources. As the movie goes along we see this "out of balance" theme with only man made objects. More importantly there is the comparison of people to hot dogs and cities to circuit board. In addition there was little as far as shots showing man and nature coexisting in a positive manner, it was either all nature or all man made, and thoughts on this?

Jacket

During class we discussed a lot of the Christian symbolism in the film. I missed most of it when I was watching because a bunch of shamanic symbolism kept jumping out at me. Right from the start Jack tells us about the first time he died. In many shamanic traditions the shaman must undergo a difficult journey of initiation that is likened to a spiritual destruction and rebirth. It jumped out at me and colored my perception for the rest of the film.
Shamans have a dualistic nature; They encompass the qualities of both genders and traverse both the material world and the spirit world. Throughout the film there are little things that represent this nature. For example, when Jack arrives at the ward they give him many pills to take, presumably to help him, but while taking the pills Jack was puffing away on a cigarette. One drug benign, the other harmful, but each taken with the other.
The pattern is not limited to prop choice. There was a lovely bit of cinematography at Jackie's house involving the fridge. After Jack looks in the fridge he closes the door and opens the freezer. The camera perspective is positioned in such a way that it gives the effect of there being a single door being closed and opened while the contents changed. I figured it had something to do with spiritual travel and began to suspect Jackie of being a spirit instead of a person from the mundane world.

- Patrick Ballard

The Jacket Blog

In many ways, the character Jack could be compared to Jesus due to his life experiences. Since Christ was an innocent man, His death was a tribute to all mankind. His life, however, was a tribute to God. His innocence granted him immortality, which he gave away as a sacrifice to those who existed both before his death as well as after. In The Jacket, Jack's multiple 'deaths' were a tribute to others. He truly became selfless because he became more concerned with saving others rather than preserving his own life. He is also similar to Christ in the sense that he is given immortality. Christ had this gift even though gave up this ability in order to be of sacrifice to others.

In my constituting identity class, we are learning how those in their twenties often seek advice for their future. So many opportunities are thrown at them, and they ask others which ones to take. Often times, the best advice comes to them from the most unexpected of sources. This reminded me of the scene when the mentally insane character advises Jack to embrace his time in the drawer and start thinking about the future. Only when Jack takes this advice is when he begins to have better, more long-lasting visions and begin his journey to help others. It is interesting that a certifiably insane patient gives him the advice that eventually saves his life.

Matthew Winant - Koyaanisqatsi (2/19/2009)

If I was not told that the word 'koyaanisqatsi' meant “world out of balance” or “apocalypse”, I would have not realized what the film was trying to convey. I have trouble seeing the creative undertones of artistic films, which is probably why I don't spend my time watching them. When told that the city was juxtaposed to a circuit board I saw the connect, and I definitely saw that the earth was going to be destroyed by humans. At the beginning of the film the earth was pure and looked like it was being made by the floating, fast moving cloud (God?). The first image of man or a man made object was the truck, which exploded black exhaust, showing the purpose of the film very quickly. I did not see the purpose of showing masses of people on the roadways and on escalators more than once. It is obvious that the earth is covered with people, so it was not needed in my mind to keep showing cars and crowds. I also did not see the purpose of the rocket ship from the beginning of the film, I have not decided if it shows human technological advancement, which leads to destruction as seen in the final scene in the film.

Matthew Winant - The Jacket (2/19/2009)

I was very pleased with viewing The Jacket, it was one of those movies that I never saw because the majority of critics claimed it was an awful movie. After class, I reviewed some of the articles reviewing the film and saw that it received such low scores because while the movie is categorized under “Thriller” there were not enough triller moments to make it a good, or even bearable movie for this critics. They have missed the most critical moments and themes within the film; love, compassion, redemption. The most crucial part of the movie that I focused on was the ending. The last line of the movie is Jackie asking Jack, “How long do we have?” while the car drives away from the sunset. My immediate answer was that Jack is forever in 2007, the reason that he kept traveling back to 1992 was because he was alive in that time. Because Jack finally died in the drawer in 1993 he will live forever in 2007, whether 2007 is real or just an allusion. Also, as a side note, did anyone else feel that it was creepy that Jack was “dating” Jackie in the future, but acting like her father in 1993? This to me was messed up, but shouldn't take anything away from the powerful moments in the film.

The Jacket

Nick Lynch

While I can understand the theme of sacrifice and how sacrifice ultimately leads to the "happy ending" in the film it disturbed me that all the trips to the future and all of the insight and revelations granted by them were facilitated by drugs, illegal drugs at that. The underlying message here is that Jack never would have been able to impact Dr. Becker, Dr. Lorenson, and Jackie without the aid of the drugs being pumped into him and never would have even approached the level of enlightenment that he did achieve. This speaks fairly poorly on the part of humanity in terms of being able to come to terms with themselves and their surroundings without some sort of artificial or chemical assisstance. While it was indeed a powerful film I am only questioning the means through which the intended effect was achieved.

Wilbert Hill Jr. : Babett's Feast

This was a great film about the reality of love. Distinguishing between agape love and eros love. Babett was a self sacrificing figure in this great story of love. She brought in the grand element of agape love, within the great feast she prepared for the ministers dinner. The village di not undewrstand what she was doing or cooking, so they thought of it as evil, but came to realize that this is what real agape love is all about. Through the self sacrifice of Babett's feast the village was delivered from self righteosness, and their eyes were opened to the great joy of life. When the village opened their hearts for love the immaculate happen, it was not just a plan tradition but an exceptional experience.This was a great movie for everyone to watch and glean a message of love, kindness, and patience through the great example of Babett

Babett's Feast/Rant

I thought that similiarly to Cold Fever, the role of religion in Babbette's Feast was mitigated by other more prevalent themes. While the ideas of love and ritual are a part of religion they are not precisely what I expected from this class. Belief and faith are beautiful things within themselves but religion is the institionalized facet that more often than not blights whatever it touches. I had assumed that we would either be examining the role of religion as an institution or belief and faith as completely separate entities within film. I still am baffled as to how religion, belief, or faith comes into play in "Like Water for Chocolate". Insight?

Matthew Winant - Bunny (2/10/2009)

The short film Bunny visually discussing the transcendent of the afterlife. One wonders, why is it that the oven is the door to following the light to the afterlife? Curiously enough, while watching the short clip, I was more interested in the Bunny's husband, when they had gotten married, why did they love each other, what were their occupations. It did not occur to me that her death and transcendence were important, she was old, alone, and definitely sad that her husband has long been gone. It is a great thing that is with the Creator now, and that her passing was not difficult for anyone else, as most deaths deeply hurt families emotionally. Like I said, the story of her passing does not interest me, I am so compelled to figure out her life, what she had accomplished and what her husband had accomplished. All in all, the story is not sad, but joyous as her faith in the Father has brought her toward Him in the end.

Matthew Winant - Taken (2/10/2009)

“Now is not the time for dick measuring!”

While there is little religious symbolism in the action flick Taken starring Liam Neeson, there is plenty of revenge, action, killing, and a small side of awesome. This peculiar film came out this past weekend in America; however, it has been released worldwide as early as last February. Because of this, I have seen the film multiple times, once in French, once in Spanish, and a couple of times in English, and I must say that even though the film was originally made in France, good ol' Liam Neeson yelling in English is the best way to see this film. It is almost a cross of James Bond and the Bourne Movies, Nesson's character Bryan Miles is a retired “preventer” who wishes to spend more time with his daughter, who is being sheltered by his ex-wife and new rich-husband. Without revealing to much in terms of spoilers, the main stretch of a religious theme is redemption and purity. I will only go into redemption in this post as to not go into the ending of the film. Bryan attempts to redeem his family life by retiring early, even though he still has the insight of a spy, and spend more time with his only daughter who is now 17. When his daughter wishes to fly to France with her friend Amanda, Bryan of course is reluctant, as he knows what can happen in the real world if you are not careful. Long story short, as seen be the trailers, Bryan's daughter is taken which only leads Bryan on a one-man killing spree of the PG-13 variety, which amazingly enough is good enough for everyone. At some points the action is almost humorous, especially if your watching the film with a group of action-junkies. Bryan's redemption comes at the end of the film when his family life is saved, and he does not miss the action of being an international spy. Overall, the film is great, but short – but this is not always a bad thing – and is worth watching with a group of friends and to discuss the character evolution that occurs throughout the film.

Cold Fever : Wilbert Hill

This film was very interesting. The film started very slow for me. I tried to understand what was happening in the beginning but finally caught on when his parents started talking to him through the advertisement to come to Iceland and show his burial respects to his mother and father. The Japanese business man was not into rituals and traditions. He did not have a very honorable relationship with his parents. This man was very comfortable in his life; he did not respect or understand the act of ritual or tradition. The young Japanese business man was a career oriented man, who was very busy.
This film focuses on the significance of ritual and tradition. Their was a women in the film who tried to teach the Japanese business man of the significance of burial and memorial. She views a funeral as a time to celebrate the life of the person who was deceased. She also believed that a funeral service was a beautiful event. The music at a funeral was absolutely beautiful to her. She tried to get the young Japanese man to understand that death is a wonderful part of life that should be celebrated by the tradition of burial or a memorial.
By the end of the movie I really understood the importance of sacred ritual and tradition. Death is a part of life that should be celebrated. The sacred ritual takes place when humans exemplify respect for the life that the now deceased person once lived. The Japanese man finally had to cross that bridge of sacred ritual by himself at the end of the film, and come to the realization that I must put my feelings aside and righteously show my loving respects to my parents.

Cold Fever

Nick Lynch
2/4/09

Of the films we have watched so far, Cold Fever is the one I liked the least. The film and our discussion afterward seemed to point to rituals as integral parts of growth and development as individuals. I do not understand this importance as by definition, a ritual is an "established or presribed procedure" and in terms of living life and growing through one's experiences, to ritualize ones life not only seems to add unneccessary complexity and rigidness, but seems to demand that these rituals be repeated which seems counteractive towards growth. While I can see the merit in reliving old experiences don't the new ones more often provide previously unseen insight?

Wilbert Hill Jr. "The Seventh Seal"

The Seventh Seal was a movie of faith, hope, deceit, and doubt. There were many symbols and metaphors represented in the movie. This movie was very interesting to me, I really enjoyed the cinematography of the film. This film made me think about the importance of faith in a humans life. Also it made me think how doubt and deceit can lead you to a life full of misery and anguish. Joseph and Mary in this movie were examples of believers who kept the faith in the "wholly other". Antonius was and example of a double minded individual who was confused about his belief. Antonius came to the realization that he wanted to have knowledge rather than have faith and believe. Death collected the lives of those in the movie who wanted to live a life unto themselves rather than sacrifice their own life and believe and have faith in the "wholly other" to give them a prosperous life. This was a grand movie of faith, decisions, and death, I really liked the movie.

Bunny- a short film

2-4
Bunny is a short film on the journey to the afterlife where an act of vengeance turns to an act of deliverance to the transcendent. In this “white light” that entrances Bunny to climb inside an oven is the question I raise; what is in this vision of death?
I am passionate about music. In almost all situations I bring a quote from a song to mind; I am a music quote junkie. When watching this film, two relatable song quotes that are rich with religious context and are great topics for discussion were recalled to memory. The artist Brand New, one of my high school favorites, explains their ideas on what happens in their song “Jesus Christ” concerning the moment of passing and questions of death:

“Well, Jesus Christ I’m not scared to die
I’m a little bit scared of what comes after.
Do I get the gold chariot?
Do I float through the ceiling?
Do I divide and fall apart?
Cause my bright is too slight to hold back all my dark.”

Not much speaks more clearly to me than the first two lines of those lyrics. In addition, the artist Iron & Wine in their song “Trapeze Swinger” paint the afterlife from their eyes. This quote is more reflective of the arrival at heaven:

“And then, they went on to say
That the pearly gates had some eloquent graffiti.
Like 'we'll meet again,'
And 'fuck the man,'
And 'tell my mother not to worry,'
And angels with their gray handshakes…
We’re always done in such a hurry.”

Since the first experience with this song I have since then envisioned heaven to look like this battered wall of expression. The question I would like to bring to discussion is:

1. A comparison of these three visions of what the afterlife would be

2. How congruent they are to your own?