Laugh, and the world laughs with you;
Weep, and you weep alone.
-"Solitude" by Ella Wheeler Wilcox



I finally saw "Old Boy", and I'm both disturbed and in awe of the twisted brilliance of this film. Friends Jeff and Joe hyped the movie so much that I was afraid that I'd be disappointed... but I wasn't. This movie is not for everybody - in fact, I guarantee a lot of people will hate it if they see it, probably because of the violence and the themes.

For myself though, it definitely was entertaining to watch. But this is coming from a person who also enjoys the bleakness of movies like Fight Club, Se7en, and The Limey.

The premise of the movie is this: a man named Dae-su is locked up for 15 years in a room and doesn't know why. During the time, his wife is murdered and he's framed for killing her. When he's finally released, he sets off on a mission of bloody revenge to find out why.

The movie is very, very dark... there's almost a Hitchcock-esque atmosphere to the whole mystery that Dae-su is trying to solve. The lighting and camera work do an excellent job of showing an atmosphere that reflects the darkness of the main character, Dae-su. The acting by the lead actor is pretty well done, showing the craziness that could have only developed after 15 years of solitary confinement.

The violence is graphic and messy, but it's done for a purpose - a sort of visual enactment of the Dae-su rage at being imprisoned. And when the themes of the movie are revealed... hell, they're dark too. The ending is a little bit predictable (I guessed the twist), but wraps up the movie is an OK way.


.:.


don't get mad, get even

For most men in general, I think the themes of anger and revenge resonate a lot more than they do with women.

Do guys get pissed off a lot more than girls? I'm not sure, but speaking for myself, when I feel really wronged, anger is what flows out the easiest. I'm not one to sit down and cry... my mind immediately starts spinning for ways to pay people back. Both my parents had tempers, so I suppose I can partly blame my genetics for my hot blood.

Over time though, I've grown to become more laidback about things. I suppose that's a combination of spiritual growth, faith, and just plain gettin' old. I'm more patient than I used to be, but I guess the danger of being more patient is that my anger tends to slowly collect. When my threshold for tolerance has finally been breeched, I can't help but explode. And when I say "explode", I mean, clenched teeth, furrowed brow, whitened knuckles, and mouthful of screaming obscenities on the tip of my tongue.

I have to constructively channel my anger into physical expression to get it out of my system... running or counting to 10 doesn't help.

I used to go outside my house and chop wood in the backyard. Or really just let loose on when I used to free-spar in kendo. That's right... my rage can make me handy with an axe or with a sword. What Bruce Lee called "emotional content" in fighting... I never had a problem summoning it...
posted by G at 11:37 PM   |

in?scrip?tion (n-skrip-shun)n.
1. The act or an instance of inscribing.
2. Something, such as the wording on a coin, medal, monument, or seal, that is inscribed.
3. A short, signed message in a book or on a photograph given as a gift.
4. The usually informal dedication of an artistic work.
5. Jeremiah 31:33