Older Movies I Never Got Around To

This is completely meant to brag: I passed both my 140 WPM tests in one day.  I feel incredibly accomplished and filled with trepidation, because I won’t be getting any practice done on my machine over the Christmas break.  The 160s class is going to feel miserable by January.

                        ***

It should come as no surprise to anyone who reads this blog that I am so very often behind on pop culture.  This should not have been the case with the Terminator series.  I watched them repeatedly throughout college and still own the trilogy.  Much as I love it that particular universe, I never got around to the latest movie, Terminator Salvation, or The Sarah Connor Chronicles TV show.

I had an excuse for the movie: it came out near the beginning of my mission.  Missionaries are not allowed to watch movies (it has something to do with avoid distraction and focusing on service.)  When I came home, I had two years of movies left unseen and Terminator Salvation just wasn’t priority.

Which is too bad for me because that film is a pretty good installment for the franchise.  The earlier films were about preventing a disaster, and learning that even though the choices you make do change the future, calamities still come to pass and it’s your duty to carry on despite the opposition.

Terminator Salvation leaves these themes behind and gives us a straight-out war movie.  It does try to go deeper into other themes, such as the relationship between man and machine, but these are well-explored ideas in the sci-fi genre.  This movie really doesn’t bring anything new to the table, even in its own series.

And yet, I had a great time watching it.  The action was awesome, Christian Bale and Sam Worthington chewed a lot of great scenery, and it was really cool to see this post-apocalyptic world that has been hinted at but never shown.  I thought it was completely worth it.

                        ***

Much as I love a good action flick, though, I have to admit I get a little tired of what passes for jeopardy in today’s film culture.  We only have two modes: life-death situations or relationships falling apart.  Now, I’m not knocking it entirely, but I’m kind of bummed that we never seem to be reaching for more.

It’s why I like going to the older movies, the black-and-white dramas, and I’ve finally gotten around to seeing Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.  This may be the best movie I’ve seen all year.

James Stewart plays Jefferson Smith, a kind of a Boy Scout leader (although they call the organization something else) who is appointed a senator out of the blue.  It’s not long before this humble man gets embroiled in the political intrigues and finds that by being honest and standing up to the powers-that-be, his reputation is smeared and integrity is called into question.

This is the kind of story that inspires me.  Not once is Mr. Smith’s life ever threatened.  Nobody’s coming to put a bullet in his head.  What’s at stake is character and his willingness to hold true to his ideals.  It’s a magnificent story that everyone should make time to see it at least once in their lives.

Before I leave it alone, though, I also have to mention Jean Arthur’s role as Clarissa Saunders, Mr. Smith’s cynical secretary who turns into his biggest advocate.  I was as invested in her journey, where she begins jaded with the culture she’s lived in so long and ready to quit to becoming a firm believer and fighter for the world both Mr. Smith and she wants to live in.

I want more stories like this filling my life.