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xi'an to honolulu Early this morning I watched a film called Ratcatcher. It centers around a Scottish family during the garbage strike in 1970's Glasgow. The majority of the reviews that I had read said that it was brutal and beautiful at the same time and I would have to say that I agree. The people in the film aren't happy nor are they extraordinary. What they are is real or at least they were to me. I can't think of the last time that I saw something so harsh that was also very compelling. These were everyday people caught in something that they couldn't control yet they were still doing the best that they could until they could escape to somewhere else. The way that they were able to live their lives is so far removed from what I see in my world. Escape seems to be the primary theme for the character James and in a way he succeeds. This idea of escape or struggling to escape can be seen in the one scene that struck me as an homage of sorts to Andrew Wyeth's painting Christina's World. From what the director said in an interview that isn't what she had in mind, but I couldn't help but see a parallel between the two images. ... Tonight the two hour season finale of The Amazing Race aired and I loved every minute of it. Many people seem to lash out at "reality television" and say that it is all fake, but I have to defend The Amazing Race. I think that I can honestly say that that had to be one of the best episodes of the program that I have ever seen and would sway anyone who has even the slightest interest in seeing something other than the corner bar or the latest football game on television. By the way, if anyone is wondering, I slept peacefully through the entire Super Bowl. Watching overweight men run after each other is mindless to me and is not worth my time. Shanghai from last week's episode was a good start, but tonight the teams went to Xi'an which has long been a dream of mine. Ever since I read an article about the terra cotta warriors in an issue of National Geographic magazine at my grandparents' place, I have wanted to go to China. The teams made their way from Shanghai to Xi'an by train and seeing them in the sleeper car reminded me of what my friend and I did from Berlin to Stockholm. The cabins looked exactly the same. I could completely empathize with what they were experiencing and that is why I enjoy the program so much. I've been to many of the places that they go and I have seen firsthand what they see. Every guide book that I have ever read about China says that one should have someone at the hotel write down the name of your destination and the name of your hotel on a piece of paper, so the cab driver will understand what where you need to go. None of the teams followed that policy. More than likely they didn't have time to follow such a procedure. Hua Mountain was amazing. Chinese mountains look so different than say the Rocky Mountains or even the less alpine Smoky Mountains. As for the key and lock challenge, that was another example of where it was simply a matter of time and luck. Not much skill was involved. Maybe one could guess that the key probably wouldn't work in a certain size lock, but there is little else that they could do to speed up the process. Hayden quitting the task was a little shocking, but her frustration was more than apparent. It was clearly a strain on her. Thankfully the four hour penalty that Hayden and Aaron received because they chose not to finish the task kept Adam and Rebecca in the race. I like them more than Hayden and Aaron. Hayden did get a marriage proposal from Aaron which may have been a first for the program as far as I know. From China the teams were off to Honolulu and once again it was familiar territory for me. I immediately recognized the sand bar where they landed after parachuting from a plane, because I had been there with my family back in 1997. We spent an entire afternoon there and my skin acquired a shade of red not seen since that time. I also remembered the international airport there with its open walls. Finally they sent the teams back to Chicago where I recognized the airport and the water tower. Both the restaurant and park were new to me though. Freddy and Kendra winning was okay, I guess. I had thought that Kris and Jon would win, but the train put a stop to them. At least Adam and Rebecca finished the race. Naturally CBS already has another season ready for us to watch and I will be there. ... From my perspective Bollywood seems to be receiving more and more exposure in the United States. First there was the article in a recent issue of National Geographic magazine that taught me that Hollywood makes about six hundred movies a year while Bollywood makes eleven hundred movies a year. Now when I saw some of Letterman tonight he was interviewing the lovely Aishwarya Rai, who is appearing in Bride and Prejudice. I'm curious to see how the American public reacts to the movie. I suspect that most people think of Apu from The Simpsons whenever someone mentions India. |