So while we were in Lille we went to see ” Happy Feet” with all the children including Eugenia for who it was a first.
A friend of mine described the movie as cute with cute characters and I expected puking was compulsory. But also he was right and the whole thing was really Hollywood style ( you have a cute penguin born different from his people who at the end saves the day and get them to get into his shoes while on the way winning the heart of the best chicas of the lot) it turned out that something new was pointing out. The whole plot was political. It had a green message, which at the moment is hype, cool, in, you name it. We were showing our kids the results of the extremes we go to in order to put fish on our plates. In the process we deprive the wildlife that was there before us and leave them to their fate when they obviously don’t have a voice that we can hear or understand. So now our children know how selfish and greedy we are and the fact that we don’t take our responsabilities of protecting the weakest very seriously- although in this movie they end up with some hope and a message that is barely disguised: if you want something to happen, go and do it yourself.
Now, before I turn into Brigitte Bardot, was the message really about animals only? Or wasn’t it also about the cute pets most of us have at home, that we feed and cuddle but not always listen to, called the children? What about them? Aren’t we doing to them exactly what we are doing to some other kinds?. Now the movie’s ending is optimistic – even though at no point do we truly see the effects of the hero’s efforts. Will our end be that optimistic too?
I want more political movies for kids. The messages are all subliminals.

For the ones who leave far away on another remote planet, the new James Bond is all out. It is a remake actually of the very first James Bond. Bond is Blond now- I guess that he needs it. I have heard nothing but praise about the movie; more action, less gadgets, a love story, the guy is human. Yeah right. The guy now is an assassin and what made the charm of James Bond, his elegant sense of humor that nobody could completely imitate and was until then the privilege of the aristocrats is forever lost. James Bond is not a dream anymore. I prefer Mission impossible.
oh, and the girl….Nice eyes, zero in acting. I warned you: I am not always nice.

Borat is all the rage everywhere. And when I say all the rage…Good Lord. So Sacha Baron Cohen is the hero of the day. The question is: was he fully conscious of what he was doing? Did he foresee the impact his movie would have on the world? Or is he simply completely schizophrenic?
I guess that if you’d ask the man he would take his Borat’s voice to answer you. The good news is that he’s making fun of everybody. No one gets spared. It’s run for your life- and what makes his success is that by the time people realize they’ve fallen into his trap, it is too late. But at the end of the day isn’t it comforting to see that we all make a fool of ourselves when given the occasion?
Now of course it is not politically correct. And I don’t mind at all. The fact that I strangled myself laughing at each and every one of his scenes didn’t change anything to my actual beliefs and values. But I know when to recognize a wake up call and this is certainly one. It is impossible not to be shocked by Borat. That’s a good thing – but look how far he had to go to this effect.
An interesting fact that I have seen pointed out anywhere is about a peculiar habit that people have. In a scene Borat tries to greet unknown passers-by and underground passengers the Kazakh’s way. He gets rejected quite violently. But when the unknown ( and unsuspecting) people have been told of his visit, they let him go all the way. Curious. I am sure that some crooks and rapists got the fact registered in the back of their mind – and we remain the unsuspecting victims.
Go and see Borat. Make Sacha Baron Cohen rich. The guy will deserve body guards soon.