Sunday, May 8, 2016

Eastwood's "Gran Torino"

DVD cover for the movie "Gran Torino."

Years ago I saw every Clint Eastwood movie when it was in released to the theaters. So when one of my colleagues lent me her DVD of  the 2008 movie Gran Torino to watch, it wasn't hard for me to accept. The fact that Martha only owns two DVDs and "Gran Torino" is one of those increased my interest and curiosity.

Synopsis: Recently widowed Korean War veteran and retired (Ford) autoworker Walt Kowalski (Eastwood) doesn't much like how his life or his Detroit neighborhood has turned out. The world has changed around him. His neighborhood is now mostly rundown and occupied by Asians: a Hmong family lives next door. 

He doesn't get along with his sons and grandchildren, all of whom seem more interested in their inheritance from him. His prized possession is a mint condition 1972 Ford Gran Torino. Through a series of incidents, Walt's dislike for his neighbors slowly warms up. Events cause Walt to act against However, a local gang that feeds on violence and fear, trigger Walt to act, though not in a way that might be expected.

The Gran Torino of the movie of the same name.

My Comments: This was a thoughtful movie I thought. Martha described it as a character study, which I think is an accurate description. On the surface, it can be seen to be about racism (the Wikipedia entry-see above and below-spends a lot of space on racism),  but I think there is more to it than that. 

Martha found a review from a Christian college that dwelt on the spiritual aspects as well as the racial ("The Incarnational Clint Eastwood: A Review of Gran Torino"). For me, this review captures my reaction better than the film being merely about racism or imperialism.

The Catholic Church plays a part in this movie and is treated pretty fairly and respectfully. The part that religion plays in the film is an indication to me that there is more here than mere racism or bigotry. In some ways, it is a modern take on the "Love thy Neighbor" instruction.

The movie also deals with masculinity, violence, food, culture, family, change, and growing old. 

"Gran Torino" at 116 minutes was a bit long for me. Short and sweet (80-100 minutes) is best I think.

The DVD package was rather skimpy: two short extra features but no trailer/preview or commentary. 

Overall, I think "Gran Torino" is a thoughtful film worth watching. I'm glad that Martha shared it with me.

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Links:
http://www.gordon.edu/article.cfm?iArticleID=898
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Written Sunday 15 May 2016

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Saturday, May 7, 2016

Scooter Crash!

I was working at my computer this morning when I heard sirens outside. This is not unusual because the street I live on is a main route for emergency vehicles. I paused to listen to hear if they stopped nearby. (When I first moved in, the fire department showed up at my building for a gas leak without the building fire alarm being activated).

When it sounded like the sirens stopped nearby, I jumped up and threw on some clothes and dashed outside. I looked north and could see some sort of vehicular accident. As I got closer, I saw a motor scooter on the ground in the middle of the street. The EMTs were feverishly working on a tatoo'd man-it didn't look promising so I said a prayer. I didn't take any pictures of the victim lying in the street.

View looking north from my building. The scooter is down just
in front of the fire engine. The SUV at left was involved in the
accident but did not seem to suffer any damage-however, for
some reason it was trucked away.


The scooter was heading North when the driver reportedly
lost control and crashed.

After the ambulance left, the police spent hours documenting the scene. The accident occurred near noon and the street was closed until 5 p.m. Even though the accident occurred several lots away, the police would not let anyone enter the area to access our parking lot. Consequently, we did not have mail delivered today. That was something of a disappointment as I was expecting a package.

After the police left, I went for a walk. You can see the markings on the road related to the accident scene.

The white markings show where crash debris was located. Sand was laid down
to soak up gasoline and oil from the scooter.

The "H" marks where a helmet was found. It is not clear
if the operator was wearing the helmet or if  it merely
fell off the scooter during the crash.

Looking south on Main Street.

Postscript: I was surprised to read in the papers the next day that the scooter operator was still alive. Since those initial reports, there have not been any updates, so I don't know how the injured man is doing. The reports stated life threatening injuries.

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Links:
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Written Saturday May 21, 2016.

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Thursday, April 28, 2016

60th Anniversary

Day 1 (4-28-1956)

Today was the 60th anniversary of my parents' wedding. In some ways it is difficult to comprehend that my Dad has been dead for 20 years. My mom copied this with her iPad from their Wedding Album and one of my sisters emailed it to all of us.

They don't make 'em like this anymore.

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Written Saturday May 21, 2016.


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