Review of movie: Downsizing

Rating: 1 out of 10

My interest in the movie Downsizing arose on observing a movie poster (refer this linked post). I had always intended to see it while it was in its run at the cinemas. General busyness and other opportunities saw the movie run its course.

 

Image credit: https://goo.gl/images/LruFVR

While sitting aboard a long-haul international Qantas flight I finally had the opportunity to watch the movie. The premise is relatively straightforward: a married couple commit to a procedure that will downsize them to five inches tall. In downsizing the couple is doing their bit to save the planet in terms of over-consumption and pollution.

The movie was a huge disappointment. The aspects that were true to the downsizing process were concluded within the first half hour. The balance of the movie was a messy mix of preachy environmentalism, love story, exploitation and racism. I was left feeling that the movie had no real idea of what it was trying to achieve. In contrast; Jumanji – another of the offerings on the Qantas entertainment system – left no question as what it was trying to achieve in that it provided Jack Black wonderful chances to pull off some worthy character specific jokes.

The messy mix was devastating enough yet the real problem was with the starring actor Matt Damon. Simply put, Damon appeared grossly disinterested. It almost seemed that Damon perceived in advance that the only nomination that the movie would receive for the 75^th annual Global Globe awards would be for “Best Supporting Actress” – an actress that starred alongside Damon and whom only made an appearance at approximately the half-way point. Damon seemed so disinterested that I expected a breach of the fourth wall as he voiced a note to his manager of order: “GET ME OUT OF HERE”. Damon’s expression was poor and he largely plodded through the movie waiting for it all to end.

There was hope that something exciting would occur – like a five inch actor being plucked from a boat by a passing seagull – but alas that did not arise.

Damon’s character loses his wife in the early part of the film. The two of them had starred together on a previous outing. By separating the actors the viewer never sees any development of on-screen chemistry in this movie. With an established male/female actor coupling broken early in the movie, Damon seemed to be left to hold the fabric together for the other female actor to thrive. Damon is too big a star to be asked to do this.

Downsizing – watch at your own peril!

Shalom,

Ozhamada


Note: After writing this I noted that Paul Brody, a film critic of The New Yorker, wrote of the film: "“Downsizing,” is three movies in one—a passable one, a terrific one, and a terrible one.". See, Paul had his reservations about the movie too.

Genogram from The Tattooist of Auschwitz

I quickly find myself muddled in books where the author introduces family relationships. Often the reader is required to hold aspects of the family structure in their head as they continue reading through the book. The Tattooist of Auschwitz includes a family grouping.


I prepared this genogram to understand the main character's (Lale) family structure. I hope you find it helpful.





And,



There is a full review of the book linked.


Shalom,
Ozhamada #readAustralian

Review of Hitchhiking for Ugly People, and other life experiences by Peter FitzSimons

There is one thing that I adore about short story compilations of a single authors' works. The short story compilations should be compulsory reading before embarking upon the reading of a full book of the author. It’s that a good selection of short stories gives you insight into the author’s active mind. You see, where the full books are the masterpieces; short stories are the scratch book, the working pad, the working canvas, of the artist. And, short stories give the author the chance to try different writing styles.

 

Photo Credit: Amazon.com

FitzSimons explores the different writing styles very well. The book contains a number of sporting celebrity encounters, travel stories and historical accounts. There are also two obituaries – FitzSimons’ father early in the collection and his mother in the last of the stories.

 

The real treat was a story towards the end of the compilation. It was a rare gem in that it varied from all others. Indeed, it was a scientific contemplation. It was a deliberation on the consequences of the sun switching off.

 

“If the Sun Goes Out” addresses the impact upon life on earth of the loss of the Sun. It addresses in turn: loss of power, loss of food and loss of life. It is confidently, and poetically written – a tribute to a great author.

 

Note: for a dinner table challenge that stemmed from this book see this post.

 

Shalom,
Ozhamada




Note: all links good as at 7 March 2018

Book Review of The Weekend Effect - The Life-Changing Benefits of Taking Two Days Off, by Katrina Onstad

I really tried to like this book. It was a gift from a dear friend.

 

The book encourages everyone to steal back time into their busy lives to ensure weekend serve as down-time. It is a book that takes the 24/7 world and wrestles it back to weekday and weekend segments. There is an argument that productivity increases where work hours concentrate to a set time.

 

The book, at times, is little more than a conglomerate of patched together research pieces. Material of the author from firsthand account is very limited. The author’s sought experience is thin and is simply recorded.

 

What really killed it was a table at the end of the book. The table has the heading “Manifesto for a Good Weekend”. Under a sub-heading of “Seek beauty”, the author includes the tip:

 

“Stand outside a church on a Sunday morning and listen to the choir”

 

Get that, “stand outside a church”!

 

Now, that tip is wrong on so many levels:

 

1. Contrary the book’s objective: The book calls people to seize the weekend and squeeze it for all it is worth. If people have duly heeded the call to make time then why would they only stand outside the church – surely they have the time to go inside the church.


2. Acoustic: Show me one church; just one - I dare you, where the acoustics are better on the outside.

 

3. Beauty: There seems to be an implication that the beauty of a church environ starts and ends with a choir. It is plausible that by going inside a church people will find other items of beauty.

 

4. Health: The author is writing from a location where it snows. In my country, church days can be quite hot. It is plausible that standing outside to listen to a choir would be detrimental to one’s health.


5. Singing: A church with a choir is a church where people all stand to sing with the choir. Listening outside does not lend well towards singing outside. Listening inside lends well towards singing inside. For instance, you can sing inside amongst a mass of people and have your voice lost in the din. With my poor singing voice, I’m very happy to have my feeble contribution drowned out by others.

 

I’ll not be standing outside a church to listen to the choir. If I do find myself at the front of a church on a Sunday morning, it will be natural to make the step of going inside the church. Listening to a choir outside a church would be like going to a beach and not taking shoes off to feel the sand – all presence but no connection.

 

And, when inside the church, I’m sure that there will be more beauty than just the combined voice of a choir.

 

Shalom,

Ozhamada

 

Note: all links good as at 31 January 2018

Falling to the ground and multiplying

Travels recently North of Sydney had me pondering an Australian native lily’s means of reproduction. The lily puts up a stem with a flower bud. The flower buds and seed heads form. The seed heads seemingly are too heavy for the stem to hold. The stems fall to the ground. 

This places the seeds against the ground where there are ready to propagate.

The distance between the base of the plant and the seed heads is about a metre. It is common for four to five seed heads to fall in opposite directions such that the plant radiates out in different directions. It is not difficult to image that these plants, left unchecked, could populate a massive area in a matter of eight or nine seeding cycles. The stem seems to lose its vigour from the base as a means of supporting the seed head in good health. The stem seems to rot away before reproduction is complete.

The lily’s name is swamp lily. It’s scientific name is Crinum pedunculatum. I’m thankful to the Tilligerry Habitat for helping to identify the plant. The Habitat does not have any of the lilies within their boundary yet I found a location nearby where there were numerous lilies.

 Photo or lily

Photo of one of five seed heads on the lily.

The seed heads had fallen in a rough pattern: North, North-west, East, South and West.

The plant and its seed heads had me contemplating the Bible. Jesus recognised the wild seeding of plant seeds in explaining his own death. Jesus in dying for us produced many seeds. The seeds are the members of his church. Through confidence in the historical Jesus and through confidence that Jesus was God’s son we can be part of the process of growing his church.

Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. John 12:24 NIV

We should be like the Australian swamp lily - putting seeds out in our ministry with others. The seeds should fall in all directions – they should radiate out. We should not be afraid to reach in all directions from us. There is a vast space to be filled with the love of Christ.

Shalom,

Ozhamada

Note: all links good as at 2 January 2018

#australianflora #plant