Movie Night

I often go to the movies. I love them and see at least three or four a month at the Century Theatre Downtown in Albuquerque. (I helped convince them to build it when I was Mayor.) I caught the late matinee of the movie "The Great Raid". It is about the rescue of 500 Americans from a Japanese prisoner of war camp in the Philippines in 1945. I knew the story of this true occurrence because I am a history fanatic of the 30's and 40's. It was a fairly good movie and as most war movies now was realistic.

This particular raid was one of the best documented actions by armed forces camera men during the war. I was a military photographer during my service in the Air Force and have always respected the work of the combat photographers in World War II. At the end of the movie they show quite a bit of the news footage of the rescued servicemen and the American and Philippine guerrillas who freed them. It was very emotional visual journalism and it got me to thinking how much has changed. There were scenes of the emaciated POWs returning on a troop ship to San Francisco and the thousands of people who turned out to greet them with marching bands, parades and rallies. I was joined at this movie by my friend Pat Bryan who just happened to show up at the same time I did. He is a graduate of the Naval Academy and a combat veteran in Viet Nam. He made the remark when we walked out that when he returned from Viet Nam he wishes he had gotten that kind of reception.

Fast forward to 2005. Now, it takes freedom of information lawsuits to get photographs of our returning wounded and dead Americans from Iraq. Think about this. It is really pretty staggering to think bush and his neocons have come this far. Do they think this policy will hide the 1800 dead service men and women from their family and friends? Do they think that none of us at all will notice their sacrifice and the sacrifice of the thousands of maimed soldiers in hospitals all around Europe and the United States? All in an unnecessary war!

The movie will stir patriotism in those who see it, but it should be tempered with the reality of what our government is currently doing in respect to being open and honest.

Well, that was the first movie I saw tonight. The second was an independent film that I first saw In theatrical release, and it may be the most thought provoking movie I have ever seen. I ordered it up on Netflix and it was delivered today. It was good I watched it after that first movie. The movie's title is "What the Bleep Do We Know". It is a hybrid documentary movie about quantum physics and the human brain and our perceptions of reality and how we can change it. It is simply a movie that everyone should see at least twice. I will watch it once more to be sure I have absorbed it all. I highly recommend it.