I am not schooled in the art of war.

But one does not need such schooling to be carried away by the intensity and profundity of Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker (2009; DVD 2010).  He or she only needs to have something they want to live for…something they care about…to feel the emotions that are quietly rampant through Bigelow’s work.

After its stunning Oscar trip, I decided to check it out on DVD and was, quite to my non-surprise, blown away.

The Hurt Locker, written by Mark Boal, is a harrowing look at the Army’s secretive bomb disposal unit that disarms bombs in combat zones.  The search for wires, fuses, and corpses (yes, bombs can be hidden in humans) is intense, and the documentary-esque, hand-held camera intensifies the already suspense-filled scenes.  Cinematographer Barry Ackroyd’s the ‘audience-as-fourth-in-the-humvee’ at times is suffocating and overbearing in the most exhilarating sense.

The movie follows a three-man team, Sergeant Will James (Jeremy Renner), Sergeant JT Sanborn (Anthony Mackie), and Specialist Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty) of Bravo Company on their forays through Baghdad, investigating and disposing of explosives.  The performances are raw and intense, as each man, through his courage, also harbors secret hopes and dreams that makes the countdown to home ever more excruciating, as each call could mean the end.  Following these men into the heroic and the insane sets the senses on edge.

As I watched the movie, I was taken by a range of emotions, such as the often perceived inanity of war and the undeniable pressure on brave men and women that is necessary to protect others from the absurdity of enemy war tactics that place civilian and army in like danger.  At times, one is led to question the veracity of Boal’s portrayal of the locals’ often laissez-faire investment in the almost-certain dangers they face every day, as they look on from rooftops and porches into skirmishes that might as well end with an offer of lemonade and a snack.

We can quibble with the Academy all day as to whether The Hurt Locker was the right choice for movie of the year.  However, one thing is clear:  the message it conveys, and how it conveys it with the thin $15 million budget it had, makes it an astounding cinematic achievement.

One certainly does not need schooling in movies or war to appreciate it.  One only need be a member of the human race, with hopes, desires, and a healthy sense of frustration.

-josh

That’s a good word to describe tonight’s Survivor episode.

In a particularly insane reward challenge, bodies were a-flyin’.  Coach was put down hard and Jerri’s face took a flying tumble at Rupert’s hands.  And, in the greatest shock of all, James, the rock and picture of fitness, tweaked his knee.

Ouch.

Couldn’t walk.

But then, he walked right back into camp.

At tribal, James stayed around.  The tribe voted out Tom instead, keeping James and his knee brace.

Ouch.

Interesting choice.

But what is behind it?  Pity?  Votes?  Gamesmanship?  Probably all three.  But then again, that’s what Survivor is all about.  When the Heroes tribe returned to camp after losing their challenge, the scheming started, and the famous Survivor watercolors started to run.  J.T. let the way, double and triple-timing his way to a Tom vote.

Ouch.

And then, Coach placed his trust in Russell.

Yikes.  (Don’t worry…that one will eventually be an ouch).

And isn’t it all about trust?  The reason Heroes vs. Villains exists in the first place is because of trust issues…and trust leads to the biggest ouchies.  Generally, I believe America considers the Villains those who have schemed and breached, and the Heroes those who have been true and valiant.

Ah, how wrong they are.  And how it smarts.

Folks, human nature is human nature.  It isn’t that we are all liars and schemers, but here’s the thing…there’s A MILLION DOLLARS AT STAKE.  Did you hear that?  A million.

Now, some have played the game quite honorably, and some (Coach?) have said one thing and done another (he’d argue with me on that, of course, but again, I refer you to the episode where he said he would go down defending Randy, right before he voted Randy off…although in fairness, 90% of ‘em have said one thing and done another at one point.  He’s not alone).

But at the end of the day, people generally get caught in group-think and catch Lord of the Flies syndrome.  Some are in.  Some are out.  Some are safe.  Some are blindsided.

They all get the boo-boo, unless they’re the last one standing.

Once again, Survivor doesn’t disappoint.  It just keeps on showing us life, whether we identify with it or not.

Ouch.

-josh

POURED.

Just as my class let out, the drops started.  Within a few minutes it was teeming down.

Then, just like that, the sun came out, peekin’ through the clouds.

Just like that!

I know there is a lesson in this day’s weather somewhere.  But when we’re a little down, it’s probably harder to see…

But I saw.

So, I will have faith that tomorrow, the sun will shine again, even if it’s raining.

After all, the sun is always there, even if she can’t peek out all the time.

-josh

I’ve been a little busy, but I just took this rainy day to catch up on the Survivors that I’ve missed.

There was a lot!

Some of it was business as usual, and some of it was not the usual course of business…that’s for sure.

Coach is never a letdown.  He continues to be the same enigma he always is…a role in which he seems to revel.  Although I found it interesting that he stated to America (after quoting some men of honor) that he would protect Randy, right before writing Randy’s name down.

Honor, indeed, coach…But thank you for revealing what we already know about you.  I get that you are sensitive.  I do.  But the problem is that when you profess sensitivity while at the same time avoiding the issues that create problems for you, it rings hollow…and yes, for once, Tyson had sage advice (during what you call a breakdown, but was probably the most honest moment of your life)…don’t tell the stories.  Don’t do Tai Chi in public.  It’s not that these things are bad.  Your stories are important to you.  Tai Chi is an amazing pursuit for inner peace…but even Jesus said on the Sermon on the Mount, go in your room, close the door, and pray to your Father in private.  Why?   Because if you truly live your tenets, then the only place that matters is in your soul and in your mind…not tattooed on your body and done in full view.

It doesn’t matter who sees your devotions.  Only the devotion matters.

But coach aside, there was other excitement, including the immunity idols that became tribal-public when the scrolls dropped to the ground on each beach.  The Villains, oddly enough, turned to Heroes when they made a gentleman’s agreement to not look for it.

Russell, of course, always the consummate gentleman, immediately took off to look for it.

While, on the Heroes beach, everyone scattered to find it.

Although, I must say, digging for it as a group in the open was probably a good approach, and it ended up saving Tom, leading to the (surprising?) vote for Cirie.  I’m not sure how I feel about that.  I like Cirie.  Always have.

Shifting, voting, losing, winning, spying, backstabbing.

*whew!*

It was a heckuva two weeks.

But what can we take away from it here at Orumai?

Well, the line between hero and villain is certainly blurred.  I think if this season shows us anything, it is that people are generally people, and despite perception, games are games down to the end.

The merge should be interesting.

Also, we learned that sometimes silence is the better part of strategy, even if it might be against our nature (Cirie?).

And, I think that Sandra and Coach’s little play at tribal, and Coach’s subsequent breakdown, reveal that even the most ardent slayer of dragons has a soft side…and that the burden of hiding that side is often so great, that often folks like coach are the most fragile, even for all of their hardened quotes and military metaphors.

I’ll try to do better in the future keeping current with Survivor posts!

But I won’t make any promises, though.

This is Survivor, after all.

-josh

I look out at it often, but today, something caught my eye.

There was a rabbit sitting next to the Buddha statue.  It was still…as still as the statue!  I almost didn’t see it.

They just sat there together.  Quietly listening to the water.  It was a great scene.  I stared at it for a few minutes before going on with my day.  I found myself wishing that I had that kind of composure…the discipline to sit so quietly for a few minutes like that rabbit.

Now, I know rabbits can be a nervous bunch!  I know they scamper around and avoid snakes and coyotes.

I know.

But at least for those few minutes, it wasn’t a nervous rabbit I saw.  It was a calm, quiet creature enjoying a few moments.

Honestly?  I don’t know if rabbits “enjoy” their moments…I’m guessing…

But it was pretty special.

Just thought I’d share.

I’m going to go be quiet for a few minutes.

-josh

I saw the women’s figure skating a few nights ago and even though there were no real surprises, it was nice to see the winners all skate clean…But I’ve been thinking about how we get so sucked in to all of this!

I’ve been getting so caught up in so many of the sports.  It’s just amazing how we become students of various sports that we never think about during the year (most of us) – biathlon, luge, speed-skating…it’s easy to get lost in the pageantry and drama. Joannie Rochette, Kim Yu-na, and Mao Asada had a rather predictable battle, but one that probably made you sit on the edge of your seat just a bit!

I would probably never turn on too many extreme sports during the year, but I watched the snowboarding.  I watched the aerials.  I watched the ski-cross.  We just do!

And no matter how detached we think we are, we let the commentator give us a lesson in technique.  We watch for the skis coming apart and wonder how that will affect scoring.  We wait to see who will pop out of the starting gate first and take the advantage.  We look for the quad or the triple.  We silently (or loudly) cheer for our country’s athlete in whatever sport, hoping they’ll do well, even if we are just waiting for the hockey or skating competition to begin.

That’s the power of the Olympics.  We put aside a lot to watch them.  We clear schedules.  We open our minds to new sports.  We inflame rivalries we never knew existed, and we stand around the watercooler the next day and talk about it all.  And, aside from the occasional sour grape silver medal skater or the angry short-track athlete, it is usually in a spirit of friendliness.

I love that.

I’d love more of that.

Maybe I’m just a Pollyanna, but so be it.  If it is in the name of togetherness, I’ll take the label.

And, I’ll still watch the Olympics.

-josh

Due to the Olympics and life craziness, I am not able to get out a Survivor entry on last night’s episode…one may not be forthcoming until next week!  I have the episode safely tucked away on the ol’ DVR and will get to it soon.

So far, I don’t know the result, but I can tell you that I will try to avoid finding out who was voted off, although through life, I have had some funny movie and TV spoilers!

In the meantime, if you want to comment, please share a story of a time when someone ruined an ending or a result for you if you missed something! (And don’t cite my Olympic blog entries as spoilers…Ha ha!)

-josh