Sunday, August 26, 2007

man in the mirror

"if you wanna make the world a better place,
take a look at yourself and make the change."


how many can forget this iconic message from michael jackson's 1987 hit single, the impact of which was further emphasised by images of starving children in the accompanying music video?

it was this song that came to mind as i watched evan almighty last nite with the daughter.

after all, evan baxter was elected to congress on the premise that he would change the world. despite the mediocre reviews this movie got, from "almighty dud" (read here) to "mildly amusing" (read here) or even "poor" and "lousy"(read here), i felt there were far more important lessons to be learned than merely looking out for entertainment value.

somewhere during the movie, i thought i actually grasp the essence of the director's objective (other than the misguided wish to emulate the success of bruce almighty, fronted by the inimitable jim carrey), specifically the part where God explained to evan's wife, that he wished for man to work side-by-side with each other, to face & overcome world problems - in this movie, it's the destruction of the environment by greedy politicians. hence, the portrayal of paired animals marching up the ark. he hit the nail on the head when he teasingly asked how we can make the world better? simply starting with Acts of Random Kindness. whoa...!

i'm almost completely sold by the movie for its sunday-school-like intent, except that i still think "man in the mirror" should have been included in the original soundtrack. imagine playing those lyrics when evan was looking into the mirror as he tried to shave off the newly-grown beard. fu-yoh!!

oh, BTW, no props (planks, window panes, roof tiles, etc) were wasted at the conclusion of shooting as they were auction off to DIYs & hardware stores, with proceeds contributed to the conservation of natural resources, in line with the discourse of the movie. & the ark could soon be found at a theme park near you.

PS. i wonder if saving lives comes within the purview of ARK. hmm....

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Problem is most ppl who took a look in the mirror only see themselves on the outside - what or how they want others to see.
They failed to see their within.

We have to love the person that is looking back at us in that mirror, Doc.. only then we're able to make the change.

Besides an alternative which me must never forget is to look up to HIM.

Have a great week, Doc.

Anonymous said...

I've yet to watch Evan Almighty but the trailer looks promising.

;)

LX said...

Maybe I should watch this movie.. but the sole cinema in Miri is really lousy. Warm, dirty, uncomfortable..

doc said...

jem,

that is so true - we usually look into the mirror to check on the hair or lipstick, as the case may be, but often fail to observe the imperfections of our very being.

"anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like." James 1:23,24

blessed week to you, jem!

doc said...

kyels,

it's NOT a comedy of biblical proportion, but it's good fun all the same.

yeah, disregard the reviews (& my post) - go with an open mind & enjoy yourself!

doc said...

lynnx,

you really want to be nice & comfortable to have a good laugh at this movie, so wait till you're in KL, or wait for the (dare i say, original?) DVD to be released.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for this review. i will look for this movie. Your retreat looks like it was a worthwhile exercise and the food pics look good. You are free to visit us any time you want :)

You are always welcome. :) I am on msn

doc said...

beng,

it's not meant to be a review, but there you are...

the retreat was fabulous, made better when you share the experience with friends.

thanks for the offer - i'll take a rain cheque for now. oops, i'm not much of a online chatter.

Jonzz said...

Aiyo, people telling me that show is lousy. To watch or not to watch...

doc said...

jonzz,

there's only one way to find out - go see it with an open mind.

have fun!