Movies

We watched two movies today. The first was at a theater. The second was a documentary we had recorded on our DVR.

Carol, Debbie, Robert, and we went to the Times Square theater to see Captain Phillips. It was an intense, gut wrenching thriller, but one with psychological complexity and global ramifications. The final scenes left me shaken, even though I knew of course that Captain Phillips survived. The US Navy "saved the day" but the viewers are left to ponder the implications of increasing globalization and capitalism that leave both Captain Phillips and his kidnappers helpless in their grip. My main motive for going to see the film was the chance to watch Tom Hanks in action. He did a superb job and should definitely garner an Oscar nomination for the title role.

And all that was just the matinee. After dinner Dick and Carol and Debbie came over to watch a POV film we had recorded, titled "Neurotypical." I had never heard that term before, but Carol and Debbie were very familiar with it. The film explores what it means to have a diagnosis on the autism spectrum. "Neurotypical" is what some people with such a diagnosis call neurologically "normal" people. The filmmaker raises questions about the great diversity in humanity and the ways in which labeling people who fall outside of some societally defined norms (one person asks if the DSM IV has a label for people who fall at the opposite end of the spectrum: the "hysterically emotional"}.

Lots to think about.

This morning Carol and I went garage saling. It's a tradition of ours. Carol is a pro at it and goes weekly." She zips around in her Prius and doesn't dally at sales, either. Kind of a garage sale surgical striker, she zooms in and with her sharp eye quickly identifies the items she is interested in. I picked up a few things, but not much this day. True bargain hunters are not deterred by lean pickings one morning: you never know when you might find a treasure.