Parallels

Conditions: Warming Nicely

War in Iraq. Again. Some More.

So it looks like 3 was the magic number when it came to the question of how many beheading videos would it take to provoke an American bombing campaign. And so once again we are at war in Iraq. We have always been at war in Iraq. We will always be at war in Iraq.

Which areas were hit?

The bombing has focused on the ISIS stronghold of Raqqa, a city in northern Syria. ISIS has had control of Raqqa for more than a year, imposing its brutal interpretation of Islamic law on the city's residents.

- edition.cnn.com

Well now the American bombing campaign has resumed I think you can predict the brutality has just begun.



Film Review: Lucy

You’ve got to hand it to Luc Besson. When it comes to films about powerful yet vulnerable girls set in a strange world with a sci-fi twist, he is fantastic. He has a vision and a style all his own, and his films usually have some substance to them as well. Lucy tells the tale of a vapid young woman (played by Scarlet Johanson) who is dropped into a criminal plan to be a drug mule for some kind of new illegal drug. However before she can board the plane wouldn’t you know it, one of her captors kicks her in the stomach and the stuff starts leaking out. Something very strange then happens, and then keeps happening, as the drug starts to increase her brain capacity, enabling her to essentially become super-human.

Her goal is first to figure out what’s going on, then to try and hang on to her humanity as the stuff starts to move her past the normal concerns of every day life. She contacts a famous doctor, Morgan Freeman, about how his theories about brain capacity are correct and then figures out a way to try and leave behind the information that’s been granted to her. All the while dealing with the leader of the criminal gang, who wants his drugs back. Now I’m well aware that brains do not work that way, in fact there’s several things that don’t ring completely true, but I think that sometimes with movies (especially Luc Besson movies) if you just let yourself go and get taken on a ride, it ends up being a brilliant journey despite any nitpicks.

Scarlet does a brilliant job in this role. She transitions from dumb blonde to focused agent to ascending entity with convincing dignity. Her dialog scene with her mother was particularly great. The real kick is that early on in the film we realise there’s no happy ending here for Lucy. She will not survive what is happening to her, and there is no way back. Once we accept that, the film becomes an interesting and odd slide towards oblivion, and while we marvel at what Lucy is becoming, we’re also saddened at what she’s losing. It’s that mood that ultimately hurts the film, because although she is able to discuss and touch upon some deep ideas, it’s all still kind of a downer. Hell of a ride, though. Three and a half cell phone signals out of five.



- Peace out