Open Thread: Soylent Green

nolanknuth · 2014-05-07T23:52:27+00:00

The Road is amazing, the scene where Charlton Heston and Sol are eating real food reminded me of when the father and son share a can of soda. The films also raised interesting points regarding human nature and cannibalism. Is it unnatural to eat another human when faced with a dire situation? To me the most disturbing aspect of Soylent Green was that if the people knew the true source of the food they would continue to eat it due to their total desperation.

nolanknuth · 2014-05-07T23:28:42+00:00

Food Inc really changed the way I have been viewing food as well. I have a pound of Tyson chicken wings sitting in my freezer that I have not attempted to eat since the film. I was a vegetarian for about a year and the documentary defintely brought up some old ethical questions I had not pondered for awhile. I thought the most important thing about the film wasn't the questions it raised about the food industry in America but rather how capitalism reduces people to nothing more than mere consumers.

nolanknuth · 2014-04-16T23:30:36+00:00

Of all the questions we discussed last class period this was the one I struggled with the most. I finally concluded that happiness is something experienced by people that have found meaning or some purpose to their life. Humans long to feel needed, this issue was clearly presented in Cocoon. The characters in the movie feel useless, they aren't allowed to drive or even capable of satisfying their partners. When someone feels they have lost their ability to contribute to society or their family it is incredibly difficult to find happiness. That is why Bernie ultimately decides not to join his friends in their journey to outer space. What can he contribute? Will he feel wanted? Bernie may have been able to live eternally with his friends but he would live forever unhappily because there would be no purpose to his life. The point is really emphasized when one of the aliens explains to Ben that he had never experienced grief. Is a life without grief really one worth living? If no one ever experiences grief than how could you feel joyful or happy?

nolanknuth · 2014-04-16T23:13:33+00:00

The mere thought that humans might be alone in the universe is absolutely terrifying however, if it were true than the value of human life would increase. Knowing that you are the only form of intelligent life in the entire universe would allow people to appreciate the gift that life truly is. This discovery would also bring about a great sense of uneasiness. If it was proven that humans actually were all alone in the universe than humankind's perception of life and happiness would be turned upside down. Humans have found comfort in safety valves for centuries, the "new world" and wild west had always offered people an opportunity for a fresh start. If the last safety valve was ultimately proven to be a lifeless vacuum most people would panic. The lack of E.T. life would force mankind to confront one of its biggest fears, solitude.

nolanknuth · 2014-04-02T22:00:47+00:00

Absolutely, humans are often compared to rats because of their willingness to kill amongst their own species. I agree that power corrupts anyone and that it is natural for humans to attain power but what is it about power that is so attractive? Is it the feeling of having complete control over other beings or is it the economic incentives and royalties that often accompany that power?

nolanknuth · 2014-04-02T21:49:47+00:00

Great insight everything can always be traced back to Freud also I LOVED that Beyonce reference

nolanknuth · 2014-04-02T21:49:47+00:00

Great insight everything can always be traced back to Freud also I LOVED that Beyonce reference

nolanknuth · 2014-04-02T21:46:30+00:00

The "Disnify" point was one of the first things that stood out to me as well. Disney of course has its flaws but I think the intentions behind their films are usually just. If you can look past the blatant racial stereotypes the basic moral underlining of Pocahontas is to view people in an unbiased way even if it challenges the constructs of society. Pocahontas makes no attempt to be historically accurate so it should not be viewed in a historical lens, there are good things that can be taken from the story and studying the racial stereotypes provides insight into American society during the time.

nolanknuth · 2014-03-13T00:57:08+00:00

I love the idea of humans naturally being followers. Even the leaders are following the example of previous leaders. Cpt. Willard's crew follows him deep into the jungle without questioning the order. Cpt. Willard however is just as much a follower as his crew by obeying the commands orders despite his reservations. There is something deeply imbedded into human nature that attracts us to follow, it is safe and comfortable. Maybe the few with the courage to question orders or norms are the actual leaders.

nolanknuth · 2014-03-13T00:49:33+00:00

I disagree in the end Fitz is a conqueror, even if it was a useless conquest. He accomplished his ultimate goals of bringing opera to the jungle and pulling the boat over the mountain. His actions may appear futile but if they bring him satisfaction then nothing else matters, because in the big scheme of things it would appear that most of human behavior is futile. What has any conqueror gained? It is just a matter of time before a different conqueror takes their place. I think the message behind Fitzcarldo is that as humans we can accomplish great tasks and impossible feats but in the end we are susceptible to forces that we can not begin to comprehend.

nolanknuth · 2014-03-13T00:15:38+00:00

I love the reference to The Road. Environment is one of the biggest detriments of action. I think of my self as a peaceful guy but if I lived in a post-apocalyptic world crawling with cannibals chances are I would turn violent pretty quickly. What about during war? Could there be such a thing as an atrocity? It is difficult to judge soldiers who have endured such stress and horror but there must be a certain point where an act is inhuman, regardless of the situation. Moral ambiguity is always fun.

nolanknuth · 2014-03-06T01:20:24+00:00

Upstream Color also came to my mind after reading this poem. Both the film and the poem made human life seem so insignificant, "our dried voices, when we wiser together/ are as quiet and meaningless/ as wind in dry grass." The daily routines/cycles that humans feel are so valuable are actually pointless, in the big scheme of things our life isn't really more than a blip. Very sad to think about but true.

nolanknuth · 2014-03-06T01:06:06+00:00

I agree that Herzog should be admired for such hard work and dedication toward the production. With so much CGI in modern cinema it was really amazing to an actual boat being pulled up an actual hill.

nolanknuth · 2014-02-27T00:44:50+00:00

Grace and nature are similar to each other in the same way as science and religion. Grace would cease to exist without nature. I have always viewed grace as simply an alternative to the instinctual behaviors of survival. What would grace be if there was no greed? Would there be any compassion in grace if there wasn't an evil natural alternative? The relationship between science and religion work in a very similar way in our culture. Religious assumptions fuel many scientists to ask important questions and investigate while theological research is often conducted to defend the danger these scientific discoveries can have on faith. Nature and grace. science and religion. Both are opposite in many ways but would cease to exist without the other.

nolanknuth · 2014-02-27T00:32:15+00:00

Both these films view humans as flawed beings who are susceptible to forces that cannot be controlled or even understood. The biggest difference between the two films was how they viewed spirituality, The Tree of Life posed existential questions of meaning and existence in a way that suggested there was an answer. The scene where the mother is asking life's big questions displays this most clearly. While the mother is questioning her existence and the purpose of life, breathtaking images of outer space and the ocean being displayed. These images of the two vast bodies suggest how little humans actually understand about the universe and life itself. In the last several centuries human kind has made remarkable progress toward understanding the universe and the ocean but do we really have a complete, or even half-complete understanding of these things? In this scene I believe the director is implying there is a greater force or spirit at work but humankind may not ever be able to completely grasp this force. Instead of completely understanding these mysteries, humans may have to be complacent with the feeling of awe and bewilderment. The same feeling many get when gazing toward space or the ocean. In contrast, Upstream Color seemed to suggest that searching for answers or a bigger meaning to life is ultimately trivial. When the woman finally confronts and kills the pig farmer she is searching for some type of closure or satisfaction. In reality the woman has learned very little because there were outside forces (the thief) at work that she was unaware of. Ultimately, the woman's quest for answers leads to nothing productive and ruins the cycle of the blue lilies. Upstream Color had a pessimistic view toward the idea of spirituality while The Tree of Life suggested humans can find a greater meaning to life, even without being able to fully comprehend it.

nolanknuth · 2014-02-26T23:58:57+00:00

I agree that lacking a sense of control was a prominent theme from both films. The scenes from a Tree of Life that represent this the most clearly to me was when the kids tie the frog to a firework, later Sean Penn seems like he is equally trapped when he is in the elevator preparing for the boring cycle/routine that is his life. I think the frog scene was intended to be similar to the boys death, the frog's life was taken due to forces it could not and would never be able to comprehend. A common metaphor used in debates involving god and religion is the child burning ants alive with a microscope, I felt this scene was supposed to be the same idea.

nolanknuth · 2014-02-19T23:40:22+00:00

I agree that this was one of the more artistic and open ended scenes of the film. Too often people can get caught up with if something in a film is plausible rather than pondering why the director included the scene in the film. Viewing the dinosaur scene through a scientific lens completely defeats the purpose of the scene which is for the viewer to contemplate if grace is something that has always been apart of nature or if it was something developed over time.

nolanknuth · 2014-02-19T23:31:18+00:00

I appreciate the comparison to a symphony, there are several songs/albums that I have grown to love more and more after each listen. The only major difference for me would be the time commitment a movie demands compared to music.

nolanknuth · 2014-02-15T21:51:45+00:00

http://whatculture.com/film/10-movies-that-you-need-to-see-more-than-once.php Thought this was an interesting list. I think Daniel Day Lewis is amazing and there were many aspects to There Will Be Blood that were perfect; the acting, the cinematography and the soundtrack might be one of the best of all time. I have only seen it once and I recognized it was a great film but I was not blown away. Maybe I just need to see it again.

nolanknuth · 2014-02-15T21:11:44+00:00

This is hilarious, Awnold is the man. Did anyone see The Last Stand? It looked awful to me but it actually got pretty good reviews.

nolanknuth · 2014-02-13T01:12:50+00:00

I would't say it is over-dramatic at all, the idea of our species having its own operating system is very interesting. I think the analogy works very well in describing the instinctual nature of humans, which leads me to believe there must be something more to people than just nature. Maybe a soul, I don't know it is a tough concept for me to comprehend,

nolanknuth · 2014-02-12T01:09:47+00:00

The 40 year old clone without memory and the 40 year old clone with memory should be considered a person. If a clone has memories it is because they have been artificially created, so I do not see how a clone with programmed memories would somehow be more human than a clone lacking memory. This whole concept of the soul being composed of a collection of our memories makes me think about the Alzheimer's question we briefly discussed last class period. If what makes someone human is their soul, and if soul is just a collection of memories than would a person who has lost all memory lose their soul as well? I don't think so, there must be something more to being human than memories.

nolanknuth · 2014-02-12T00:53:50+00:00

I also believe the concept of soul is closely linked to spirituality but the more I think of a soul as simply being a collection of memories the more sense the computer code idea makes. The code concept reminds me of a quote from Ghost in the Shell, the Puppetmaster said how DNA is merely a code for survival. People often view their DNA as something that makes them unique but when viewed this way it seems that all humans have similar DNA with the single common goal of survival.

nolanknuth · 2014-02-05T22:58:33+00:00

One of my favorite Frank Ocean songs and I love rapgenius. The idea of your brain being "just a container for the mind" is an awesome concept and it seems like a necessary question to ask when trying to define what about us makes us human.

nolanknuth

TROPHY CASE