Friday, October 7, 2011

Fear of Pain? Fear of Pain!

That line should be in your mind, at the time of immense pain. 
Plain direct.


Wait, immense pain? Who are we to talk about immense pain when we haven't even experience it before? Well, we are human , after all. And that's probably good enough.

Anyway, why do we fear pain? Is it because there is something we feel foreign to us attacking our very soul? That we have no idea of what we're up against? The fear of the unknown? Whatever the reason, pain is always there, right? And isn't it our choice to choose how we deal with pain?

Sure, but what if we choose wrongly? What if we go with the wrong approach?

But, you know what? You're right. We aren't talking about the right stuff here. What's needed to addressed here is why there is fear of pain, and if we know why, how are going to deal with the fear? Interesting, but not something we should ponder for too long. Fear of pain (or fear itself) can be a long ordeal, and it'll dawn on you that you haven't got what it takes to get over the pain. And worst of all, the pain only keeps intensifying...

Well, we need pain. No doubt about that. But, do we need to face the prospect of facing pain? No, hold it. Whoever said the prospect of pain can be so daunting that we begin to the fear pain?! Why can't we face it and 'take it like a man'? Ha-ha. Yep, ha-ha, folks. If there is such a thing as taking it like a man, then we are ALL tough guys, which we are most certainly not.


At the end of the day, the fear of pain is like any other type of fear. Which means, you gotta deal with it.
Posted by at

Review of The Week!

Movie : The Avengers (2012)

Awe-inducing, funny and action-packed, this could be the superhero movie of the year (not that there are many).


It is unusual for directors to modify the genre of superhero movies. To be precise, if we are looking for some popcorn entertainment, Joss Whedon could have easily turned this into a full-blown alien-versus-superhero affair (that actually would not be too bad). Interestingly to note however, he does not. With an affinity to blend action scenes with tongue-in-cheek humor, he balances the tone of the movie to be both rewarding and most definitely, superhero-themed.

There are plenty of noteworthy things you can brag about this movie. The cinematography, the script, the visuals, the cast, the production design. Surely though, there would be one or two flaws, but they are not really meant to be called 'flaws' per se. Bending the laws of physics, 'saving the world' is saving the US and how Hulk manages to comply to orders are just some of the minor 'flaws'. These are probably things that you would just like to ignore for the sake of giving the director the benefit of the doubt.

It is quite evident that Whedon has made this film his own. He incorporates humor into almost every scene, as if things are not to be taken too seriously in the world of The Avengers. And it should be like that. Again, the emphasis on superhero movies usually lie on destruction, life-saving and personalization of characters. But here, there is some of that, but not completely. No chessy lines. No rushed pacing. No cliche-ridden narrative. (Just Loki speaking in a not-so-sharp English accent.)

The movie can also be likened to last year's Deathly Hallows (Part 2); a lot of hype, and duly delivered. At least we could expect how the last Harry Potter movie was meant to be : an emotional, epic battle. The Avengers did deliver but there is something different to the whole theme that somehow manages to change our view on how superhero movies should be in the future. Is it Robert Downey Junior's Shakespearean jab at Thor? Or is the excellent cinematography of sticking to single shots instead of quick-fire editing? Heck, it could even be Scarlett Johansson's semi-obscene display of bust. Anyhow the movie is a success, most definitely.


Unprecedented, now that is one word to decribe Joss Whedon's take on a superhero movie.


Personally*... Stay in your seats till the end; there are rumors that an extra scene is added to the US version of The Avengers, for compensation of the late release.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/user/894039/reviews/

Spark of inspiration?