Cathy the Librarian

Watched another movie!

Catch 22 – Wow. There were so many well-known actors in this I wanted to have IMDB up right next to me to keep track of it all. Plus there were just a lot of people in it. Trying to keep track of who died when was pretty confusing. But I have to admit that I enjoyed it… well as much as you can enjoy a movie where most of the characters are likable… and then just like that they’re dead. Sad. I was just going to say “plus I don’t like war movies”
but I did like:

1. Das Boot – which was incredible and terrifying if you don’t like enclosed spaces.
2. Saving Private Ryan – I cried at the end. I’m ashamed, but what can you do.
3. Full Metal Jacket – Show this to anyone that you are trying to convince not to join the military. Plus the Sargent that was screaming at the recruits was none other than R. Lee Ermey. Wow. What a way to get the hairs on your arms to stand to attention. I’m hoping that things are different, but it still makes me hope that Jack doesn’t want to join the military.
4. Starship Troopers – Jeff will be so proud. I have to admit it. I love this movie. Its silly and violent. Its all about who’s got the biggest cojones. However I do think that as much as its silly, the movie (the book really) also has a statement to make. It was published around 1960, which, although it didn’t sound premeditated, coincided with the Vietnam War. The movie made it seem as though it was a privilege to fight in the war against the bugs. In order to become a citizen, you needed to join the military. You also needed to join the military in order to have babies… what a way to kill off the population. Plus there was a whole side thing with the females and males being treated as equals, but so much so that nothing was separate, they showered and bunked together. Interesting and silly.
5. Apocalypse Now – I hope that war isn’t really like this. If men were going this mad, I don’t know how anyone made it out alive. This is also based on a book. A book I was forced to read in high school. A book which I tried to block out of my mind because it was so very awful. It was called Heart of Darkness (by Joseph Conrad) and I seem to remember that Mr. Conrad wasn’t well versed in the English language, and yet still decided to write the book in English. Still the movie is disturbing and fascinating, much like all the rest of these movies.

I don’t know what compels me to watch some of these movies. Many of them make my skin crawl. And yet, I still watch them, and I thank god because at one point I wanted to join the Air Force. It may be for some people, but not me. I’ll stick to children and teens beating each other up rather than me beating up the rest of the world.

Blegh. Good night. Make love not war.