Comments on: SEVEN POUNDS http://contour-at-the-movies.com/2009/01/06/seven-pounds/ What we're watching and how it measures up in Contour Sun, 15 Jan 2012 03:15:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: danpilditch http://contour-at-the-movies.com/2009/01/06/seven-pounds/comment-page-1/#comment-46 danpilditch Sat, 10 Jan 2009 04:15:13 +0000 http://totallywrite.wordpress.com/?p=199#comment-46 breadandsham, thanks for your post! Your highlighting of the movie's (many) questions got me thinking about how movies affect the audience. What's more effective? A movie that asks a moral question and provides a compelling answer that (hopefully) changes the way the audience sees a particular subject? Or simply posing a questing so that the audience can agonize over it when the expected answer isn't provided? After i got done whining about how the "Hollywood answer" wasn't served up, i started coming up with "better" endings, "different" plot points, and ideas of what "should" have happened. Then I noticed... "Hey! I'm thinking about this movie's themes more than other recent movies I've seen!" Is that a good or bad thing? The movie certainly affected me... but in a good or bad way? I'm debating a few decent moral questions, but is that because the movie intentionally didn't answer them, or failed to? IMO, it's impossible to say. That said, I paid ten bucks see it, so I'm gonna get my money's worth. The questions remain unanswered... -- Dan. breadandsham,

thanks for your post! Your highlighting of the movie’s (many) questions got me thinking about how movies affect the audience.

What’s more effective? A movie that asks a moral question and provides a compelling answer that (hopefully) changes the way the audience sees a particular subject? Or simply posing a questing so that the audience can agonize over it when the expected answer isn’t provided?

After i got done whining about how the “Hollywood answer” wasn’t served up, i started coming up with “better” endings, “different” plot points, and ideas of what “should” have happened. Then I noticed… “Hey! I’m thinking about this movie’s themes more than other recent movies I’ve seen!”

Is that a good or bad thing? The movie certainly affected me… but in a good or bad way? I’m debating a few decent moral questions, but is that because the movie intentionally didn’t answer them, or failed to? IMO, it’s impossible to say.

That said, I paid ten bucks see it, so I’m gonna get my money’s worth. The questions remain unanswered…

— Dan.

]]> By: Raquel Yosephine http://contour-at-the-movies.com/2009/01/06/seven-pounds/comment-page-1/#comment-48 Raquel Yosephine Wed, 07 Jan 2009 02:17:49 +0000 http://totallywrite.wordpress.com/?p=199#comment-48 Hot article. Hot article.

]]> By: breadandsham http://contour-at-the-movies.com/2009/01/06/seven-pounds/comment-page-1/#comment-47 breadandsham Wed, 07 Jan 2009 01:27:44 +0000 http://totallywrite.wordpress.com/?p=199#comment-47 Good points. "Are you a good person?" is such an interesting, tragic, and unfair question to be asking of others. It is interesting that our society arbitrarily chooses who is and is not worthy of acceptance. Our standard is exactly that, our own. You are right, that the film doesn't help us with the answer, but it's a good starting point to ask the question. It's silly that we think someone else is worthy of our forgiveness, love, mercy, vengeance, hatred, jealousy, etc, all on some sort of "goodness" meter. It needs to be exposed that we are not as good as we think. Inside, I am every bit as selfish as Tim (who poses as his brother Ben). Good points. “Are you a good person?” is such an interesting, tragic, and unfair question to be asking of others. It is interesting that our society arbitrarily chooses who is and is not worthy of acceptance. Our standard is exactly that, our own.

You are right, that the film doesn’t help us with the answer, but it’s a good starting point to ask the question. It’s silly that we think someone else is worthy of our forgiveness, love, mercy, vengeance, hatred, jealousy, etc, all on some sort of “goodness” meter. It needs to be exposed that we are not as good as we think. Inside, I am every bit as selfish as Tim (who poses as his brother Ben).

]]>