People Can Be So Cruel

Tonight my husband treated me to a movie to ward off those Sunday Night Blues. He took me to see the movie The King’s Speech.

I loved the movie but came away feeling unsettled. I wondered after hearing the story of the king if I have inflicted pain on another’s life that has affected them already in their life or will continue to affect them in a harmful way.

It made me search myself for words or actions directed at others than may have caused them the kind of pain the king dealt with his entire life.

As a wife, mother, daughter,sister, teacher and friend the opportunities have been many to say or do the wrong thing or been interpreted in the wrong way. I hope that hasn’t been the case. I’ve tried to be kind and consider the weight of my words and actions.

When my kids were in school and would come home telling stories of cruel acts of others to others I couldn’t help but repeat the same words over and over to them. Be kind! Be kind! Be kind!

As adults my kids still relate stories to me of cruel acts that happened while in school. As a teacher I had parents talk to me about their child being teased or picked on at school or on the playground.

All I could do was to talk to students and their parents in hopes of things becoming better but often all it did was make things worse and they became more creative in their acts.

My husband as chairman of the school board has received phone calls from parents and grandparents over the past couple of years about teasing and bullying of students. Times haven’t changed much but with Facebook, texting and cellphones it seems things travel faster and farther than ever before.

If only all would heed the words…Be kind to all, the world would be a better place.

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True Grit..A Review

Last evening my husband and I took in a movie.  It was True Grit.  The latest of the Coen Brother movies.  Their movies are my husband’s favorites.  I have a few favorites among their films.

I never know what to expect when we go to watch a Coen Brothers movie.  They are quirky and have some of the most expected turns in them.  One of my favorite  Coen movie to watch was A Simple Plan.  It made me really “feel” for the characters in the film. 

After viewing True Grit last evening I would put it at the top of my Coen movie list and at the top of all movies that I saw in 2010.  It was a remake of an old John Wayne movie.

The casting of Jeff Bridges as Rooster Cogburn was an excellent choice.  This was the role that was previously played by John Wayne.  He was believable and likable in the role. 

The role of Mattie Ross was by played by 13-year-old Hailee Steinfeld.  I don’t know if I’ve ever seen Hailee Steinfeld in another role but she seemed seasoned beyond her years.  She was confident, forceful and impressive to watch in her role. 

What I enjoyed most about the movie is the language spoken for the time period.  It was clever and interesting.  Earlier in the day my grown children had watched movies at our home most of the afternoon.  The movie was one four letter word from the beginning to the end.  True Grit had none of the foul language that I heard on the movies my grown children were watching.  It was a movie I would feel comfortable taking my parents or my husband’s parents to see and not have to apologize for language or sexual content that seems so prevalent in most movies currently showing.

The Coen Brothers remake of True Grit makes me want to check out the book the movie is based on and read it.  I’ve seen a lot of movies this past year and this one held my attention and kept me involved in the story line.  I don’t know if I will watch the John Wayne True Grit again or not…its been many years since I first watched it.  I love the images I have in my mind from the Coen Brothers remake and I think I prefer to keep those over the John Wayne version. 

True Grit is definitely worth the ticket price and an evening out.