Limitless... Winning?

I think Charlie Sheen could learn a lot from Limitless. Actually, I take that back. Charlie Sheen couldn’t learn from anybody. He’s not at a point where he’s really listening to anyone yet. He’s trying to teach everyone a lesson. What lesson is that? You got me. One thing is for sure, it certainly ain’t winning.

Let’s just say someone in a predicament like Charlie Sheen’s who is willing to listen and is trying to learn from their mistakes could learn a lot from Limitless. The movie is about a starving author named Edward Morra who, through a series of …well basically, fate leads him to discover a drug called “NZT.” From there, it’s a roller coaster ride throughout the course of a year.

Limitless makes more real the dangers of being an addict, a lesson I feel America needs to hear. Most addicts don’t realize they’re addicts until they try to abandon the normal that they’ve known for so long. There’s desperation, craziness, even a sense of hopelessness. And you definitely feel it in the movie.

Bradley Cooper gives a great performance, and shows us that he can definitely clean up nicely, as he goes from looking haggard and unshaven to professional and attractive (and back again. And then professional and attractive again. It’s a long story, just go see the movie.) He does a good job of expressing his different emotions without speaking. He giggles like a little kid when something goes well, which is adorable. And when he’s upset he gets these puppy dog eyes…

Anyway, the creators definitely had some fun with the lighting and camera angles. Unfortunately, most of the time this “creativity” came off as a bunch of new film students that wanted to create this revolutionary visionary spectacular. It was cool sometimes, but it often came off as dizzying and hard to look at. Less is more.

The quality of the movie? I feel like the creators tried to do something good, but fell a little flat. There were definitely some clichés, predictable twists, gross scenes, and boring patches. It fell slightly flat, but other than that, it was pretty good.

 I can’t decide if it was really realistic or unrealistic. We’ll have to see when this product or something similar to it becomes available, which, after seeing this movie, I’m not sure if I want to happen or not.

Limitless definitely left some questions unanswered, but I doubt there will be a second installment. Actually, now that I think about it…nah.

This movie reminds moviegoers that life doesn’t have to be perfect for you to be happy. In a way, it reminds me of the reverse of The Adjustment Bureau. But I won’t ruin that one for you. (P.S. If you haven’t, go see the Adjustment Bureau, it’s better!)

Facebook is not for posting pictures of amputations or videos of sick monkeys...is it?

Warning: this post is not for the faint of heart...or weak stomachs.

Fortunately for me, I have a very strong heart and stomach, and that's what's been holding me together throughout this week of unusually gross posts in my Facebook timeline.

You could care less, but I was forced o hit the 'hide' button on my page this week more than once. A few of my guy friends seem to have some sort of fascination with the gross and the gruesome. I was exposed to more than one post I could have lived my whole life without seeing, and I guess this is the best place to share them. Like I said, this next part is not for the faint of heart/stomach.

Post #1: one of my Facebook friends got a picture of a hand missing a finger. That's not a big deal, right? Well it is, if it looks like that finger got chopped off with something rusty thirty seconds before the picture was taken! I don't know whose hand it was, and I don't know how his finger got cut off, all I know is that I was stupid, and human nature inclined me not to turn away, but to enlarge the photo!! (By the way, I hope that whoever's finger it was is okay.)

Post #2: Darn man's inquisitive nature!! Had it not been for my curiosity, I would never have had the displeasure of viewing (the first thirty seconds of) a really gross video featuring a sick monkey who kept on eating whatever it was throwing up.

Why, people? Why do we have such an obsession with the disgusting and crude side of life? I mean, look at the news! What kind if stories are highlighted? Why are shows like Law and Order: SVU and Bones so popular? Why do millions of people go to see bloody, gory movies and classify them as entertainment? Why is there such a plethora of gross humor? This must be why shrinks, philosophers and psychologists keep coming up with new discoveries and ideas.

I'm not gonna say these things shouldn't be posted on Facebook. It's a place for sharing, and as Americans we live in a free country! At the same time, maybe you should take into consideration those who won't be so thrilled to hear about (or see!) your dog's favorite place to take a dump.

What's the grossest thing you've ever seen online? Share here, on Twitter (@garbagequilt), on our Facebook page, or email (thegarbagequilt@gmail.com). Thanks for reading!

Just Another Currently Non-Newsworthy and Super Late Movie Review...

Okay, I'm not a racist, but I think Blood Diamond was a way too "white-dependent." Don't get me wrong, its portrayal of the African peoples' strength mixed with their peaceful spirits was well-represented, and both the evil and the good sides of Africa were shown. I was just upset to see a lack of white bad guys in a land where the white guys are the problem! I suppose they're not out there putting themselves in danger; they're staying in safe places letting the slaves do all the work, causing division amongst the African tribes for things that aren't 
worth nearly as much as they're made out to be worth. It's no question that race plays a large role in the diamond industry. I suppose the glimpses of high up executives trading diamonds was enough to make viewers see their selfishness.

 I'd like to see how many Africans and/or African Americans helped to create this movie. My guess is there weren’t too many. Way too often (and this is the case in many movies) it seemed like the white guys always had to save the day. The fact that the African white guy was in the movie might have been an attempt to soften the racial lines, but in my opinion it didn't help. DiCaprio did an amazing job either way, but just think about it: Solomon would have been shot if Marsha (Jennifer Connelly) hadn't offered to take pictures of the African tribe. Solomon would have been shot if Arthur (Leonardo DiCaprio) hadn't dragged him away from authorities on numerous occassions. See what I mean? I’m not saying it wasn’t believable, I just didn't like it.

At least the ending was pretty good. Maybe a cover up or an attempt to balance the seemingly blatant racism? Either way, I'm glad someone made this movie so we could see what was really going on in Sierra Leone. At least the main black character wasn’t killed.

Remind me to request conflict-free diamonds next time I decide to go shopping for them.