Conjuring Up A Sunrise in Elysium

Yesterday was a fairly challenging day at work which wore on me more than it should have.  I find my patience is not what it should be when I’m dealing with the political powers.  It’s a result of the environment they’ve created for themselves where even one voice of opposition to change causes them cold sweats.  No change will ever occur if the people in charge don’t exhibit even a modicum of courage.  Sometimes I really miss the Army.

I assuaged my frustration by catching a late matinee on my way home of the movie The Conjuring.  It scared the hell out of me!  I had heard of the Warrens before but this apparently was their most disturbing case and that more than anything else added to the terror – this really happened?!!  Thanks for making my daily trip to the basement now something that will give me pause.  I was so glad that it was still light out when I exited the movie theater – definitely one of the scariest movies I’ve ever seen. 

I followed this up with the date night movie of Elysium with the wife.  This was another great summer movie.  Matt Damon plays a hood in a future dystopian America who’s only chance of survival is gaining access to the space station home of the uber-wealthy.  I did say summer movie, right?  The director was the same guy from District 9 and he kicked all the aliens out of the district and moved it to a future Los Angeles.  As with District 9 the special effects were understated but uniformly awesome.  He also brought along Sharlto Copley (what a great name) who elevates whatever he’s in.  He plays a baddie in this one and keeps going even when his face gets blown off!  Awesome movie – it almost eradicated deep sense of foreboding I left The Conjuring with.

I continued my tour of classic literature I hated having to read in my youth yesterday.  Since I enjoyed my earlier foray into the past with F. Scott Fitzgerald I decided to check out his buddy, Ernest Hemmingway’s The Sun Also Rises.  Maybe my expectations were too elevated or maybe Fitzgerald’s work stands the test of time much better than Hemmingway because some of this book seemed more like a personal travel diary than a well crafted novel. 

There are some interesting comparisons between the disaffected young people of the 1920’s and today.  The book does take off when the gang arrives in Pamplona and the semi-tragic hero Jake watches the inanity of his friends on full display.  This was his first novel which some strangely call his best.  I’m going to give Hemmingway another shot later in the year but I was seriously under-impressed, especially when compared with his buddy.