Two More Movies
Back to the screening room for two more movies in the past week. First is Murderball an Academy Award nominated feature documentary. It's about Quad Rugby which used to be called "murderball." But as Mark Zupan, one of the quad rugby players says, "wheelchair rugby" is easier to sell to corporate sponsors. And it is murder. These guys play for keeps. They may be in wheelchairs- but those chairs are specially designed to withstand a lot. It is almost a wheelchair demolition derby.

It was a moving story told in this movie. They gave us the background on the players- what happened that forced them into a paralyzed life- accidents, infections, etc. But there isn't a moment of pity. They play hard because life is hard in their situation. They have overcome a great deal to be able to do what they do. It is enough to make me stop whining about what I am unable to do because I have a little back pain.

The best moment in the movie for me is the look on a recently injured and recovering young man's face. Zupan has gone to the hospital to inspire the people in rehab. When this young man sees what is happening and what may be possible, his eyes light up, his face comes alive. There is hope!

It's a rough and tumble movie. And it is good.

Then there's The Last King of Scotland
Forrest Whitaker is nothing short of great in this portrayal of the heartless, cruel, Ugandan dictator Idi Amin. Watching it I know why no one even stood a chance in the Academy Awards or most of the other best actor awards given. He is mesmerizing and mercurial and eerie and scary and passionate and cold. All within spans of minutes and even seconds. It is not a movie about brutal dictatorships, although it presents that with chilling effect.

It is a movie about power and its seductiveness. James McAvoy plays fictional Dr. Nicholas Garrigan who is lured by Amin's power to become his personal physician. Nicholas is on one level idealistic and wants to help the people. Well, he is told, what better way to do that than to take care of their head- Amin. He falls for it. He is sucked into it. He is fooled- and fools himself. Just like the British and others who played the games in Africa of government upheaval and overthrow. (Or even America in Chile with Allende and Pinochet.)

Watch this movie for Whitaker's performance of a lifetime. But don't miss the seductiveness of Amin even for us the viewer. It can easily happen.