By Chris Sarcletti
A funny thing happened as I sat there, engaged, somewhere near the last quarter of Martin Scorsese’s 150 minute film, The Departed. I thought to myself, this is a really good film. I didn’t say great though. The thing is, how a movie begins and how it ends really defines its “greatness”. That said, I knew I was in for a hell of a film after the first 5 minutes. Actually, the first one. I was engrossed with what I was watching completely after a minute and as soon as I walked out of the film, the first thought that came to my mind was, ‘I can’t wait to see that movie again.’ Actually, that was my 2nd thought. I will get to the first a bit later.
This movie has balls. Plain and simple. Everything about it does. Fortunately you don’t need to have balls to appreciate it. This is a vintage Scorsese film in the same class as Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas and Casino. Marty doesn’t hold back anything, not that you would expect him to. This is the kind of film where you don’t question whether someone is dead when they get shot, you know they are. There won’t be any last words because those words are tough to say when you have a bullet lodged in your brain. Jack Nicholson gives a BIG performance. He is over the top in every conceivable way. Actually, all the performances are over the top and they are all fantastic. Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio show why they can hold stage with a great actor like Nicholson and not give up a fucking inch. While I am on the subject, Alec Baldwin and Mark Wahlberg don’t give up much either and are both very entertaining.
This is a Boston story. Maybe that is why the characters have such big personalities. This is a story of two cops who fall on opposite sides of the law although there is much gray area in the middle. However this is really a story about the mob and revolves around an egotistical, devilish and very entertaining crime boss named Frank Costello, played by Nicholson. Damon and DiCaprio are his protégés/cops and Baldwin, Wahlberg and Martin Sheen also plays cops of one degree or another. There are a lot of cops in this movie and there is a lot of crime and a lot of violence. There is good character development and a relationship between Damon’s character and a psychiatrist who works for the police force to soften the violent undertones of the film but Martin doesn’t really try and soften it too much. If he did, it wouldn’t be a Scorsese film. He doesn’t pull punches and doesn’t hold back anything and that is precisely why those of us who revere him do so much so.
At the beginning of this review, I alluded to my first thoughts after I walked out of the Departed. The Departed is the type of film that makes you feel like a man. The first thing I wanted to do after I exited the theater was walk into a bar, find the first stool available and order a hard drink. A triple whiskey sounds about right. After drinking that in one big gulp, I would slam the glass on the bar. The first jack off that made a comment would prompt me to pick up that glass and break it over his fucking head. After this incident, I would walk out of the bar without looking back to see if the guy got up and was coming after me because I wouldn’t need to. He wasn’t getting up.
Ok, maybe I am angry and maybe that is just me. Fortunately, I didn’t act on my feelings.
Like I said, this movie has balls.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Book Review - Siddhartha by Herman Hesse
By Chris Sarcletti
Synopsis / Plot
A young man grows up living with his father who is a Brahmin (a concept of God found in Hinduism). He respects his father and his wise lifestyle. However, after realizing that he has learned all he can from his father, he begins to look for more answers regarding the nature of existence. He thirsts for knowledge and decides to leave his father to travel with his best friend Govinda and a group of Samanas (wandering monks). He believes he may find answers to his questions with the Samanas.
He travels with the Samanas, suppressing all bodily desires by fasting, breathing control, and living in poverty. His only truth is the natural world and meditation is practiced regularly. The most valuable lessons he learns during this period of his life are how to think, wait and fast. These lessons benefit him throughout his life. He learns but still searches for answers. He meets Gotama Buddha and learns from the greatest teacher of all but still wishes to understand the world for himself since all teachings have failed to accomplish this for him, even those of the Buddha. Siddhartha wishes to have the enlightenment that Buddha has attained by listening to the voice of his Self instead of denying it. He leaves his childhood friend and the Samanas to explore the world.
He continues to learn something new at every step. He sees life differently now and gives into the desires of the flesh. He meets a beautiful woman, Kamala, and the strong willed Siddartha is determined to learn love from Kamala. He uses the skills he has learned (to wait, fast and think) to get the riches (gifts, money, fine clothing) Kamala tells him he needs to learn from her. Things come easily to Siddhartha and he becomes a successful merchant. Riches in hand, he visits Kamala often and learns the pleasure of sex, gambling, drinking and love. He becomes comfortable in his “easy” lifestyle, but he never takes his career seriously. He sees it as a game and doesn’t get stressed like others. He learns about material possessions, but this doesn’t last forever. Eventually, the soul sickness of the rich creeps over him and his pleasures become a chain and a burden. He realizes that this part of his life is over. Ashamed of his sins, he leaves Kamala and his merchant life, disappearing into the forest.
Siddartha is now in deep despair. He is lost, confused and even seeks death. While resting near a river, he runs into his old friend Govinda who doesn’t even recognize him. Slowly, his despair dissipates. Siddhartha learns from the river and the ferryman Vasudeva who is a great listener. He realizes that only after living a life of self-denial and then experiencing sins for himself has he been able to find the wisdom about the world. Vasudeva teaches him how to listen to the quiet sounds of the river, endlessly flowing, and he realizes that the world is simply a recurring cycle. He realizes that nothing really changes at all and his selfish ego is destroyed. Siddhartha realizes the unimportance of his life alone since his life is a part of the greater unity of things. He realizes that no teacher could have brought him salvation. He finds ultimate peace for many years as he lives with the ferryman in a life of relative solitude.
Siddartha meets Kamala again. She passes away and he feels pain but soon after finds the greatest gift of his life when he meets his son through Kamala. His son lives with him after she passes and Siddhartha feels worldly love deeply to an extent that he has never felt before. However, his son resents him and his kindness and way of life. His son lived a life of luxury before and never wanted to leave that life. He, like Siddhartha, also wants to experience the world. The ferryman explains this to Siddartha and he understands but chooses to continue to try and win his sons love with kindness. Eventually, young Siddhartha (the son) runs away, leaving his father and the ferryman.
Siddartha searches for his son to no avail. He struggles to understand why others (even criminals) can have their child’s love but he cannot. He now is like everyone else. He has succumbed fully to love and is warm, curious and sympathetic to all people. He can relate to them and understand them and they are now all his brothers. He is heartbroken that his son must endure the same trials of sin and depression that he himself has already overcome but realizes that he put his father though the same thing when he was a child long ago and this is part of the cycle of life.
In the end, Siddartha meets his friend Govinda again. Govinda is amazed at Siddhartha's transformation given that he led a life of sin before coming to peace. Two childhood friends meet again; one has progressed and found meaning in life, and the other has spent life stagnating, by blindly following the teachings of another rather than teaching himself by trial and error. It is personal experience, not age, which teaches wisdom.
Importance to me
Siddhartha is about the endless cycle of life. It is full of lessons that anyone can apply to some aspect of their life. Every time I read Siddhartha, I see something different. I think there are lessons in this book for everyone that will help them understand themselves better. In the process, they will become a better human being. They will become more effective in their personal life and will be better able to relate to, work with and understand others.
Here are a few of the nuggets of wisdom in the book:
• “Wisdom is not communicable. The wisdom which a wise man tries to communicate always sounds foolish.”
• “Above all, he learned how to listen, to listen with a still heart, with a waiting, open soul, without passion, without desire, without judgment, without opinions.”
• “Seeking too much can be a problem. A seeker only sees what he is seeking, but doesn’t see what’s under his nose as a seeker can’t absorb anything they come across because they are absorbed with their goal.”
• “Which father, which teacher, could prevent him from living his own life, from soiling himself with life, from loading himself with sin, from swallowing the bitter drink himself, from finding his own path? Do you think, my dear friend, that anybody is spared this path? Perhaps your little son, because you would like to see him spared sorrow and pain and disillusionment? But if you were to die ten times for him, you would not alter his destiny in the slightest.”
However, the true beauty of Siddartha is that everyone learns different lessons depending on where they are at the point in their life when they read this book.
Siddartha is a store about life. It is about understanding life and has many lessons within its pages. However the lessons are different to each reader.
Synopsis / Plot
A young man grows up living with his father who is a Brahmin (a concept of God found in Hinduism). He respects his father and his wise lifestyle. However, after realizing that he has learned all he can from his father, he begins to look for more answers regarding the nature of existence. He thirsts for knowledge and decides to leave his father to travel with his best friend Govinda and a group of Samanas (wandering monks). He believes he may find answers to his questions with the Samanas.
He travels with the Samanas, suppressing all bodily desires by fasting, breathing control, and living in poverty. His only truth is the natural world and meditation is practiced regularly. The most valuable lessons he learns during this period of his life are how to think, wait and fast. These lessons benefit him throughout his life. He learns but still searches for answers. He meets Gotama Buddha and learns from the greatest teacher of all but still wishes to understand the world for himself since all teachings have failed to accomplish this for him, even those of the Buddha. Siddhartha wishes to have the enlightenment that Buddha has attained by listening to the voice of his Self instead of denying it. He leaves his childhood friend and the Samanas to explore the world.
He continues to learn something new at every step. He sees life differently now and gives into the desires of the flesh. He meets a beautiful woman, Kamala, and the strong willed Siddartha is determined to learn love from Kamala. He uses the skills he has learned (to wait, fast and think) to get the riches (gifts, money, fine clothing) Kamala tells him he needs to learn from her. Things come easily to Siddhartha and he becomes a successful merchant. Riches in hand, he visits Kamala often and learns the pleasure of sex, gambling, drinking and love. He becomes comfortable in his “easy” lifestyle, but he never takes his career seriously. He sees it as a game and doesn’t get stressed like others. He learns about material possessions, but this doesn’t last forever. Eventually, the soul sickness of the rich creeps over him and his pleasures become a chain and a burden. He realizes that this part of his life is over. Ashamed of his sins, he leaves Kamala and his merchant life, disappearing into the forest.
Siddartha is now in deep despair. He is lost, confused and even seeks death. While resting near a river, he runs into his old friend Govinda who doesn’t even recognize him. Slowly, his despair dissipates. Siddhartha learns from the river and the ferryman Vasudeva who is a great listener. He realizes that only after living a life of self-denial and then experiencing sins for himself has he been able to find the wisdom about the world. Vasudeva teaches him how to listen to the quiet sounds of the river, endlessly flowing, and he realizes that the world is simply a recurring cycle. He realizes that nothing really changes at all and his selfish ego is destroyed. Siddhartha realizes the unimportance of his life alone since his life is a part of the greater unity of things. He realizes that no teacher could have brought him salvation. He finds ultimate peace for many years as he lives with the ferryman in a life of relative solitude.
Siddartha meets Kamala again. She passes away and he feels pain but soon after finds the greatest gift of his life when he meets his son through Kamala. His son lives with him after she passes and Siddhartha feels worldly love deeply to an extent that he has never felt before. However, his son resents him and his kindness and way of life. His son lived a life of luxury before and never wanted to leave that life. He, like Siddhartha, also wants to experience the world. The ferryman explains this to Siddartha and he understands but chooses to continue to try and win his sons love with kindness. Eventually, young Siddhartha (the son) runs away, leaving his father and the ferryman.
Siddartha searches for his son to no avail. He struggles to understand why others (even criminals) can have their child’s love but he cannot. He now is like everyone else. He has succumbed fully to love and is warm, curious and sympathetic to all people. He can relate to them and understand them and they are now all his brothers. He is heartbroken that his son must endure the same trials of sin and depression that he himself has already overcome but realizes that he put his father though the same thing when he was a child long ago and this is part of the cycle of life.
In the end, Siddartha meets his friend Govinda again. Govinda is amazed at Siddhartha's transformation given that he led a life of sin before coming to peace. Two childhood friends meet again; one has progressed and found meaning in life, and the other has spent life stagnating, by blindly following the teachings of another rather than teaching himself by trial and error. It is personal experience, not age, which teaches wisdom.
Importance to me
Siddhartha is about the endless cycle of life. It is full of lessons that anyone can apply to some aspect of their life. Every time I read Siddhartha, I see something different. I think there are lessons in this book for everyone that will help them understand themselves better. In the process, they will become a better human being. They will become more effective in their personal life and will be better able to relate to, work with and understand others.
Here are a few of the nuggets of wisdom in the book:
• “Wisdom is not communicable. The wisdom which a wise man tries to communicate always sounds foolish.”
• “Above all, he learned how to listen, to listen with a still heart, with a waiting, open soul, without passion, without desire, without judgment, without opinions.”
• “Seeking too much can be a problem. A seeker only sees what he is seeking, but doesn’t see what’s under his nose as a seeker can’t absorb anything they come across because they are absorbed with their goal.”
• “Which father, which teacher, could prevent him from living his own life, from soiling himself with life, from loading himself with sin, from swallowing the bitter drink himself, from finding his own path? Do you think, my dear friend, that anybody is spared this path? Perhaps your little son, because you would like to see him spared sorrow and pain and disillusionment? But if you were to die ten times for him, you would not alter his destiny in the slightest.”
However, the true beauty of Siddartha is that everyone learns different lessons depending on where they are at the point in their life when they read this book.
Siddartha is a store about life. It is about understanding life and has many lessons within its pages. However the lessons are different to each reader.
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