Greetings my friends - it is a beautiful Sunday morning as I sit on the old Chromebook, typing away. The rest of the house is asleep, but my mind is turning, As it has been for the last two days. Let me tell you why....
Janel and I went on kind of a "double date" with Wyatt and his girlfriend. In reality, the kids were going to a movie, Janel had a gift card to the theater, and Cole and Emily were other places, so we had a free night and nothing to do. So the four of us went to the Galleria and saw "The Purge".
If you're not familiar with the concept of this movie, let me try to explain quickly but completely. In the year 2022, America has been "reborn" - crime is almost non-existent, unemployment is at 1%...sounds like Utopia right? The reason it got that way is that once a year, on the arbitrary day of March 21 at 7:00 PM for 12 hours, all crime is legal. No police - no emergency services. All crime including murder is legal - and dare I say encouraged. It is the belief of the "new founding fathers" of America that this 12 hour window "purges" us (I love when the title of the movie makes it's way into the movie - like Peter Griffin does!) of our need to be animalistic. I also think, although it isn't said, that the killing of homeless people also "purges" (see what I did there??) the country of what ails it.
That's the idea - now if you want to see the movie, I won't give you much more, other than to say Ethan Hawke really mailed this one in and the dialogue sounds like it was written by a child.
My problem is with the concept of the plot - and how it would relate to the people I know. I was asked after the movie if I would take part in killing or other crime because I could, or if I would just stay in the house. Of course, I have a few people in this world I just don't like (Sidney Crosby, I'm looking at you - all my hockey friends will get that reference), but I don't think I harbor that much hatred towards ANYONE. I retch and vomit when I hear Taylor Swift come on the radio, but is that reason enough to want to hunt her down and kill her? I don't believe it is. I'm also sure I've probably pissed someone off enough that for 12 hours, I'd have a target on my back as well. I have asked a couple of people, and I got responses from "No way" to "I already have a list."
I know we all have things in our lives that are horrible to deal with, and some of them may have been directly caused by another person - but would you, without any fear of repercussion, take the opportunity to "right the wrong" in your life?
This stupid movie has had me thinking about this on and off for 48 hours. Now I burden you all with my burden. What would you do? Do you have a list? Would you freely divulge it, like a scene in the movie when a radio talk show was taking calls and a guy says "I'm going after my son of a bitch boss?"
For a movie that was maybe 2 stars out of 5, it sure does have me thinking. Your responses will be very interesting. I would love to see comments - but if the subject is too personal, you can direct message me your response, or Tweet me at @billwinters18.
Now I think I'll go "purge" my brain and watch something less thought provoking - like anything with Adam Sandler in it.
