PYY Movie Review: I Am David

After searching for a topic for today's post, I realized that nothing much interested me. Let's look at the top news, as of this writing.

Bush Daughter Gets Robbed In Argentina

Somehow, I keep expecting hear a rendition of "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" from Evita. But since I am not a big fan of musicals, I am not moved much.

Michael Richard's (AKA Kramer) Meltdown Continues To Be The Talk Of The Town

So what are we going to do, demand an execution by firing squad, at dawn? Bigots exist, we just have to learn to ignore them. They will not go away on their own and we can't make them go away, either.

Wesley Snipes Still In Tax Trouble

Not good, but at least he didn't participate in a hip-hop/rap star gun battle. Pay the taxes Wesley, the government needs money to fund social programs that do not work. I have to do it, so should you.

But the sad news? Robert Altman Died.

Of all of his movies, I only have seen MASH. I thought it was good, but as for the rest of his movies, I cannot say. There doesn't appear to be many other real blockbusters that he had directed, at least I didn't remember them as such.

None of these things moved me much, one way or the other. Famous people make the news much of the time by doing things that many others that are not famous do, just by the virtue of who they are. Growing up in the LA area, you learn to realize this at an early age.

There are two LAs, I wasn't in the glam and glitter part. I was in the normal world part. We were not rich, nor were we poor. We were just the average middle class family. We had what we needed and a little of what we wanted, and not much more. And such as it was, we were thankful.

So last evening when I watched the movie, I Am David, I was able to re-live the emotions of watching a 12 year old boy experience things he had never experienced before. And although his experiences were certainly harsher than mine, I found myself looking at that innocent boy and wondering what it would have been like, if I had to go through what he went through. It wasn't pretty and I am thankful I didn't.

Now, as you may know, I am not much of a movie reviewer here at PYY. But I must say that if you want to see a great movie, this would be one. It is one great story. The stars you will recognize in this flick are, Jim Caviezel and Joan Plowright.

I will not tell you much about it (as I want you to see it for yourself), except that it is about a boy that escapes from a prison camp in Bulgaria to the west, at the time that Stalin was ruling the Iron Curtain nations. It goes slow at first and his flasbacks do not make a lot sense, initially. He has been in this prison from a young age and is trying to sort a lot of things that most kids should never have to sort out.

Even though it's slow to begin with, it contains many plot twists and is one hell of an uplifting film. It's a story of hope, will, and trust. And unless you are completely stoic individual, you will be moved by it.

I say watch it for yourself, if you haven't already. And by all means it's one that you'll want your kids to see, if they aren't already running around with I-Pods stuck in their ears. It can give all who watch it, a reason to be thankful for the privilege of living in an open and free society. If you are down, it will pick your spirits up. I guarantee it.