Dear People of the World (formerly Dear Americans)

The horrible incident happened in the state of Virginia. Shooting on the Virginia Tech University Campus resulted in killing of 33 people. I deeply express my condolence to the victims.

This incident reminds me of Micheal Moore's documentary film "Bowling for Columbine (2002)"

The documentary explores the causes of the shooting incident that took place in Columbine High School in Colorado, 1999.

The main point was guns are not the main cause of the massive occurence of gun crimes in US. Nor violent video games, family crises.

The main cause is the culture of fear which the US traditionally has. It affets not only domestically but also internationally. Why the US attacked Iraq without sufficient evidence of weapons of mass-destruction and link with Al-Quaida terrorism? You are afraid of fear, always! Even though there is nothing to fear.

 Remember what President Franklin Roosevelt said, "The only thing to fear is fear itself."

The story of the film reflects Vietnam War Era.

A deserter from Vietnam named Even Bonner played by Peter Fonda met with a famous fashion model in Marrakech, Morocco. Her name was Deidre Mcluskey played by Lindsay Wagner.

Even decided to turn himself in to end his fugitive life. But he fell in love with the fashion model. She did, too.

Even knew this love would not come true because he would be in jail. He had no future. But they could not give up their love and they had little time to be together.

One of good things about this movie was the scenaries of the location. Marrakech, Casablanca, Paris and New York.

Very exotic, the film makes you feel you are traveling with the characters.

The other good thing was Lindsay Wagner, who later became very famous by the popular TV series "The Bionic Woman." I liked that show. She was very beautiful. She was suited for her role, a top fashion model who could be a cover model for VOGUE.

 I just wonder if Hollywood can remake this movie by using a character of Iraq War deserter. In fact, Marrakech is closer to Iraq than Vietnam.

This movie might be considered anti-war sentiment movie. I borrowed a video from a peace group manager. But to me as ordinarly movie fan, it was just a love romance with traveling. I like traveling, that is the main reason I came to like this movie. I hope some day I can visit the same places shot in the film.

You can see a clip from the movie on this site. The scene a fashion model first met with a deserter on the train from Marrakech to Casablanca. She came up to him to ask if he had grass to smoke. But she upset him because he was crying in the compartment.

Such kind of films. I have seen the movie "United 93" before.

It's been only 5 years and so since 911. The story was about two policemen trapped in the rubble of WTC.

The movie was overall boring.

There is not many dynamic scenes. But there were some real scenes. I just wondered if the film makers sent some crews to capture the scenes at the time of that incident, so that they can use it in the future. They are always ready to make money.

 So I understand how they were careful in making the films of such real tragedies. Maybe 20 years later, they can make very dynamic and real and objective story. At this point you still cannot see things objectively. If you make stories about 911, you should include people in Iraq, people in Palestine, people in Afghanistans and people of Peaceful Tomorrows.  

If I make a drama for TV or movie now, I would make a soapopera which a man who lost a wife in 911 decides to remarry another woman but some days before a wedding, a wife whom he thought died and whose body was never found shows up. He has to cancel the wedding. A wife says she had suffered amnesia because of the shock caused by the incident. He gets a trouble in between of two women he loves. In fact a wife got a new lover but remembers she still loves a husband. His supposedly new wife gets shocked and doesn't know how to deal with this problem and began to jealous his revived wife. Then she hires a hitman to kill or let him go back to the old woman? 21st century version of "Dynasty." Too bad Mr. Spelling is already dead.

 I do not mean to insult the victims of 911. But now is just too early to make a film of that incident. There are too much still unknown. Too much to be revealed.

Have you ever thought about real cause of 911?

The movie is making box-office record here in Japan.

 I went to see the movie. The story is about Japanese soldiers in historical battle place of WWII, Iwojima Island.

I was really impressed. I cannot believe the Hollywood provides almost all Japanese language movie to us.

Clint Eastwood was a director for the film. How come he did it, I wondered.

The movie taught us how life is precious and to live as long as you can is beautiful.

The movie clearly described dark history of Japan. How people are sacrificed in the name of patriotism. That kind of things is gradually reviving today's Japan. Like, not setting up a national flag at home means "non-Japanese."

 Because it was made by Americans, we could see our own history from objective perspective.